China has said it is not scheming to milk Africa of its oil and other natural resources through unequal trade, stating that it has been trying to normalize trade with the continent rather than gouge resources, AFP reported. China's commerce minister Bo Xilai responded to criticism that China only wants to get the resources it needs from Africa while allegedly burdening the continent's nations with unnecessary debt. He pointed to statistics showing China accounted for 8.7% of total oil exports from Africa last year, but oil exports to Europe and the US made up 36% and 33% (of the total).