Chinese President Hu Jintao promised Wednesday to increase imports from Africa in response to fears that the flood of aid invesment and loans from China is fueling a trade deficit on the continent, according to AP. In the past few days of his eight-nation tour of Africa, Hu has signed agreements on economic and technical cooperation in the mining and energy sectors and agreed to lend Zambia US$396 million to renovate a major power station and improve its rural telecommunications infrastructure, Reuters reported. Hu's visit, part of Beijing's interest in finding new energy and mineral resources, has gained criticism for China's growing domination of the region. According to the Financial Times, Germany plans to promote indigenous bond markets in Africa that could help
mitigate risks posed by China’s liberal lending policies.