PREVIEW-China's Hu seeks to assure and temper African hopes

By Chris Buckley

BEIJING, Feb 10 (Reuters) - China's quest to show it is a responsible power in grim economic times moves to Africa this week, where President Hu Jintao will seek to both reassure and temper hopes of aid and investment.

After a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia beginning on Tuesday (see story [nPEK172330]), Hu goes to Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Mauritius -- all offering opportunities for growing China but none ranked among Africa's economic and resource heavyweights.

Trade between China and Africa rose to $107 billion last year, and Hu's choice of smaller destinations appears designed to show China's interest reaches beyond oil and mines, said Zha Daojiong, an expert on energy diplomacy at Peking University. (See factbox on Sino-African ties [nPEK226907].)

"The itinerary appears intended to show that we treat all the African countries, big and small, equally," said Zha. "There's also the implicit message that China's relationship with Africa isn't solely defined by resource and energy investments."

Hu and his officials are nonetheless sure to announce investment and aid deals, in a show of support for African economies shaken by the global slowdown.

Chinese leaders have said their economy will continue to grow this year, giving some hope that China will help pull other markets out of the slump. That message was reinforced by Premier Wen Jiabao during a recent high-profile European trip.

The four African countries hosting Hu are not resource-rich and "would be eager for Chinese infrastructure investment", said Jeffrey Herbst, an Africa scholar at Miami University in Ohio.

Adding lasting substance will be more difficult since the global downturn is also straining Beijing's commitment in Africa.