China Courts Africa With New Trade and Investment Pledges

China is stepping up its outreach to Africa, offering better trade terms, more investment and military training to a continent key to Beijing winning the geo-economic race against the US.

President Xi Jinping laid out his vision in a speech to leaders from some 50 nations Thursday during the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing. A gala dinner lavished African leaders with the red-carpet treatment.