On November 3, Beijing will welcome more than forty-eight African heads of state to what it bills as "the highest-level, largest-scale meeting between China and African leaders since the founding of the People's Republic of China." This meeting is the latest in China's charm offensive in Africa, which has included visits by both President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao this year. China has exchanged countless ministerial delegations, and Chinese companies are now operating in virtually every country and sector on the continent.

China is beginning to exercise its newfound influence. It has spent millions to wrest African diplomatic recognition from Taiwan, provided arms and low-interest loans to support such belligerent states as Sudan, and intervened directly to pick the winner of Zambia's September 2006 presidential election. Does China have a grand design on Africa? Is there any reason to expect China to find commercial success where others have failed in Africa? How do Chinese investments in African energy and minerals affect American interests? What does China's growing role portend for U.S. and European Union efforts to promote democracy and human rights on the continent?

At an AEI conference on November 1, panelists will answer these and other questions related to Beijing’s growing influence in Africa.