Xi Jinping hosts two dozen African leaders at China's biggest summit in years

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted more than two dozen African leaders at a banquet in Beijing on Wednesday, kicking off the city's biggest summit in years with promises of cooperation in infrastructure, energy and education.

China, the world's number two economy, is Africa's largest trading partner and has sought to tap the continent's vast troves of natural resources including copper, gold, lithium and rare earth minerals.

It has also furnished African countries with billions in loans that have helped build much-needed infrastructure but also sometimes stoked controversy by saddling governments with huge debts.

Twenty-five African leaders have arrived in Beijing or confirmed attendance at this week's China-Africa forum, according to an AFP tally, including some whose countries face a rising risk of debt distress.