CHINESE PRESIDENT HU JINTAO SAID FRIDAY THAT HIS GOVERNMENT FOLLOWS A POLICY OF «NON-INTERFERENCE IN OTHERS' AFFAIRS» AS HE FINALIZED YET ANOTHER OIL DEAL IN AFRICA, AP REPORTED. HU IS ON HIS SECOND TRIP TO AFRICA SINCE HE BECAME LEADER THREE YEARS AGO, SHOWING HIS KEEN INTEREST IN THE CONTINENT, PARTICULARLY ITS OIL. AFRICA ALSO HAS BECOME A NEW MARKET FOR CHINESE EXPORTERS _ IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, CHINA'S TRADE WITH AFRICA HAS GROWN FOURFOLD, TO US$40 BILLION (¤32 BILLION) IN 2005. «IN OUR DEALINGS WITH AFRICAN COUNTRIES WE HAVE ALL ALONG FOLLOWED THE PRINCIPLE THAT WE HAVE TO RESPECT ... THE POLITICAL MODEL FOLLOWED BY AFRICAN COUNTRIES,» HU SAID DURING A NEWS CONFERENCE WITH KENYAN PRESIDENT MWAI KIBAKI ON THE LAWN OF THE STATE HOUSE. HU ARRIVED IN KENYA ON THURSDAY NIGHT; HIS THREE-DAY VISIT HERE IS THE FINAL STOP ON A TOUR THAT HAS INCLUDED THE UNITED STATES, SAUDI ARABIA, MOROCCO AND NIGERIA.
