China denies ignoring human rights in quest for oil
Chinese trade helps improve living standards and economies and does not have a negative impact, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.
"We will not repeat the mistakes of the bloody pillaging and human rights abuses of the Western colonists in the past," Mr Qin said.
"In the global arena we stress peace, cooperation and development."
Yesterday China's President Hu Jintao committed his government to seeking closer ties with Africa, as the world's fastest-growing economy works to achieve a gross domestic product target of $4 trillion (€3.1 trillion) by 2020.
During the first day of the visit, President Hu and his Nigerian counterpart President Olusegun Obasanjo presided over the signing of a string of agreements covering cooperation in energy, telecommunications, infrastructure and health.
"From our assessment this is the century of China to lead the world," Mr Obasanjo said.
"When you're leading the world we want to be very close behind you."
In the last five years, Chinese trade with Africa has grown fourfold to $40 billion (€31 billion) in 2005.
China's growth has sparked a global race with the West for markets and industrial resources.
This week anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof said rich countries must move fast to eradicate poverty in Africa before China seizes the initiative and ramps up investment in corrupt African governments.
The Irish rocker-turned-activist said unless the G8 group of world's rich countries delivered now on pledges made last year, African leaders would instead turn to Beijing, which has adopted a no-strings-attached approach to doing business in Africa.
Human rights groups also slammed energy-hungry China the world's second largest oil consumer for investing in or aiding other countries with bad human rights records, such as Myanmar, often in return for access to oil and gas.
Communist-ruled China has also been criticised for stepping in with a $3bn (€2.3bn) oil-backed loan for Angola after the International Monetary Fund criticised the country for rejecting greater scrutiny of its finances.
"China is innocent," Mr Qin said.
Mr Qin declined to elaborate on a Chinese decision last week to join with Russia and Qatar in blocking UN sanctions against four Sudanese accused of war crimes in Darfur.
