At the end of a two-day Africa-China summit in Egypt, China has said that it will lend Africa billions of dollars in low-cost loans.

The country's premier has gone even further and suggested that China will do what so many Western countries have not and cancel Africa's national debt. 

China is Africa's second-largest trade partner; three years ago China established a special fund of $5bn to encourage Chinese investment in Africa.

In 2008, total trade between the two countries hit a staggering $106.8bn - an increase of 45.1 per cent since 2007.

But what drives China's growing role in Africa - is it a quest for a real and long-term partnership or is it merely plundering the continent's riches?

Inside Story, with presenter Imran Garda, discusses with guests Andrew Leung, an independent and international China specialist, Timothy Armitage, a senior economist at IHS Global Insight, and Gamal Nkrumah, an editor of al-Ahram weekly newspaper.

This episode of Inside Story aired on Tuesday, November 10, 2009.