Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos is expected to visit China “very soon”. According to Portuguese news agency Lusa, the news was given by the Chinese Ambassador in Luanda, Gao Kexiang, who also sent the President a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Mr Gao – speaking to journalists after the meeting with Mr dos Santos – explained that the aim of the Angola President’s visit is to “deepen even more the good relationship between China and Angola”.

According to Portuguese news agency Lusa, quoted by Portuguese online newspaper Observador, there are currently over 260,000 Chinese people living in Angola. China receives almost half of the oil exported by the African country, which in turn benefits from credit lines from China.

Lusa added that Mr dos Santos’ official visit to China comes as Luanda – according to the Angolan press – is negotiating an extension of such credit terms with Beijing. The local media additionally reports that Chinese interest in Angola is turning towards the country’s agricultural sector following earlier Chinese investment in the nation’s infrastructure.