Among the biggest investors in Angola are Mainland China and Hong Kong, the China-Lusophone Brief website reports, citing António Henriques da Silva, chairman of the Angolan Agency for Private Investment and Promotion of Exports, or AIPEX.

The website quotes Mr Henriques da Silva as saying that of the 444 foreign investments registered in Angola, which are together worth US$4.5 billion, 312 are in progress and 11 are suspended.

Reports in other media, citing official data, say the annual value of Sino-Angolan trade rose to US$23 billion last year, making Angola the third-biggest trading partner of China in Africa.

Angola had a huge surplus in its trade with China last year, having exported goods worth US$21 billion to the Chinese market, crude oil accounting for about 70 per cent of that value, the reports say.