This is what Africans really think of the Chinese

By Sophie Morlin-Yron, for CNN

Updated 4:26 AM ET, Sun November 6, 2016

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, in April, 2016.
Photos: China-Africa relations in 10 handshakes
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, in April, 2016.
Hide Caption
1 of 10
Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos shakes hands with Chinese premier Li Keqiang before their meeting in Beijing, June, 2015. Angola is Africa's second largest oil producer, and their biggest buyer is China.
Photos: China-Africa relations in 10 handshakes
Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos shakes hands with Chinese premier Li Keqiang before their meeting in Beijing, June, 2015. Angola is Africa's second largest oil producer, and their biggest buyer is China.
Hide Caption
2 of 10
China's President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as he arrives in Harare in December, 2015. The Chinese president visited Zimbabwe despite criticism against the regime.
Photos: China-Africa relations in 10 handshakes
China's President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as he arrives in Harare in December, 2015. The Chinese president visited Zimbabwe despite criticism against the regime.
Hide Caption
3 of 10
Cameroon Prime Minister Philemon Yang shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before their meeting in Beijing in June, 2015. China invested $3bn in Cameroon in 2011 towards the Memve'ele Dam project in the south of the country.
Photos: China-Africa relations in 10 handshakes
Cameroon Prime Minister Philemon Yang shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before their meeting in Beijing in June, 2015. China invested $3bn in Cameroon in 2011 towards the Memve'ele Dam project in the south of the country.
Hide Caption
4 of 10
Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing in September, 2015. Mauritania has seen significant investment from China, particularly in the important Nouakchott Port. The relationship has endured despite frequent political instability in Mauritania.
Photos: China-Africa relations in 10 handshakes
Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing in September, 2015. Mauritania has seen significant investment from China, particularly in the important Nouakchott Port. The relationship has endured despite frequent political instability in Mauritania.
Hide Caption
5 of 10
Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in Beijing in September, 2015. China has invested heavily in Ethiopia's railways in recent years.
Photos: China-Africa relations in 10 handshakes
Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in Beijing in September, 2015. China has invested heavily in Ethiopia's railways in recent years.
Hide Caption
6 of 10
China's President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Beijing in November, 2015. The meeting was aimed at promoting bilateral relations.
Photos: China-Africa relations in 10 handshakes
China's President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Beijing in November, 2015. The meeting was aimed at promoting bilateral relations.
Hide Caption
7 of 10
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita shakes hands with Chinese Premiere Li Keqiang during the World Economic Forum in Tianjin in 2014. More recently, China has pledged to assist security operations in Mali, following an Islamist attack on a hotel in the capital Bamako in November 2015.
Photos: China-Africa relations in 10 handshakes
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita shakes hands with Chinese Premiere Li Keqiang during the World Economic Forum in Tianjin in 2014. More recently, China has pledged to assist security operations in Mali, following an Islamist attack on a hotel in the capital Bamako in November 2015.
Hide Caption
8 of 10