Africa-China Beijing Summitt

Every morning since I arrived here, I have learned something new about a country in Africa from Chinese state television. Sound strange? You ain't heard anything yet....

In Beijing today, 80% of billboards (my conservative estimate) have one of the following slogans:

1) Congratulations on Opening of the Beijing Summit. Felicitations pour l'ouverture du Sommet du Beijing

2) Friendship, Peace, Cooperation and Development (repeat the same in Chinese characters and in French

The billboards are everywhere. They outnumber at least 5-to-1 the billboards about Beijing Olympics 2008 (and those simultanously scary-yet-cute Olympic mascots)

Oh and it is not just billboards. Every, and I do mean 100%, lamp post in Beijing has two lamp post vertical posters with the same, written so that one must tilt your head the very first time. These posters are on every lamp post on the road from the airport into town, on every highway and every street.

When this government hosts an event....wow...they host an event.
52 Heads of State are expected. I hear that they are mostly talking economic development issues...but who knows. I need to learn more about this topic, since I really want to study the issues further.
Downside...the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cancelled our meeting with them, as did the foreign office of a nuclear agency...all because they are staffing the big Summitt. While I do think highly of myself, even I can understand deferring to heads of state ;)

[pardon the lack of pictures in this post..i'm having technical difficulties]