I posted a couple days ago on Paul Wolfowitz's criticisms of Chinese lending to African countries. The FT has the Chinese side of the argument, in an article that reports on the upcoming China-Africa summit in Beijing.

Look, the bottom line here is that China wants to tie up oil contracts to stabilize long-term supply, and some of the best sources of that resource have already made deals with companies/countries that have been hustling out there for decades. There are fewer opportunities out there these days, so Chinese companies have been 1) paying premiums for these deals, in excess of what their competitors are willing to spend, and 2) willing to accept the risk that comes with some of these unstable countries.

Yes, this means that Chinese companies are dealing with African countries that have spotty environmental and human rights records. No question about it. However, this is what's available, so what is the alternative?