China is growing into a force to be reckoned with in Africa

This new-fangled colonialism is fuelled by China's ballooning appetite for energy and raw materials. Double-digit economic growth has left the country thirsty for oil. And it is not just black gold the behemoth is craving. Timber imports have rocketed after the government banned logging in large areas in response to the flooding of the Yangtze River in 1998. China also needs to bring in cotton, despite its domestic production, and minerals such as copper, cobalt, gold and manganese.

So should the UK be concerned by China's quest for resources? Its insatiable desire for energy to feed its economic boom is certainly pushing up global oil prices. But the main fear is that access to vital raw materials and fuels will be disrupted by Chinese firms securing them for domestic consumption. With the Middle Eastern supply potentially threatened by political instability, it could be disastrous for the West if Mao's successors claim the lion's share of Africa's oil.

Another worry is the dubious business practices of Chinese firms. Anti-corruption organisation Transparency International ranks Chinese companies as the second worst for paying bribes when doing business abroad.

But Africa seems to be benefiting economically. Growth in 2006 was 5.5% thanks in part to Chinese investment. And it is easy to see the attraction for African nations: cash is offered without the conditions the West dictates. African leaders are hostile to lectures by the IMF and World Bank on "good governance" - policy prescriptions such as transparency and accountability - which are pushed on them in return for loans and aid.

Western nations are equally demanding when investing in the continent, imposing burdensome conditions such as the promotion of workers' rights and environmental commitments. The Chinese, in contrast, take a "no-strings attached" attitude. Faced with such a choice, and the difficulties of ensuring the West's requirements are met, many African nations have turned to China for both loans and investment. And embittered by colonial experience, some leaders feel an affinity with China and an animosity to Europe.

As South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki has said: "The world is defined by the divide between rich and poor, the haves and the have-nots...Together with China we are commonly defined by our belonging to the [global] South."

Among the "have-nots" with which China has dealings are the African pariahs, Sudan and Zimbabwe, raising eyebrows in the West. This clash between its pursuit of oil and Western foreign policy is most marked in Sudan, where China is the biggest investor and has vehemently opposed sanctions against the war-torn nation.

But despite the Chinese mantra that human rights are exclusively a domestic issue, Shadow International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell says its attitude appears finally to be shifting.

"There are signs the Chinese are facing up to their role in Africa with greater responsibility," the Tory MP notes. "China is the only country with influence on the evil regime in Khartoum. It seems they are now beginning to exercise this influence for good."

It is not just natural resources the UK risks losing out on. Sino-African trade is far from one-sided.

China is now the second-biggest exporter to Africa and considers the continent an ideal market for its cheap consumer goods.

Chinese exports to Africa soared to £13.3 billion in 2006, quadrupling since 2001 and dwarfing the UK's £6.2 billion. As Africa continues to look east, British businesses selling goods in the region will be hit.

A spokeswoman for UK Trade and Investment said that most Chinese exports to Africa are low-cost manufactured goods - textiles and cheap electrical wares - with which Britain cannot compete.

But she warned against complacency, recognising the growing competition on the continent. China will not limit itself to exporting cut-price products forever.

The West has come to see Africa as more of a burden than an opportunity; a continent to be dictated to and hectored.

The Chinese have shown there is a different way to do business with Africa and, with that continent's vast natural resources, Britain and the West can't afford to step back - despite reservations about China's methods.