Could this growing Chinese interest in Africa be the early beginnings of a potential 21st Century "Scramble for Africa" by rising Asian powers in need of cheap resources? Could borders be redrawn with emphasis on interior-to-port accessibility? If Japan does manage to reassert itself militarily (in response to perceived growth in Chinese strength), could Japan join the Chinese in African ventures to secure resources as well as accessing African consumers? Maybe the ROKs? Vietnamese? Indians? Just wild speculation on my part.