The visit of the Chinese Prime Minister to Africa and
the two-month tour he plans from Cairo to Morocco, Ghana, Guinea, Mali and Somalia is a calculated gamble. Communism has made very little real headway in Africa. So far African nationalism has proved the stronger. The Chinese have been trying to extend their influence ever since the Bandung conference in 1955. In their favour has been that they too are coloured, they too have to tackle vast problems of development. Against them is the barrier of language and education and custom. They have shown skill in selecting the countries for infiltra- tion. Fortunately they have almost invariably backed the wrong people. It is to, British and American and French universities that the Africans seek entry. Not to Moscow,' much less to Peking. It is aid from their friends in the West they seek first. By providing places for education and money for development we can ensure the continued failure of Communism in Africa, and frustrate Chou En-lai's journey. It is a cheap price to pay.
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