Uplands of promise beckon for Chinese companies

Since China's reform and opening-up began 35 or so years ago, huge changes have taken place in the way the country's companies are run.

Even more alluring is the fact that by setting up factories in Africa, these companies can get around some of the trade barriers that Chinese domestic products face on the continent and gain easy access to the markets of developed countries.

However, in all of this, Chinese companies will inevitably face risks posed by changing investment policies and market access regulations in various African countries, and not every company will be able to afford the costs that these circumstances place on them.