China's Wen plans Africa tour

BEIJING, June 10 (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao heads next week on a tour of seven African nations -- including the country's number two oil supplier, Angola -- underscoring the continent's importance to Beijing.

Wen's trip, from June 17 to 24, will take in Egypt, Ghana, Republic of Congo, Angola, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei told a news conference.

Wen will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation of top officials from the agriculture and commerce ministries, He said, as well as from the energy policy-setting National Development and Reform Commission.

In the first four months of the year, Angola was second only to Saudi Arabia as a supplier of crude to China, while Congo was the sixth most important.

Africa has helped sate China's thirst for everything from oil and rubber to minerals and wood, and Beijing says its investment is helping boost developing nations' economies.

The International Monetary Fund said last month that rising commodity prices, especially oil, are likely to drive growth in sub-Saharan Africa to the highest rate in over 30 years.

But critics say China undermines efforts to build good governance by offering aid, trade and investment without demands for transparency or accountability.

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