You've got your order reversed. China uses it's currency to buy investments in Africa. The Africans now have a bunch of Chinese currency, and clearly, they are

You've got your order reversed. China uses it's currency to buy investments in Africa. The Africans now have a bunch of Chinese currency, and clearly, they are going to do something with it. Most likely they will use it to buy consumer goods made in China. Thus creating a trade deficit that's exactly equal to the investment surplus. There's nothing mysterious or sinister about the balance of payments. It's a mathematical and accounting tautology. I suggest spending some time reading about it from a good source, if you're still skeptical.