The New AU Conference Center Opening Ceremony - Al Jazeera

It's a $200 million building, the tallest in the Ethiopian capital and the new headquarters of the African Union. It also happens to be entirely the work of China.

Paid for with Chinese money and constructed by Chinese workers, the AU's new home in Addis Ababa is concrete evidence of Beijing's desire to increase its influence in Africa.

Though some analysts say AU nations will still need and work closely with Europe and the United States, Chinese delegates are the ones being feted at the moment in Ethiopia.