eight years ago, a huge section was rebuilt by the chine ahmed abdula has just begun his 1,200 milv journey from mombasa0 on the eastern edge of africa, to congo. >> it's very good. before it's not good. >> reporter: so what sorts of things imported from china are those trucks carrying? just about everything you can imagine, from pots and pans to the most sophisticated computers, all cheap. go to the electronics shops and you'll find them.qz+ shoes from china seem to be everywhere. >> they are from china. >> reporter: from china? >> yes. >> reporter: the cheapest ones? >> yes. >> reporter: there are loads and loads of them, overwhelming african shoemakers like this man. his name is emmanuel, and he lives in tanzania, where we travelled next. his tiny company, one employee, makes shoes, also belts and handbags. he says, it's difficult for us to compete with chinese products, they are sold at much lower prices than what we sell. they are cheap, $6 for a pair of the chinese shoes, about $4 less than the tanzanian shoes. in a country where people don't have much money, no contest. u.s. diplomat