COMMUNISTS THE YELLOW MAN'S BURDEN HONG KONG'S TWO COMMUNIST DAILIES LAST WEEK 
BREATHLESSLY RECOUNTED THE EXPLOITS OF ONE CHENG HO, A EUNUCH EMPLOYED 
BY THE THIRD MING EMPEROR, WHOSE FLEET OF JUNKS EXPLORED THE 
EAST AFRICAN COAST 80 YEARS BEFORE THE PORTUGUESE GOT THERE IN 
1498 . BOTH FRONTPAGE STORIES, PURPORTING TO PROVE THAT CHINA AND 
AFRICA HAD A LONG HISTORY OF " FRIENDLY INTERCOURSE, " CELEBRATED 
THE DEPARTURE FOR POST-COLONIAL AFRICA OF COMMUNIST CHINA'S PREMIER CHOU ENLAI, 
WHO IS THE GRANDEST PANJANDRUM FROM PEKING EVER TO VISIT THAT 
CONTINENT . THE TOUR, LASTING SIX WEEKS OR MORE, WILL TAKE 
CHOU AND TWO PLANELOADS OF ADVISERS TO AT LEAST NINE " 
NONALIGNED " AFRICAN COUNTRIES, WITH A SIDE TRIP TO ALBANIA, RED 
CHINA'S EASTERN EUROPEAN SATELLITE, AND ON THE WAY HOME, A STOPOVER 
IN PAKISTAN . COMPETING WITH MOSCOW FOR FRIENDS AMONG UNDERDEVELOPED NATIONS, 
CHOU EVIDENTLY WANTS TO ESTABLISH THE YELLOW MAN'S BURDEN, EVEN IF 
CHINA CANNOT EXACTLY AFFORD TO PICK IT UP . AMONG AFRO-ASIAN 
COUNTRIES, PEKING'S PRESTIGE HAS SLUMPED BADLY AS A RESULT OF ITS 
REFUSAL TO SIGN THE NUCLEAR TEST BAN . IN AFRICA ALONE, 
17 OF 33 NATIONS VOTED LAST OCTOBER TO DENY RED CHINA 
A SEAT IN THE U.N., WHILE ONLY TEN HAD DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS 
WITH PEKING . DURING THE FLIGHT TO CAIRO ABOARD A CHARTERED 
KLM DC-7, CHOU STRIPPED DOWN TO LONG UNDERWEAR FOR A SEVENHOUR 
SLEEP, WOLFED HEARTY PORTIONS OF RUSSIAN CAVIAR BEFORE LANDING . THOUGH 
EGYPTIAN AUTHORITIES PROVIDED AN ENTHUSIASTIC CROWD TO GREET THE CHINESE PREMIER, 
THE OFFICIAL WELCOME WAS SOMEWHAT RESTRAINED . PRESIDENT NASSER IN TUNISIA 
TO ATTEND CEREMONIES MARKING FRANCE'S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE BIZERTE NAVAL BASE 
WHEN CHOU ARRIVED GOT BACK TO CAIRO IN TIME TO GIVE 
A LAVISH BANQUET AT ABDIN PALACE . HE PRESENTED RED CHINA'S 
PREMIER WITH EGYPT'S HIGHEST DECORATION THE COLLAR OF THE NILE . 
IN RETURN, CHOU ROSE TO PLEDGE AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THEIR TWO 
COUNTRIES AS ENDURING AS " THE EVERFLOWING NILE AND YELLOW RIVERS 
. " BUT NASSER SCHEDULED AS FEW MEETINGS AS POSSIBLE, INSTEAD 
LOADED THE VISITOR'S SCHEDULE WITH TRIPS TO NASSER'S PET PROJECTS, NOTABLY 
THE ASWAN DAM, WHERE 2,000 RUSSIAN TECHNICIANS COULD HARDLY ESCAPE CHOU'S 
NOTICE . WHAT WITH SOME $1.5 BILLION IN SOVIET AID AND 
HEAVY DEPENDENCE ON U.S . WHEAT TO FEED EGYPT, NASSER HAS 
HAD STRAINED RELATIONS WITH PEKING OF LATE . DAYS BEFORE CHOU'S 
ARRIVAL, HIS PRESS BELATEDLY CHIDED CHINA FOR ITS ATTACK ON INDIA 
. THE WELCOME MIGHT BE MORE SATISFACTORY IN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE 
OR NEED CHINESE TECHNICIANS, LOANS AND TRADE AGREEMENTS ALGERIA, GUINEA, GHANA, 
MALI . ELSEWHERE, CHOU'S RECEPTION PROMISES TO RANGE FROM THE COOL 
TO THE CURIOUS, ROUGHLY THE WAY IT WAS BACK IN CHENG 
HO'S DAY . 