He flew into Egypt at the start of the trip which will also take him to Ghana, South Africa and four other countries.
Deals for oil, copper, timber and other resources are expected to be discussed. Chinese manufacturers are also seeking new markets, correspondents say.
Trade between China and Africa rose to $40bn (£22bn) last year.That total has quadrupled in the last five years.
Mr Wen will also visit Congo-Brazzaville, Angola, Tanzania and Uganda during his visit.His trip comes at a time of growing Chinese interest in the continent.
But critics in the United States and Europe say Beijing is blocking international efforts to put pressure on what they call oppressive regimes in Sudan and Zimbabwe because of its desire for economic deals.
It is curious he is not going to Sudan, where he has so many interests. Ehh, can it be because all Chinese interests are well protected in Sudan?
You can read also Luo Minatti's post on this subject (HT: No Pasarán)
UPDATE: Go over to Causes of Interest and read UN hears of mass Darfur Killings.
technorati tags:Sudan, genocide, China, Russia, France, Europe, European, Union, oil, energy+resources, Human+Rights, no+more+blood+for+oil
[...] Everything depends on the side China takes. But I doubt China wants a war so near its frontier and with so little to gain. I really think North Korea is nothing more than a puppet from China. And China will use it. Especially now that looks like the needs for only are going to rise by 50% by 2030, especially from India and China. I think he is going to manouvre it to gain more energy supplies, just as has done with Sudan. [...]