By Ingrid Melander

BRUSSELS, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The European Union must abandon paternalism in Africa and strongly invest in the commodity-rich continent or risk being overtaken by China's "easy money", the bloc's development chief warned on Friday.

"Forget it, Africa is not Europe's private hunting reserve. Europe is not alone in Africa, it will never be alone there anymore," Louis Michel said a week ahead of the Lisbon EU-Africa summit, the first in seven years, on Dec. 8-9.

"Africa is being courted by all the world powers," the European commissioner for development said, complaining that Europe was late because it looked at the poor continent as a burden rather than an opportunity.

The 27-nation EU is Africa's largest trading partner, with trade totalling more than 200 billion euros ($296 billion) last year. But resource-hungry China leapt into third place in 2006 with 43 billion euros and has massively stepped up investments.

The rising influence of China is one of Europe's biggest fears in its relations with former African colonies and a major reason for holding next week's summit.

"The EU's relationship with Africa has to change, it must be more than a change ... it must be a rupture," Michel told a conference in Brussels, saying governments should make it a priority to encourage businesses to trade in Africa.

Ahead of the summit meant to forge a new EU-African "strategic partnership" with enhanced political, trade and development links, he warned Africa against what he called the risks of China's influence, saying Europe was a safer partner.

"There is a great temptation for many African leaders to give in to the siren's call of easy money, with loans that risk dragging the beneficiary countries back into debt," he said, referring to China.

"It is good to remind our African friends that on most international issues the best partnership they can get is with Europe," he said, stressing Europe was Africa's main donor with 35 billion euros of aid last year and that this would increase.

A number of African countries, especially in western and central Africa, fear that ongoing trade talks to replace preferential agreements deemed illegal by the World Trade Organisation will expose them to too much competition.

But Michel said the real competition for African goods came from emerging economies like China and India. The deals would be a chance to boost trade with the EU and within Africa, he said.

He said it was sometimes easier for China than the EU to deal with Africa because it had not been a colonial power there.

"You have colonialism and the memory of history and you can't change that, and they will use it for some time," he said.

"But if you don't propose a new partnership ... you will never change that," he said, adding that the Lisbon summit presented a unique opportunity to do so. (Editing by Dale Hudson)

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