China tries to focus on sustainable projects as it seeks to dismiss fears of African debt trap
- Foreign minister Wang Yi tells summit in Beijing that fears about investments in continent are ‘groundless’
- Chinese government tries to address concerns borrows will be burdened by unsustainable debt and say that want to heighten role of private sector
China indicated on Tuesday it will put a greater emphasis on sustainability and seek wider private sector participation for projects it funds in Africa.
The comments by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the end of a two-day conference with African leaders also repeated Beijing’s frequent denials that it practises “debt trap” diplomacy and tried to emphasise the message that its approach to Africa differs to that of Western powers.
Wang stressed that China does not pursue selfish goals in dealing with Africa, saying: “Some outside forces have tried to vilify and undermine China-Africa cooperation by cooking up [ accusations of] so-called neocolonialism and debt traps, which are totally groundless and are not accepted by African people.”
The charge of debt trap diplomacy is frequently made by Western countries, which have accused Beijing of giving developing countries loans that they will struggle to repay.
The summit in Beijing follows on from one held last September, where President Xi Jinping promised to spend US$60 billion in Africa – a sum that matches the amount pledged at a previous gathering in South Africa in 2015.