Pak Sahafat – China’s foreign minister and the head of the African Union Commission in a press conference rejected the baseless claim of the so-called “debt trap” in Africa.
According to Pak Sahafat News Agency’s report, quoting from the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s news website, in a joint press conference with African Union Commission President Moussa Faki Mohammed on January 11, 2023, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang rejected the baseless allegation that his country has created a “debt trap” in Africa.
In response to reporters about China’s point of view regarding the second summit of US-African leaders, Qin Gang said that China and the US, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, have an important responsibility in the field of establishing peace and global development.
He pointed out: China-US relations should not be a competition or a zero-sum game, where one side’s profit comes at the cost of another’s loss.
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The Chinese Foreign Minister noted that Beijing and Washington should respect each other, participate in establishing peace, pursue win-win cooperation and not harm the interests of third parties.
He added: This issue must be in line with the requirements of the time and common expectations of the international community.
Qin Gang said, China and Africa have deep traditional friendship with each other. The cooperation of the two parties is based on honesty, real results, goodwill, mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and win-win.
He added that since the beginning of the new century, China has built more than 6,000 kilometers of railway tracks, 6,000 kilometers of roads, 20 ports and more than 80 large-scale power facilities in Africa, and more than 130 hospitals and clinics, more than 170 schools and 45 sports venues and has financed more than 500 agricultural projects in Africa.
He stated that these measures have achieved tangible results in promoting economic and social development and improving the livelihood of people in Africa.
Qin Gang noted that Africa is an emerging continent full of hope and vitality. Without the peace and development of Africa, the world will not be stable and prosperous. Africa needs solidarity and cooperation, not bloc confrontation. No country or individual has the power to force African countries to take sides.
He added that Africa should be a stage for international cooperation, not an arena for competition with big powers. If there is a competition, it should be who does more practical work for the peace and development of Africa and who helps the continent.
Qin Gang said: China is happy to see that every country really helps Africa to realize peace and development with sincerity. If African friends wish, China is also willing to have trilateral or multilateral cooperation with any other country in Africa to jointly contribute more to the development and rejuvenation of this continent.
Qin Gang pointed out that African countries have actively tried to promote economic and social development in recent years, but the lack of funding has become a major problem for Africa’s prosperity and revitalization, and how to balance development financing with debt growth.