China pledges $10bn in loans to Africa
By Barney Jopson in Sharm el-Sheikh
Published: November 8 2009 14:14 | Last updated: November 8 2009 18:59
Wen Jiabao, China’s premier, has pledged $10bn in new low-cost loans to Africa over the next three years and defended China’s engagement against accusations it is “plundering” the continent’s oil and minerals.
Mr Wen’s pledge at a China-Africa summit in Egypt on Sunday came as he urged the US to keep its deficit at an “appropriate size” to ensure the “basic stability” of the dollar.
China is the biggest holder of US government debt and Mr Wen was reinforcing comments he made in March when he expressed concern that Washington’s deficit would erode the value of its US dollar assets.
The loan pledge was double a commitment made in 2006 and came during a summit at which delegates from both sides stressed their ties go beyond the Chinese acquisition of raw materials.
Mr Wen told a press conference: “There have been allegations for a long time that China has come to Africa to plunder its resources and practice neo-colonialism. This allegation in my view is totally untenable.”
Trade between China and Africa jumped 45 per cent to $107bn in 2008, a tenfold increase since 2000, and the new loans are likely to sustain the expansion.
But Beijing has drawn criticism that Chinese finance, which comes without political conditions, props up unsavoury regimes in Zimbabwe and Sudan and fuels corruption.
Mr Wen said eight new policy measures were “more focused on improving people’s livelihoods” than a 2006 package, underlining what he called Beijing’s “selfless” engagement in Africa.
The International Monetary Fund has expressed concern about African governments taking on too much debt from Chinese lenders. But Mr Wen said China would write off some loans to the poorest and most heavily indebted countries.
African heads of state at the summit, including Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, lauded China’s support.
But several delegates said African governments should devise their own development plans to take full advantage of Chinese finance.
Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, said: “The onus is on us leaders, government and the private sector especially to fully engage at every stage and . . . articulate our development priorities in this partnership.”
Additional reporting by Jamil Anderlini in Beijing
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中国承诺向非洲提供百亿美元新贷款
中国国务院总理温家宝承诺在今后三年内向非洲提供100亿美元新的优惠贷款，并针对中国正在“掠夺”非洲石油及矿产资源的指控，为中非往来进行了辩护。
温家宝昨日在埃及举行的中非峰会上做出这一承诺之际，还敦促美国把财政赤字保持在“适度规模”，以确保美元汇率的“基本稳定”。
中国是美国国债的最大持有者，温家宝此言是在强化他在3月份所作的评述，当时他表示担心，华盛顿的赤字将侵蚀中国所持美元资产的价值。
新的贷款承诺相当于2006年所作承诺的两倍。本次峰会上，中非双方都强调它们的关系不止是中国获取原材料。
温家宝在新闻发布会上表示，长期以来，一直有人指控中国到非洲是为了掠夺资源，推行新殖民主义。在他看来，这种指控是完全站不住脚的。
中国与非洲之间的贸易在2008年飙升45%，达到1070亿美元，自2000年以来已增加10倍，而上述新贷款有望保持这种扩张势头。
但批评人士抨击了中国政府的做法，称不附加任何政治条件的中国资金，扶持了令人憎恶的津巴布韦和苏丹政权，助长了腐败。
温家宝表示，与2006年的方案相比，8项新的政策措施更加注重于改善民生，突显他所称的北京方面与非洲的“无私”往来。
国际货币基金组织(IMF)已表示担心，非洲各国政府正从中国贷款机构得到过多资金，背上过于沉重的债务。但温家宝表示，中国将注销最贫穷和债务负担最重国家的一些贷款。
出席此次峰会的非洲各国政府首脑对中国的支持表示赞许。但是，多名与会者表示，非洲各国政府应自主制定发展规划，以充分利用中国的资金。与会者包括津巴布韦总统罗伯特·穆加贝(Robert Mugabe)和苏丹总统奥马尔·巴希尔(Omar al-Bashir)。
卢旺达总统保罗·卡加梅(Paul Kagame)表示：“责任在于我们这些领导人、政府，以及（尤其是）私人部门，全面投入每一个阶段，并且……在这一合作关系中阐明我们的发展重点。”
译者/和风
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