China says more than half of foreign aid given to Africa
Thu Jul 10, 2014 10:05am GMT
BEIJING (Reuters) - More than half of China's foreign aid of over $14
billion between 2010 and 2012 was directed to Africa, the government said on
Thursday, underscoring Beijing's interest in the resource-rich continent to
fuel its economy.
Some Chinese projects have attracted attention for China's support of
governments with poor human rights records and lack of transparency, such as
Zimbabwe, Sudan and Angola.
It provided no breakdown of aid recipients or any yearly figures. In 2011,
China put its total foreign aid over the past six decades at 256.29 billion
yuan ($41.32 billion).
While the number pales in comparison with the United States' foreign aid,
which is about $46 billion for fiscal 2015, China says its aid has no
political strings attached, unlike many Western countries.
"China adheres to the principles of not imposing any political conditions,
not interfering in the internal affairs of recipient countries and fully
respecting the right to independently choose their own paths and models of
development," the government said in a policy paper.
Aid was given in the form of grants, interest-free loans and concessional
loans, the policy paper said, and nine countries, including Equatorial
Guinea, Mali and Zambia had been forgiven a total of 1.24 billion yuan in
mature interest-free loans.
Some in Africa say many Chinese projects benefit local people little, with
materials and even labour imported directly from China. Dam schemes have
proven divisive too.
China's close links with oil-rich African states, including Sudan and
Angola, have fuelled criticism as well that Beijing only cultivates
relations to secure access to energy and raw materials to power its surging
economy.
The Foreign Ministry said China's relationship with African nations goes
well beyond its quest for resources and encompasses agricultural, health and
infrastructure-related projects.
"China's cooperation with Africa is far from being limited to the sphere of
natural resources," ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters. Foreign aid
"is an important manifestation of China's international responsibility".
The paper made no direct reference to such criticism, but said China was
dedicated to helping economies boost their ability to export by providing
infrastructure like roads and railways and by pursuing a policy of aid for
trade.
In one project, it said, Chinese experts trained 500 Liberians to weave
bamboo and rattan into products they could sell.
"This programme has not only created jobs, brought the locals more income
and lifted them out of poverty, but also boosted the bamboo and rattan
industry in the country," the paper said.