中国承诺对非援助新增600亿，不附加政治条件

Beijing is pledging to extend new funding of $60 billion to Africa, aimed at areas from industrial enhancement to infrastructure. China also says it will wipe clean the debt for certain African countries when interest-free loans come due later this year.

President Xi Jinping made the pledge Monday during the opening ceremony of the triennial Forum on China Africa Cooperation in Beijing.

He did not say which countries would have their debt absolved, but the move appeared to be the latest effort by Beijing to deflect concerns about debt levels on the continent and the risks of “debt trap diplomacy.”

Speaking to leaders from more than 30 African countries at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi said China’s investment and engagement on the continent would continue, with no political strings attached to Beijing’s investments in Africa.

According to data from John Hopkins University’s China Africa Research Initiative, China has already loaned around $125 billion to the continent between 2000 and 2016. That has led to high debt risks in countries like Djibouti — where China recently opened its first overseas military base — and Zambia.

China has denied it is engaged in debt trap diplomacy and Chinese state media have argued that concerns raised in Western media and by politicians are nothing but sour grapes.