For Qin Gang, China's projects and cooperation in Africa have contributed to the development of the birthplace continent and to the improvement of people's livelihoods.
In a recent meeting with the President of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Qin said that Africans have more voice on whether China-Africa projects contribute to the continent's development or not, in a veiled attack on US authorities, who repeatedly argue that Chinese loans overburden African countries.
According to the Chinese Loans to Africa Database at the Center for Global Development Policy at Boston University, China has pledged $159.9 billion in loans to Africa between 2000 and 2020, mostly earmarked for road construction, electric dams and railways.
"China has always been committed to helping Africa relieve debt pressure", said the Chinese official, highlighting his country's participation in the debt suspension initiative led by the Group of 20, launched in 2020 to help countries focus their its resources in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Between May 2020 and December 2021, the initiative suspended $12.9 billion in debt service payments, according to World Bank estimates.
China has signed debt suspension agreements or reached a consensus on debt suspension with 19 African countries, the highest amount implemented by a G-20 member country.
