The Chinese government and the banks it owns have been attacked for
ignoring human rights and environmental standards in their involvement
in Africa.
Paul Wolfowitz, the World Bank president, told a French business
newspaper that China, as well as India and Venezuela, were lending to
poor African nations that had only recently been helped to emerge from
burdensome debt.
He said: ‘There is a real risk of seeing countries that have benefited
from debt relief become heavily indebted once more. If it’s a matter of
buying luxury cars for ministers, it is bad borrowing. On the other
hand, good borrowing delivers big benefits, lifts national income and
makes it easier to repay the national debt in the future.’ The World
Bank, he said, had held ‘very direct’ talks with Chinese leaders about
its worries over Africa.
China has already been criticized strongly in the West for its substantial investment in Sudan, especially in oil production.
Zhai Jun, China’s assistant foreign minister, said Africa was rich in
resources and offered a big market, and China was simply seeking mutual
benefits in an open manner.
A World Bank study has reported that Africa now sells 27 per cent of
its exports to Asia, about the same level as to the US and to Europe.
Asian exports to Africa are increasing by 18 per cent a year.
