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Hu Jintao promises to double aid to Africa

Pallavi Aiyar

Effort to expand diplomatic, economic ties

PHOTO: AP

WIN-WIN COOPERATION: Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi (front left) and Chinese President Hu Jintao (front right) at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing on Saturday. Standing behind (from left) are President of Somalia Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed; President of Madagascar Marc Ravalomanana and President of Kenya Mwai Kibaki.

Beijing: At the start of a two-day summit between China and more than 40 African countries, Chinese President Hu Jintao promised to double Beijing's assistance to the world's least developed continent by 2009, in addition to offering African nations $5 billion in loans and credits.

Describing the summit as one "that would go down in history," Mr. Hu said that China will offer $3 billion in preferential loans and $2 billion of export credits to Africa over the next three years in addition to creating a China-Africa development fund.

Beijing will also train 15,000 African professionals and increase the number of categories of goods granted tariff-free import status to China from Africa's poorest countries, the President announced.

The China-Africa summit, which kicked off on Saturday in Beijing, is the biggest diplomatic gathering ever hosted by the country.

Concerted efforts

It underscores the Chinese Government's concerted efforts at expanding economic and diplomatic ties with a continent often neglected by the rest of the world, but rich in the raw materials needed to feed China's economy.

Mr. Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao will hold multiple meetings with a procession of African Heads of State over the weekend during which a slew of new cooperation projects and aid programmes will be discussed. Human rights groups have criticised Beijing's no-strings attached cooperation with African nations criticised by the West as repressive and corrupt. But Chinese officials defend the move, citing the country's policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign nations.

"When China is building roads and schools and providing health infrastructure and agricultural technology to African countries, are we damaging human rights in Africa? Are we hurting good governance in those countries? African people are benefiting from China's projects," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao.

Comments by participants about a statement that will be released on Sunday after the summit emphasised that China and Africa are intent on building up their relationships over a wide range of spheres aside from trade. "The Beijing Declaration will aim to establish a new type of strategic partnership between China and Africa based on equality, mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and cultural exchanges," an envoy from summit co-chair Ethiopia was quoted as saying in China's official press.

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