As the COVID-19 rages around the world and joint global efforts to combat the brutal virus are desperately needed, some Western media outlets and political politicians use the pandemic to defuse China ‘s reputation and undermine its foreign ties by concentrating their anti-China campaign on relations between China and Africa.
Ambassador Rahamtalla Mohamed Osman, the Permanent Representative of the African Union to China, dismissed the claims as groundless. Media reports suggest there is anti-China sentiment in Africa due to the coronavirus, but the ambassador said there is no such widespread sentiment, only “individual cases here and there” The media is fond of creating these problems, said Osman.
The ambassador noted that the large African community in China is living in a peaceful manner, he said. He said he hasn’t heard any single case of animosity toward Chinese people, noting the safety of Chinese people in Africa is guaranteed.
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The diplomat said China is zero tolerant of discrimination against Chinese people and he knows China has nothing to be worried about. The media was hyped “discrimination” against Africans in Guangzhou, South China’s Province and Guangdong Province caused by the epidemic of epidemic prevention, he added.
Cooperation on COVID-19 fight
Ambassador: China and Africa are working closely together to contain the coronavirus. China has sent medical groups to the continent and shared its experiences in containing the virus. Chinese scientists are also working with African scientists, he said. The two sides expect to reach amicable and win-win results, said the ambassador. He said Africa is in the process of talking to China about tackling new problems, which he hopes will be amicable. The ambassador said there still needs to be an assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 and the implementation of the plan of action that has been endorsed by both sides, he hopes could start soon.
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Financing infrastructure projects important for Africa
The ambassador admitted that some difficulties may arise from the cooperation, especially in the financing of big projects. He added that over the last two decades, only China is willing to finance these big infrastructure projects for Africa. Some of those projects are facing repayment difficulties, some countries chose to pay their debt with their resources. The ambassador said this is a normal part of the risk of any economic project as he stressed the necessity of conducting feasibility studies to guarantee the repayment of the debt over the long run. He stated that it’s also untrue to accuse China of “taking” Africa’s natural resources when some countries choose to pay with their natural resources.
Inputs from global times