We’re Not Creating Debt Crisis But Reducing Poverty In Africa, Says Chinese Envoy

The Chinese government has said it is partnering with African countries to reduce poverty on the continent, pledging that it will not create a debt crisis for African countries.

The Chinese Consul-General, Lagos, Yan Yuqing, made this known at the 18th China-African lecture held on Thursday at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lagos.

Yuqing said the partnership between China and African countries was aimed at reducing the poverty level on the African continent.

She said, “China has never been a creator of the debt crisis of African countries. China partners to help African countries to deal with their poverty problems. Under the framework of G20, there is a plan to delay debt repayment and China has contributed more than 60 per cent and done more than other G-20 members. China will never threaten to sanction any African country with recourse to contracts between the two countries.

“The people of Nigeria and China are wonderful, hard-working and friendly. We have very good results in several fields such as infrastructure, trade and investment, education and culture. These are very important parts of our bilateral relationship.”

The envoy added that the theme of the lecture, “Chinese Modernisation and the Development of Africa,” was aimed at developing the Nigeria-China bilateral relations.

“This is also to allow young students from the University of Lagos to know more about Chinese development. I am so glad that most students are learning Chinese. They will have the opportunity to go to China and know more about Chinese history and make friends with Chinese people,” she added.

The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Adelaja Odukoya, said the Chinese society had decided to do things differently with regard to its socialist system.

He said, “I call that Chinese essentialism. This means they don’t forget their roots and they are very passionate about what they are. Whether you like socialism or not, it is a different thing. If there is any social organisation that takes people from wealth into a superpower, it is the society that practises socialism. We have an example of China. Go back to 1949, where was China then and where is it today? Go back to 1917, where was Russia and where is it today? Capitalist society has done nothing for us in Nigeria.”

The Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Prof. Akanbi Ilupeju, said the meeting was for the benefit and possibilities of having a cross-fertilisation of ideas in relevant areas of sciences, social sciences and humanities in general.

“It is also to benefit our students on exchange and the possibility of having the students pursue their programmes in China,” he added.