The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China has said the United States of America needs to respect the aspiration of the African people.
These remarks were made by the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Regular during a press conference held on 14 December 2022. They were made as the U.S. was holding a summit with African Leaders.
Pindula News presents below extracts from the press conference:
CCTV: The US-Africa Leaders Summit opened this week in Washington. Senior US officials claimed that what China does in Africa is not always transparent” and “that will be eventually destabilizing”, and that the US remains the “partner of choice” in Africa. Do you have any response?
Wang Wenbin: Supporting Africa’s development is the common responsibility of the international community. We are always happy to see Africa diversify its cooperation partners, and we welcome greater international focus on and investment in Africa, including from the US, as well as cooperation with Africa which is genuinely equal-footed and mutually-beneficial.
We also hope that the US will view China-Africa cooperation with an open mind. Africa is not a wrestling ground for major-country rivalry, still less a target of strong-arm tactic from a certain country or certain people. African countries and people have the wisdom and capability to choose cooperation partners who can help advance African interests. They themselves are best positioned to tell who wants what’s best for the continent.
China is Africa’s good friend, partner and brother. Our cooperation with Africa is equal-footed, win-win, aboveboard and fruitful. It is warmly welcomed by the people of Africa. The US needs to respect the aspiration of the African people and take concrete actions to advance Africa’s development, instead of being bent on smearing and attacking other countries.
China and the USA have for years been competing to have an influence on Africa by extending financial assistance to ensure they stamp their authority on the geopolitics arena.