‘More cautious’ China shifts Africa approach from debt to vaccine diplomacy
by Vincent Ni China affairs correspondent, and Helen from World news | The Guardian on (#5SSQA)
Analysis: After two decades of major financial aid, Beijing is rethinking its strategy on continent amid Covid crisis and fierce competition for power, analysts say
As debt concerns rise and a new coronavirus variant emerges, China appears to be adjusting its approach to Africa: cutting finance pledges while doubling down on vaccine diplomacy.
On Monday last week, China's leader, Xi Jinping, opened a China-Africa forum with a pledge to supply 1bn vaccine doses to Africa, amid global concern over the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. He also pledged $40bn to the continent, ranging from credit lines to investments - a significant cut from the $60bn promised at the previous two summits.
Continue reading...