President hails forum
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has shot back at critics of the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation.
“We have entered a golden age. Some are jealous and that’s why they say it’s a new colonialism.”
Ramaphosa has called the 2018 Focac a huge success, and the relationship with China as being one based on action and implementation.
“We are dealing with partners that are not arrogant or pushy, but want to engage with us,” Ramaphosa said.
The reaction of some of the western press to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s announcement yesterday of a further $60billion (R922bn) in development financing for Africa has been negative. The allegation is that African countries are falling into a debt trap they will be unable to climb out of.
Addressing this concern, Ramaphosa said: “The $60bn will come in the form of grants, assistance programmes and loans. If some African countries can’t keep up with their debt payments, the debt will be forgiven. The situation is quite progressive.” To date South Africa has not taken any loans China has made available through Focac.
Ramaphosa also addressed the concern that when China invests, it sends its own people to do the work. “When China invests, it sends key managers, but the bulk of the people who do the work are South Africans.”
In a clear reference to the Trump administration, Ramaphosa said: “We are living in an uncertain global environment. Some say their countries come first, and there is nothing wrong with that, but if they are doing it at the expense of others then it is a problem, as it goes against multilateralism and a rules-based international system.”
In perhaps one of the strongest indications of South Africa’s affinity with its Chinese counterparts, Ramaphosa said: “Our political orientation and perspectives are very similar, we have a revolutionary approach, and we look at the world in a similar way. We are therefore close friends.”