Xi Wants Bigger Returns, Fewer Headaches From African Debt Deals

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-09-02/china-africa-summit-xi-changes-terms-of-belt-and-road-initiative

3 Comments

  1. From Bloomberg reporters Neil Munshi and Peter Martin:

    When Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomes African leaders to Beijing this week, he’ll be holding a smaller checkbook and will have a clearer sense of what China wants in exchange: bigger returns and fewer headaches.

    From Angola to Djibouti, for over a decade, China poured more than $120 billion of government-backed loans through its Belt and Road Initiative to build hydropower plants, roads and rail lines across the continent — as well as unparalleled influence. Those relationships helped Beijing lock down access to energy and minerals, while providing an outlet for its pent up industrial capacity.

    It’s the first such summit in Beijing since 2018, and it’s the biggest diplomatic event Xi is hosting this year, with participants expected to include Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Read the full story [here](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-09-02/china-africa-summit-xi-changes-terms-of-belt-and-road-initiative).