African Union to replace West with China‎?

AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs Dr Maxwell Mkwezalamba


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=136137§ionid=3510213


The African Union (AU) economic chief says Africa must end reliance on Western partners and deal more with China for mutual economic progress.

Maxwell Mkwezalamba said on Saturday that stringent conditions and checks often stalled the flow of funds from Western nations as well as the World Bank.

"We need to diversify our partners that we work with and hence for us, working with China is something that we have welcomed," he said at the 15th AU summit in Uganda.

"For Africa's development and integration, we have depended on the Western world and we cannot continue to proceed like this," Reuters quoted him as saying.

Restrictive terms and conditions placed on loans by some of their traditional Western partners and groups such as the World Bank was driving African nations into the arms of China, he said.

"By getting support from China and other countries we strengthen our position in dealing with institutions such as the World Bank, which tend to impose huge conditions," he said.

China is pouring money into developing infrastructure in the world's poorest continent — Africa. China pledged last year to give Africa $10 billion in concessional loans over the next three years.