China said on Friday it was “erroneous and one-sided” to believe that it is only interested in Africa because of its energy resources, arguing it had comprehensive ties with the continent.
Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei made the remark at a briefing ahead of a June 17-24 visit by Premier Wen Jiabao to seven African nations, including Angola, which is rivalling Saudi Arabia as China’s top provider of crude.
“Some people think that energy, the import of oil, is China’s sole purpose in developing economic ties with Africa. This view is erroneous and one-sided,” he said.
“China and Africa have very comprehensive economic and trade cooperation. We’ve even adopted some measures to help African nations, including subsidies for imports. That reflects China’s sincerity.”
Wen will visit Egypt, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda during his tour.
A series of agreements will be signed as Wen travels through the continent, including some on economic and energy cooperation, He said, without giving specifics.
“It’s true that energy is an important part of China’s cooperation with Africa. For instance, in Angola this issue will definitely be discussed but I can’t say now what agreements will be signed.”
Angola shipped 2,61-million tonnes of crude to China in March, ahead of Saudi Arabia’s 2,43-million tonnes, according to Petromatrix, a Swiss-based trade advisory and risk management company.
In April, Angola slipped back to become China’s second-biggest supplier shipping 1,77-million tonnes of crude, behind Saudi Arabia’s 2,24-million tonnes, Petromatrix said, commenting the two were “really head to head”.
Yafei said China would undertake unspecified policies to help Africa boost its foreign trade.
“We understand that Africa has met with some problems in the course of globalisation. We understand that and we will think of some ways to promote trade and economic ties between China and Africa,” he said.
Wen’s visit follows a five-nation African tour by Chinese President Hu Jintao in April which was highlighted by a series of oil deals reflecting China’s rising demand for energy to power its booming economy. – AFP