Thousands of cheering Liberians lined the streets of the capital Monrovia on Thursday to greet Chinese President Hu Jintao, who pledged more than $35-million to aid recovery after one of Africa’s most ruinous civil wars.
Arriving from Cameroon, where he signed nearly $100-million in grants and soft loans on Wednesday on the first leg of his eight-nation tour, Hu was greeted by large crowds waving Chinese flags, many of whom had waited several hours for his arrival.
China has been offering low interest loans, debt relief and other incentives to increase its influence on the world’s poorest continent in return for access to the natural resources it needs to feed its booming economy.
”China is a friend to Liberia and a friend to Africa,” President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said after meeting with Hu, before they inaugurated a Chinese anti-malarial centre.
”The Republic of Liberia is blessed with natural resources. We hope now to put it to work for the good of our people and the development of our country,” she said.
Hu signed agreements to donate anti-malarial drugs, cancel more than $10-million in debt owed to Beijing, and waive duties on Liberian exports to China.
In addition, he agreed to projects worth $25-million over two years to help Liberia rebuild after the 1989 to 2003 civil war which killed more than 200 000 people and left the mineral-rich country’s infrastructure in tatters.
”I am convinced that under your leadership the people of Liberia will overcome the difficulties and succeed on the road to national recovery,” Hu told Johnson-Sirleaf, who took office last year as Africa’s first elected female president.
Liberia — which has large reserves of iron ore, timber and rubber — was a United States stronghold in Africa during the Cold War. China only resumed diplomatic ties after the exile of former warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor in 2003, when Monrovia broke off relations with Taiwan.
Facelift
The pot-holed streets and bullet-marked buildings of Monrovia were given a hasty facelift in preparation for Hu. Street corners were draped in Liberian and Chinese flags and some official buildings were given a new coat of paint.
”China has brought pride to Liberia. For the first time a world leader has come to this poor country,” said Ruth Davies, a 38-year-old student. ”This is a historic time for us.”
Hu will also visit Sudan, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Zambia and Mozambique. In Monrovia, he visited Chinese peacekeepers taking part in the 15 000-strong UN mission.
His tour has been overshadowed by calls from Western governments for China to back efforts by donors to promote democracy and human rights in Africa through conditional aid, instead of its current ”no strings attached” trade policy.
His visit to Sudan, where China buys crude oil and sells weapons, will be closely watched after Washington appealed last month for more support tackling the four-year-old conflict in Darfur, which has killed more than 200 000 people.
Trade between China and Africa jumped 40% last year to $55,5-billion, with the balance $2,1-billion in Africa’s favour, according to Chinese Trade Ministry data.
But some Africans warn poor African countries may ultimately lose from expanding trade with China unless they carefully examine bilateral deals and protect their weak manufacturing sectors from cheap Chinese clothes and household goods. – Reuters