Chinese Envoy Pushes Back Against U.S. Criticism of Chinese Lending Practices in Africa

China’s ambassador to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong, took a swipe at U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien’s recent accusations that Chinese loans to African governments are predatory.

Even though the event where O’Brien made the comments took place more than a week ago, the critique clearly didn’t sit well with the ambassador. Rather than directly target O’Brien, Chen chose to echo a statement made by Senegalese President Macky Sall, who also objected to O’Brien’s sentiments at the conference.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest news and analysis from Africa, Asia, and across the Global South.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China’s relations across the Global South.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.