Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

It’s Difficult to Overstate Just How Much the “Debt Trap” Accusation Irks Chinese Officials

by Eric Olander

Wu Peng, China’s top diplomat for sub-Saharan Africa, on Wednesday posted a tweet that featured a week-old video of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari defending his decision to borrow from China.

Wu didn’t include any other reference in the tweet and it’s not clear what prompted him to post this now. One prompt may have been the FT’s article this week on the slowdown in Chinese lending in Africa, which raised concerns about Beijing’s “toxic contracts.” It could also have followed last week’s comments by his boss, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who angrily refuted the debt trap accusation during a press conference in Kenya.

…

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

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

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More

You Might Like

An Exchange Between British Lawmakers Highlights How Bad Information About China Makes Its Way Into the Foreign Policymaking Process

A virtual meeting of the House of Lords International Relations and Defense Committee in London on Wednesday revealed the extent to which faulty information about China’s engagement in Africa has become embedded in the UK’s ...

You Can Actually See Chinese Soft Power Draining Away in Nigeria

China’s apparent unwillingness to engage Nigerian civil society in a discussion over the ongoing loan controversy is eroding what’s left of Beijing’s credibility in the media, politics and among the country’s enormous young, online population ...

Is Debt-for-Equity Chinese for “Debt Trap?”

Tucked away in a remote corner of Southeast Asia, an important experiment is now underway that could have profound implications for how China manages its vast loan portfolio in Africa and in other developing regions. ...

What is The China-Africa Project?

Independent

The CAP 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-Africa stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalist and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Africa discourse.

Networking

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

Subscribe