Geopolitics holds back Horn of Africa

Western interference contrasts with China policy for progress, envoy says

Outside forces are trying to turn the Horn of Africa into a battleground for their geopolitical games, says a senior Chinese diplomat who warns that the interference will only exacerbate instability in the region.

Xue Bing, China's first special envoy for Horn of Africa affairs, said the United States and other Western countries view the region through the lens of geopolitics in which there is only conflict and competition.

"The Horn of Africa is not someone's backyard, but the common home of countries in the region," Xue told China Daily after wrapping up a 16-day visit to seven countries in the region. On the easternmost part of the African mainland, the region consists, in a broader definition, of eight countries, including Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kenya.

Xue's trip was undertaken to maintain communication and coordination with countries in the region on how to advance the implementation of the Chinese-supported Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed the outlook and announced China's decision to appoint an envoy on the regional affairs during an African tour earlier this year. The outlook is aimed at helping the countries tackle the triple challenges of security, development and governance.

Noting that countries in the region hope to rid themselves of the geopolitical competition between the major powers, Xue said they believed that the outlook supports them in exploring a development path that suits their own national conditions.

These countries have lauded the outlook as China's important contribution to regional peace, security and development, and one that is in line with the fundamental interests of the countries and people in the region, Xue said.

China will support regional countries in their preparations for a peace conference among the Horn of Africa nations as a means of building a platform to resolve conflicts and differences through dialogue, the special envoy said.

Xue said he would work with other parties to step up the implementation of the outlook based on the principles of noninterference in other countries' internal affairs and Africans solving African issues with African methods.

Xue also refuted the so-called "debt trap" accusations leveled against China by critics of Chinese-funded infrastructure projects, saying they amount to mere hype from some individuals with ulterior motives.

China has provided financing support to developing countries, including those in Africa, for a long time and attaches great importance to matters around debt sustainability, Xue said.

Financing support

He said China has worked with the international community to fully implement the G20 debt service suspension initiative after the outbreak of COVID-19 and now is the country with the largest amount of debt suspension among the G20 members.

China announced in November that it would exempt least-developed African countries from debt incurred in the form of interest-free Chinese government loans due by the end of 2021 and is ready to channel to African countries $10 billion from its share of the International Monetary Fund's new allocation of Special Drawing Rights.

"It fully reflects China's sincere desire to help African countries alleviate debt pressure and promote economic recovery," Xue said.

Noting the essence of the debt issue is a development issue, Xue said development is an important prerequisite for achieving long-term stability, and "that is why China makes 'development' a core content of the outlook".

China would contribute to the region's economic revitalization and strengthen exchanges relating to governance with countries in the region, he said.

China is willing to work with all friendly countries to help African countries accelerate recovery in the post-pandemic era, eliminate poverty and backwardness, and achieve common development, he added.