Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Arab and African countries
July 31, 2018 Category China News Round-up, Weekly
Chinese President Xi Jinping conducted an 11-day tour of five Arab and African countries and attended the BRICS Summit in South Africa. China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to set up a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, enhancing cooperation in all fields to higher levels, including politics, economy, oil, gas and security. The UAE is also “keen to deepen cooperation” with China’s “One Belt, One Road” infrastructure plan. The two countries agreed to build a new trade zone in Dubai. A strategic cooperation framework between state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co and China National Petroleum Co (CNPC) was among the deals signed.
The Chinese President also visited Senegal and Ruanda. Xi and Senegalese President Macky Sall oversaw the signing of agreements on belt and road projects. As China’s first President to visit Rwanda, Xi called on more Chinese companies to invest in Central and East Africa. The two nations signed 15 deals, including USD126 million in loans for two road projects. In South Africa, Xi promised to increase China’s imports and pledged a USD2.5 billion loan from the China Development Bank to the troubled state-owned power company Eskom. In total, Xi agreed to USD14.7 billion in South African investments. During his state visits to Senegal, Ruanda and South Africa, President Xi and his African hosts saw the signing of some 40 cooperation documents.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg that there would be “no winner” in any global trade war, in a direct warning to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to slap levies on all Chinese imports. “A trade war should be rejected because there will be no winner,” Xi said. “Unilateralism and protectionism are mounting, dealing a severe blow to multilateralism and the multilateral trading regime,” he added. “We are facing a choice between cooperation and confrontation, between opening up and closed-door policy and between mutual benefit and a beggar-thy-neighbor approach. The international community has again reached a new crossroads.”
President Xi concluded his trip in Mauritius.
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