Chinese citizens in Africa ‘not targets’

China will not arrange “special security” for its citizens doing business in Africa because they are not a “prime targets”, a top envoy said.

#Focac: Johannesburg – China will not be drawn into arranging “special security” for its citizens doing business in Africa because they are not a “prime targets”, the country’s special representative on African affairs, Ambassador Zhong Jianhua said on Friday.

Responding to Chinese media on the sidelines of the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation Summit (FOCAC) currently underway in Johannesburg, Zhong said the security threat was being exaggerated by some media.

“Where do you think is the perfectly safe place to do business? Even in China, there are business people who are taken hostage, hijacked and eventually killed, but we still need to do business as usual. It is not only Chinese people who are victimised in Africa, I don’t think the Chinese are specifically targeted,” Zhong said during a media briefing.

“If we look at the 200 to 300 000 Chinese people doing business in South Africa – on one hand we have their concerns about the safety situation and on the other hand they can’t afford to leave because earning money is important. What I do not agree with is what some Chinese businessmen are asking for – the provision of specialised protection when doing business in Africa. That is not the decision of China and that is not what China should do.”

Zhong, however, said the security situation of Chinese citizens doing business in Africa was discussed when China President Xi Jinping met his Malian counterpart Ibrahim Boubacar Keita prior to the FOCAC summit in Johannesburg.

Xi strongly condemned the Radisson hotel attack in Bamako, Mali, in which three senior executives of a powerful state-owned Chinese company were killed last month.

Regarding the $60-billion (R864-billion) of assistance and loans for Africa announced by Xi earlier on Friday morning when he addressed the FOCAC summit, Zhong said he was not in a position to share finer details.

“Actually, I was thinking about that question too (of the distribution of the $60 billion) when I was listening to President Xi’s speech this morning. As you know, this summit concerns all African countries and our plans are meant to benefit all African countries. Indeed President Xi did not elaborate on any of the specific projects, but we hope that in the future we will make some follow up actions and specify on the projects,” said Zhong – former Chinese ambassador to South Africa.

The theme for the forum is “Africa-China Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development” and the summit is expected to adopt the Johannesburg Declaration and Action Plan which will outline specific measures aimed at consolidating the growing mutual partnership between Africa and China.

As many as 40 African heads of state are attending the first FOCAC on the continent in Johannesburg. The summit will be concluded on Saturday.

African News Agency

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