China's FM: We will work to implement G20 initiative on debt service suspension

BEIJING - 24 May 2020: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised the well-established and long-standing relations with Africa, saying that his country will work to implement the G20 initiative on debt service suspension, which in turn could help ease the debt burden on African countries.

Wang was responding to a question by MENA correspondent in Beijing about China's ways to support African states' efforts to counter the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

"China and Africa are good brothers who have shared weal and woe together. Our people, having fought shoulder to shoulder for national liberation, are partners for common development. A few years back, we were together fighting Ebola. In the battle against COVID-19, China and Africa have again stood by each other," Wang said on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC), the country's annual legislative session.

The Chinese top diplomat asserted that no one can spoil the ties between China and Africa, citing the great solidarity shown by over 50 African leaders to his country during the critical phase of the fight against the pandemic.

He went on to say that Chinese medical teams are cooperating with their African counterparts, noting that around 400 training courses on means to combat the epidemic have been organized with African states.

"We will continue to help Africa fight the pandemic, channel anti-epidemic materials as much as possible to developing countries in Africa, and consider sending a new group of medical experts to the region," Wang added.

"We will also continue to implement the healthcare initiative put forward at the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, with a focus on spurring the construction of African Center for Disease Control and Prevention and upgrading public health service capability," he said.

He explained that China is to further help Africa strengthen its independent development capabilities, properly arrange major China-Africa cooperation projects and support African countries hit by the pandemic to resume production as soon as possible, thereby maintaining the momentum of African economic development.

Wang added that with help from China and the rest of the world, the youthful continent of Africa will achieve greater and faster development after defeating COVID-19.