China promised, this Monday (29), to deliver over 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Africa, according to an announcement by President Xi Jinping. The country also said that it will encourage Chinese companies to invest at least US$ 10 billion (R$ 56 billion) in the continent over the next three years.
Nearly 200 million doses have already been distributed by China to Africa, where vaccination rates are lagging amid growing concerns about the spread of the new Ômicron variant of the coronavirus, which was first identified in the south of the continent.
Xi said 600 million doses would be donated and another 400 million would be provided by other means, such as joint production by Chinese companies and relevant African countries. China will also conduct ten health projects in Africa, and will send 1,500 health experts.
In a speech broadcast on video at the opening of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, Xi said that a China-Africa center will be established to offer African financial institutions a $10 billion credit line, without providing further details.
China will provide $10 billion in trade finance to support African exports and create a trade and economic cooperation zone to build a Sino-African industrial park, Xi said.
The announcement comes amid criticism of China’s commodity infrastructure deals, which some experts say are burdening countries with unsustainable debt. The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently reviewing a $6 billion deal with Chinese investors over concerns that the pact will not be of sufficient benefit to Congo.
Reference: CNN Brasil
