研究顯示: 中國免除非洲無息貸款相當於其向非洲大陸提供的貸款的1%或更少

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China's waiver of African interest-free loans worth 1% or less of its lending to continent-study

Sun, September 11, 2022 at 9:13 PM

By Rachel Savage

LONDON (Reuters) - China's waiver of 23 interest-free loans to African countries last month amounted to only 1.1% or less of Chinese lending to the continent, a study showed on Monday.

China's foreign ministry said in August it had cancelled 23 loans to 17 African countries that matured in 2021, but did not give further details.

The waived loans were of 10 to 30-year maturities and were worth up to $610 million in total, researchers at Boston University estimated, using a database of Chinese state lending compiled by researchers.

China has waived some loans to African countries since 2000 when it cancelled loans made in the 1980s and 1990s, although it generally takes a harder stance on restructuring lending to developing nations under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched in 2013, analysts say.

Chinese state-owned lenders committed to $53.8 billion of loans to Africa between 2000 and 2012, according to the Boston University database, which tracks loans made since 2000, so the loans cancelled last month accounted for a tiny portion.

"(Interest-free loan) provision and cancellation are important diplomatic and symbolic tools in China's lending practices," said the report, by Jyhjong Hwang and Oyintarelado Moses.

They added that the loans are "more akin to foreign policy instruments than bottom line-oriented financial instruments".

Interest-free loans from China to Africa, which have included funding for government buildings, stadiums and hospitals, are usually treated like grants, according to researchers and African government officials.

(Reporting by Rachel Savage; Additional reporting by Martin Quin Pollard and Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; Editing by Susan Fenton)

Translation

倫敦（路透社）- 週一的一項研究顯示，中國上個月免除對非洲國家的 23 筆無息貸款僅佔中國對非洲大陸貸款的 1.1% 或更少。

中國外交部在 8 月表示，已取消對 17 個非洲國家的 23 筆貸款，這些貸款將於 2021 年到期，但沒有提供更多細節。

波士頓大學的研究人員, 使用由其人員編制的中國國家貸款數據庫, 估計豁免貸款為10 至 30 年期限的貸款，總價值高達 6.1 億美元。

分析人士說，中國自 2000 年放棄了對非洲國家的部分貸款, 取消 1980 年代和 1990 年代的借貸。不過在 2013 年發起的“一帶一路”倡議下的貸款，中國通常對發展中國家的重組借貸,取更強硬的立場。

根據追踪自 2000 年以來發放貸款的波士頓大學數據庫，中國國有銀行承諾在 2000 年至 2012 年間向非洲提供達538 億美元的貸款，因此上個月取消的貸款只佔很小的一部分。

由Jyhjong Hwang 和 Oyintarelado Moses 撰寫的報告稱 “（無息貸款）的提供和取消是中國貸款實踐中重要的外交和象徵性工具” 。

他們補充說，這些貸款 “更像是外交政策工具，而不是以底線為導向的金融工具” 。

據研究人員和非洲政府官員稱，中國向非洲提供的無息貸款，包括為政府大樓、體育場館和醫院提供資金，通常被視為贈款。

So, Chinese state-owned lenders had committed to $53.8 billion of loans to Africa between 2000 and 2012, and the interest-free loans cancelled last month accounted for only a tiny portion. Interest-free loans from China to Africa included funding for government buildings, stadiums and hospitals, and were usually treated like grants. I think these loans helped China build up its soft power in the region.