Ministry rejects West's 'debt trap' claims

China is not the source of "debt traps" for African countries, but a partner that helps those nations get out of poverty traps, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday.

Wang made the remark when commenting on recent criticism from United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and World Bank President David Malpass, who both accused China of being a barrier to African countries' debt relief.

The spokesman rejected the accusations as groundless, saying that they are a "narrative trap" fabricated by Western politicians in an attempt to disrupt cooperation between China and developing countries.

These "tricks" have been seen through by developing countries and the international community, he said at a regular news conference.

China attaches high importance to and actively helps African countries deal with debt issues, and has also made the biggest contributions to the Group of 20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative, Wang said.

He cited a report released this week by Johns Hopkins University that said China had fulfilled its role "fairly well" as a responsible G20 stakeholder.

According to the available data, Chinese creditors accounted for 30 percent of all claims and contributed 63 percent of debt service suspensions in the countries that participated in the initiative, the report said.

Nigeria's Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said last month that the preoccupation of Western governments and media with the so-called "China debt trap" might be an overreaction, and added that most African countries are rightly unapologetic about their close ties with China.

Africa needs the loans and infrastructure that China provides and the country shows up where and when the West will not, or is reluctant to, he said.

Wang said China has been committed to providing support for the economic and social growth of developing countries, including African nations, and has carried out investment and financing cooperation with those countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

World Bank data shows that three-quarters of external debt in African countries is held by multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors. The debt held by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund accounts for nearly 70 percent of the total amount held by multilateral financial institutions, according to Wang.

Noting that the US is the biggest shareholder in the World Bank and the IMF, Wang urged Washington to step up efforts to promote greater participation of multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors in handling Africa's debt issues.

In another development, Wang on Monday expressed firm opposition to a visit by India's Home Minister Amit Shah to Zangnan in the south of China's Tibet autonomous region.

The visit violated China's territorial sovereignty, and is not conducive to the peace and tranquillity of the border region, Wang said.