Beijing supports 'sustainable' development projects in Africa, China's foreign minister said Tuesday, June 25, rejecting accusations that China is drawing the continent's countries into a 'debt trap.' Comments already made by the Chinese president at the China-Africa summit last September.

It goes without saying, but it bears repeating. These are nearly the terms used by Xi Jinping at the 7th Forum on Sino-African Cooperation that recur in the Chinese foreign minister's remarks.

"We must advance our cooperation and our common projects in accordance with market rules," Wang Yi stated during this regular follow-up meeting on actions decided at last autumn's forum, in the presence of around fifty countries from the continent.

"In recent times," adds the State Councillor, certain external forces are attempting to smear and undermine Sino-African cooperation through accusations of "so-called neo-colonialism and a debt trap." Such accusations, according to him, are unfounded and are not accepted by the peoples of Africa.

Sustainable development, criticism of those who smear Sino-African cooperation... These remarks come on the heels of a warning issued by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Africa.

"African countries that incur debt they cannot repay, including to China, should not expect to be bailed out," Tibor Nagy declared, as 40 percent of the continent's low-income countries are over-indebted or on the verge of becoming so, according to the IMF.

Last September, the Chinese president committed to canceling debt incurred from interest-free Chinese loans for the poorest countries by the end of the year.

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