The impact of the economic crisis is deepening and will hit developing nations particularly hard, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) warned on Monday as he embarked on the final leg of a tour of Africa.
A day after signing deals worth more than US$20 million in Tanzania, Hu called on rich nations to help African countries cope with the downturn before flying to Mauritius, the last stop on a four-nation trip to the continent.
“The impact of the crisis on economies around the world is still deepening and its grave consequences will be felt more in the days to come,” he said in a speech at a town hall gathering in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.
“It has put developing countries in a particularly disadvantaged position. Many African friends are concerned that in the face of the daunting challenges of the financial crisis, their international developing partners may scale back aid, debt relief and investment in Africa,” Hu said.
“The developed countries should assume their responsibilities and obligations, continue to deliver their aid, debt relief commitments, maintain and increase assistance to developing countries and effectively help them maintain financial stability and economic growth,” Hu said.
On Sunday, the Chinese president signed deals with his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete totaling US$21.9 million covering agriculture, communications and technical cooperation.
Hu arrived on Monday in Mauritius where he was to sign two agreements to finance infrastructure in the Indian Ocean island.
He was welcomed by Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam. Yesterday he was to meet a Mauritian government delegation led by Ramgoolam then visit a Chinese cultural center before winding up his visit later in the day.
“During the Chinese president’s visit, two deals will be signed to finance the enlargement of an airport and other infrastructure,” Cabinet secretary Suresh Seeballuck said.
China has funded several projects on the Indian Ocean island since 1972 when Mauritius switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing.
“Mauritius is intensifying its efforts so that much of the Chinese investment in Africa goes through Mauritius,” Mauritian Finance Minister Rama Sithanen said.
Charles Lee, head of the Mauritius chamber of commerce, said: “This visit shows a strong friendship between China and Mauritius, a small country without natural resources.”
Imports to Mauritius from China were worth more than US$300 million by September last year, while Beijing has also invested in the island’s textile and communication sectors.
The West has criticized China for its drive to secure natural resources from African states, including from regimes spurned by the West, and Hu has been anxious on his trip to push forward talk of investment and debt relief.
Also See: China mulls forex fund for foreign energy expansion
CONFRONTATION: The water cannon attack was the second this month on the Philippine supply boat ‘Unaizah May 4,’ after an incident on March 5 The China Coast Guard yesterday morning blocked a Philippine supply vessel and damaged it with water cannons near a reef off the Southeast Asian country, the Philippines said. The Philippine military released video of what it said was a nearly hour-long attack off the Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannons and collided with Philippine vessels in similar standoffs in the past few months. The China Coast Guard and other vessels “once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers” against a routine rotation and resupply mission to
GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM: The potential purchasers would be limited to the 15 nations with which Tokyo has signed defense partnership and equipment transfer deals Japan’s Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it is developing with the UK and Italy to other nations, in the latest move away from the country’s post-World War II pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter jet project, and is part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to nations
Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their respects to a revered monk who mastered the practice and seeking purification. The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual in which devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple’s formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple’s Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia
ON ALERT: A Russian cruise missile crossed into Polish airspace for about 40 seconds, the Polish military said, adding that it is constantly monitoring the war to protect its airspace Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and the western region of Lviv early yesterday came under a “massive” Russian air attack, officials said, while a Russian cruise missile breached Polish airspace, the Polish military said. Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a series of deadly aerial attacks, with yesterday’s strikes coming a day after the Russian military said it had seized the Ukrainian village of Ivanivske, west of Bakhmut. A militant attack on a Moscow concert hall on Friday that killed at least 133 people also became a new flash point between the two archrivals. “Explosions in the capital. Air defense is working. Do not