Former President Thabo Mbeki says cooperation between African countries and China is mutually beneficial. Mbeki was addressing the China-Africa relations interactive session at the University of South Africa in Pretoria.
During the last Forum on Africa and China in September last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion to the continent in loans, grants, and development financing.
Some saw this and many other agreements as a form of colonialism. Mbeki disagrees.
“Let’s negotiate an agreement which reflects the interests of both sides and we negotiated the agreement. In the end it was signed which governs the relations. So there was a declaration that was issued, including those, these are the objectives that all of us have agreed to, which we must pursue and then the plan of action to implement what was agreed. That’s the construct of the relations between Africa and China.”
