TOKYO — Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged 360 billion yuan ($50 billion) in financial aid to African countries over the next three years on Thursday, part of a diplomatic blitz that also includes a proposal to train thousands of military and police personnel.
Speaking at the China-Africa Cooperation Forum in Beijing, Xi made a series of pledges covering trade, industrial supply chains, infrastructure connectivity, health, people-to-people exchanges and security. The continental tie-up comes as China seeks to exert greater influence in the emerging economies of the so-called Global South, but the scope will draw attention amid growing concerns about the ability of recipient countries to pay their debts.