Chinese doctor conducting acupuncture treatment at a TCM center in Antananarivo, Madagascar, 6 November 2019 [Xinhua/Xie Han]
Subscribe to Africa Weekly, published every Friday in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
Geopolitics
Congo-Brazzaville secures restructuring on US $2.4 billion low-interest Chinese loan, while trying to unlock IMF loan (US $404 million)
Third largest sub-Saharan Africa oil producer (70% of national revenue) sees debt rise (110% of GDP) due to pandemic and oil price drop (70% in 2014); Swiss oil traders Trafigura and Glencore hold US $1.7 billion of national debt
People’s Life and Culture
As Zambian independence leader Kenneth Kaunda (1924-2021) dies, Chinese-supported Tanzania-Zambia railway built under his leadership remains a symbol of internationalism
With interest-free loan (US $500 million), 56,000 Chinese (1970-76) alongside African workers constructed 320 bridges, 22 tunnels, and 93 stations of the 1,860km railway, reducing dependency on neighboring colonial states; >60 Chinese died in the process
Health
Marking 50 years of cooperation with Equatorial Guinea, China has sent 586 medical workers in 31 teams for specialized treatment and training
With limited medical facilities, Traditional Chinese Medicine – with still-low popularity – is being introduced to treat chronic diseases and taught in universities (South Africa) on the continent, where 46 Chinese teams are currently based
Led by Kenneth Kaunda (1924-2021), Zambia was the first southern African nation to establish relations with China in 1964 based on international solidarity