Hua Chunying`s claim that China created a debt trap is groundless. (photo by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian politicians fear that China`s investment in the Pacific is "wrong"; the Pacific island`s economy is "taking off" with huge financial needs, and China`s aid program is "sending coal in the snow", according to the Sydney Morning Herald, which reports that Australian politicians fear China`s investment in the Pacific is "wrong".
The Australian government has criticized Chinese aid for potentially creating an unsustainable debt burden for Pacific island countries. In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China asked: "can you give a concrete example of which country, when and on which issues have created unsustainable debt problems because of China?"
Last month, Foreign Minister Bi Xiao (Julie Bishop) said: "We are concerned that the signing of these financing arrangements [with China] will result in a loss of their long-term sovereignty."
July 16, U.S. Defense Assistant Secretary for Asia-Pacific Affairs Sherif (Randy Schriver) accused China of "malicious interference" in the Pacific. He said the issue would be raised at next week`s Australian-US Ministerial Conference on (AUSMIN).
On July 18, Labour Foreign Affairs spokesman Huang Yingxian suggested that Australia should set up a regional infrastructure fund to help Pacific countries with "particularly severe" infrastructure deficits. She also said the United States is expected to adopt a similar policy.
On the same day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing that China`s claims of creating a debt trap in the Pacific region were groundless.
Hua Chunying pointed out: "any country`s economic take-off or in the early stage of industrialization there is a huge need for funding, we are in accordance with the will of the countries concerned, to the extent possible to provide financing support," It has played an important role in the economic and social development of the countries concerned. " She also quoted several Pacific island ministers as "forceful refutation" of Australia`s misstatements.
In recent weeks, China`s Foreign Ministry has made a series of detailed responses to criticism from foreign media, particularly in response to the Belt and Road Initiative initiative.
In a speech this week, Fu Ying, a former vice-foreign minister and former Chinese ambassador to Australia and ambassador to the UK, said China needed to better and faster explain its actions to the world. "the world has expectations and worries about China`s role," she said. The Chinese seem to lack the initiative to explain their habits and experiences. "
Fu Ying said that if China does not improve its international communication capacity, "fallacies and misunderstandings will be very popular."
It is understood that Australia is still the largest aid donor in the Pacific region, with development aid spending reaching 1.3 billion Australian dollars this year. "Australia is working with a number of development partners, including China, to eradicate poverty and support economic growth," a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said.
