China's lending to Africa increased in 2023, study shows

Johannesburg  — Chinese lending to Africa rose for the first time in years in 2023, new research by Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center showed Thursday. But the $4.61 billion loaned last year is still far less than China’s commitments to the continent pre-pandemic. In the heady early days of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, China’s loans to Africa surpassed $10 billion each year. That lending dropped sharply...