Liberia to ask China for debt relief
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Liberians lined the potholed streets leading to the airport to welcome Chinese President Hu Jintao, as their leaders prepared to ask him for help in rebuilding this war-ravaged West African nation. Liberia was the second stop on Hu’s eight-country African tour. He was expected to sign key infrastructure contracts with the government in return for access to its mineral wealth. China is also expected to forgive US$15-million (about R107-million) - of Liberia’s US$3,7-billion Chinese debt. “We have the natural resources and they have the know-how,” Liberia’s Foreign Minister George Wallace said. “Now we must move toward developing the infrastructure of this land. We have destroyed it and we welcome our friends who have come to help us rebuild it.” |