Mutharika hails China ‘aid’ to Malawi as West still withhold budgetary support
President Peter Mutharika has applauded the Chinese Government for playing a significant role in transforming Malawi’s socio-economic landscape since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 27th December, 2007.
Mutharika made the remarks on Sunday at a news conference on the sidelines of the African Union summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Responding to a question from a Chinese news agency Xinhua, Mutharika said China-Malawi relations have been developing quite well in a relatively short time of eight times since the two countries established diplomatic ties.
Mutharika said the Chinese have been investing in sanitation projects in Malawi, a critical social program for the public health, and the Chinese companies in Malawi are actively taking up their social responsibilities while engaging in economic activities in the country.
“I feel grateful for that,” the Malawi leader said.
Malawi, which depends on mostly Western donors to bankroll most of its development programs, has benefitted a lot of infrastructure development with support of the Chinese – of course most on long term loans.
Several Western donor nations are withholding aid to Malawi in reaction to a growing scandal over government graft known as Cashgate.
Mutharika, the brother of president Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office in April 2012, declared that Malawi will look for “new friends” in countries such as Russia and China – nations who care less on issues of human rights and governance.
Notable projects that China has helped Malawi include the New Parliament building, Karonga-Chitipa –Road and Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) with a 80 million U.S. dollars loan. The university has been operating since 2014.
Mutharika said China in last October provided his government a credit line of 25 million U.S. dollars in aid for which Lilongwe officials will propose a number of social projects, particularly the building of schools to tap the fund.
China recently pledged more support for Malawi in several areas including education, Health, Agriculture, Transport, Business and Telecommunication.
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Chokan apa mukutha Ivory inu a dpp kupatsa ma china,,ivory mumat mukaotse wina alikut?sinagulitsana ndi ma china omweo,,,tiesetsa kuti anzungu adziwe zimenez…
I have no words for this guy save to say kuti ndi tsoka lomwe linatigwera. palibe chanzeru ndinachimva[po kuchokera kwa akulu awa. ambuye atikhululukire chomwe tinalakwacho. mavuto akadalipo.
Kaya zanu izo
Malawians, We need a new state of the art football stadium built by the Chinese, with money borrowed from the Chinese, like we need a hole in the head. Do you realise we are going to be paying that Stadium back for years, with money that could be better spent building homes and orphanages for our children, whose parents have vanished due to hiv/aids. Wake up. The Chinese are not here for anything but an opportunity to make money. They are not the only ones. the world is looking for opportunities to make money. We have to be careful. What… Read more »
Loans and grants are different. A loan has to be repaid. We have a massive loan from China to build a state of the art football stadium. Can we afford it? Will we be able to repay. Is a football stadium the right priority. The Chinese are building the stadium will little benefit to the local economy. You borrow money from China to hire a Chinese company to build a stadium and the you pay China back. Does this make any sense? Looks like there’s only one winner here and that’s China. It’s exploitation
Malawian leaders have no vision.Chinese are more clever than these half wits of our leaders.They have no human rights in China.They wouldn’t care if they work you like a donkey because our govt doesn’t care for its people.Chinese will benefit more than the sleepy dunderheads Malawians.They are just here to exploit Africans with their visionless leaders.Wake up Malawians.When r u going to wake from deep slumber?
People, just thank God for the help we are getting from either USA, G Britain, China, Egypt etc. All we need is to develop our country for real this time. So don’t waste time with castigating other helpers when they are pointing out our mistakes.
Let us just receive from whoever is giving us something and use it wisely while we appreciate.
Remember that the Chinese themselves developed in silence- they never made any noise.
Tulo amalawi pano china ikutibela kwambiri compared to what we are receiving ttooooooooo shiti
Malawians wake up.Chinese are in Africa to loot our resources and not to develop our nations.They are attracted by our gargantuan natural resources for their own interests they don’t care what we go through.Yes the West,have their own weaknesses,but they are by far honest and helpful.With the highest population of 2 billion people to feed,offer jobs,health care so on and so forth,Africa has become China’s play ground that in another 50 years to come,Africa will be left bare of it’resources hence another occupation now by Asian imperialism.Wakeup Africans Chinese are worse than the Westerners.
Chinese are very good people not these british people if iwere apresident iwould have chased them again in my country they really brings STUPID RULES in the countries