China has been recently accused for buying land in South Africa, this allegations are getting strong and the act of neo-colonialism is being blamed against the Chinese government. Recently China has refuted the charges and has claimed this to be a concrete effort to help the continent gain sustainable agricultural strength.
Speaking to the media, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Hong Lei, said "China always seeks food self-sufficiency through its own domestic output," China, instead of grabbing land in Africa, has been providing as much technical assistance as it can to help develop agriculture there and enhance the continent's capability of using its natural resources and addressing issues such as climate change and food security, he said.
"Those efforts are welcomed by the African nations," he added. Replying to a question on neo-colonialism, Hong said that "there is indeed neo-colonialism in Africa, but absolutely not from China". "As an important strategic partner, China has made great contributions to the economic development and the betterment of people's livelihood in South Africa," said Hong.
"Africa is victim to agricultural neo-colonialism," Hong said, adding that it is the common obligation of the international community to promote the sustainable development of Africa's agricultural sector.
Some Chinese enterprises are carrying out small-scale cooperation through internationally-accepted business models with their partners in Africa, and sell their products to meet local demand, he said.
