China in the driver’s seat amid calls for Africa debt relief

JOHANNESBURG: Support is growing for debt relief to help the world’s poorest, indebted nations – most of them in Africa – confront the economic havoc wreaked by Covid-19. But there is one big question mark: China.

A two-decade lending spree has propelled China to the top of Africa’s creditor list and any comprehensive debt deal, including write-offs, would require Beijing to take a leading role and swallow losses, analysts say.