China provides Africa with the precious experiences

　　Sir，Your recent article "Wolfowitz slams China banks on Africa lending"（October 24）and subsequent editorial "Wolves in Africa"（October 25），about China's role in Africa，is based in part on the account in your French sister newspaper，Les Echos，of my interview with them.

　　Unfortunately，that account gave the inaccurate impression that I was singling out China and India as particular problems when it comes to lending to what are called "heavily indebted poor countries" in Africa. That was the premise of the interviewer's question，but I said clearly："I think it is wrong to make it sound as if it's exclusively a problem of China and India."

　　I then explained at some length that the issue is not any particular lender but rather the problem of unsustainable levels of borrowing by poor countries no matter what the source of the loans.

　　Further on the subject of the Equator Principles，while I did point out that the big Chinese banks have not yet subscribed to those principles，I said："I hope they would，and I think that would be a big safeguard." I was not attacking China，as your article states. In fact，it is my hope that the Bank can engage constructively with banks in China and in other emerging economies to expand the use of the Equator Principles.

　　Unfortunately，the way Les Echos edited the transcript and inserted the mention of Venezuela - which the interviewer raised，not I - gives a misleading impression of my views.

　　In the last quarter century，over 300m people have escaped poverty in China. With ingenuity and pragmatism，they have pursued a path which offers valuable lessons for the 600m people in sub-Saharan Africa who still struggle to find the path out of poverty.

　　Working in common purpose，the World Bank Group and key donors，including China，are working to support our African partners to create real opportunities for the poor. China's role in this effort，as a source of both valuable experience and resources，is increasingly important and welcome.

　　参考译文：

　　英国《金融时报》编辑，你们最近发表的文章《世行行长：中国给穷国贷款忽视人权和环境》（Wolfowitz slams China banks on Africa lending，10月24日），和随后发表的社论《在非洲的狼》（Wolves in Africa，10月25日），内容涉及中国在非洲扮演的角色，部分基于你们的法语姊妹报《回声报》（Les Echos）对我的采访内容。

　　不幸的是，上述文章造成了一种错误的印象，好像我把中国和印度单独挑出来，当作贷款给非洲“重债穷国”的负面典型。那是采访记者提问时的假设，但我当时明确表示：“我认为，如果将其视为中国和印度特有的问题，那是错误的。”

　　随后，我作了较为详细的解释：问题不在于任何具体的贷款方；不论贷款来自何处，穷国都存在一个无法维持的借债水平问题。

　　此外，在赤道原则（Equator Principles）问题上，虽然我确实指出，中国大型银行还没有采纳这些原则，但我也表示：“我希望他们能够采纳，而且我认为这将是一个重要的安全防范措施。”我并没有像你们文章中所描述的那样攻击中国。事实上，我希望世界银行能与中国及其它新兴经济体的银行进行建设性的交往，以拓展赤道原则的应用。

　　不幸的是，《回声报》编辑稿件的方式，和他们在文中插入提及委内瑞拉的行为（这是采访记者提到的，不是我），造成了读者对我观点的误解。

　　过去25年，中国有3亿多人摆脱了贫困。中国人以聪明才智和务实态度，开辟了一条道路，为撒哈拉以南仍在努力寻找脱贫之路的6亿非洲人提供了宝贵的经验。

　　为了共同的目的，世界银行集团（World Bank Group）和包括中国在内的主要捐助国，正在支持我们的非洲伙伴，为穷人创造切实的机遇。在这方面的努力中，中国作为宝贵经验和相关资源的贡献来源，作用日益重要，而且越来越受欢迎。

　　重点词汇：

　　subsequent adj.后来的，并发的

　　indebted adj.负债的，感恩的

　　exclusively adv.排外地，专有地

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