我还想讲，中国的投资重点是基建项目，这些项目见效可能比较慢，但是毕竟是有效资产，而且还会升值。长远看来，对这些国家是有利的。就好比年轻人贷款买房子，虽然背负一些债务，但毕竟有了自己的房子，是自己的资产。中国有句话叫“要想富，先修路”。非洲国家长期以来也得到西方不少援助，但为什么发展还是很慢？我觉得一个很重要的原因就是基础设施建设一直落后。我到过非洲，很多国家之间没有直航，没有直达火车，甚至公路都没有。从一个非洲国家到另一个非洲国家，要经过巴黎或苏黎世转机。在基础设施如此短缺的情况下，经济怎么可能得到很好的发展？所以中国投资非洲的基础设施，实际上是找到了影响非洲发展的问题症结所在。

I want to stress that the sovereignty over and ownership of the Hambantota port belong to Sri Lanka throughout the process. When it is done, if it so needs, Sri Lanka can repurchase part of or all stakes from the Chinese company until it takes it all back.

In addition, Chinese investment is mainly in the infrastructure sector. It may take a long time to yield returns, but they are valid assets whose value will grow in time. So in the long run, it is beneficial to host countries. Just like when young people buy a house with mortgages, they may take on some debt, but they have a place to live and they have their own assets.

We Chinese often say that if you want to get rich, build roads first. Africa has for many years received certain assistance from Western countries. But why couldn't it achieve faster development? One important reason is the underdevelopment of infrastructure. I have been to Africa and I know that many African countries, although in the same continent, are not connected by direct flights, railways or even roads. You have to fly to Paris or Zurich in order to get to another African country. How can the economy grow with such underdeveloped infrastructure. By investing in infrastructure, China is helping address the bottleneck that's been holding back Africa’s development.

　　非洲急需要公路、铁路、发电厂、飞机场、码头这样的基础设施，中国在这方面投入比较多。这些设施将慢慢对当地经济产生拉动作用。一条路不是简单的交通线，而是一个经济带，一条经济走廊，可以带动整个区域经济发展。《福布斯》杂志测算，中国在非洲的基建项目每年为非洲创造了500亿美元收益。我们建造蒙内铁路，累计为肯尼亚创造了近5万个工作岗位，带动GDP增长约1.5%。中巴经济走廊2016年为巴基斯坦GDP增长贡献了2.5%，巴当年经济增长率是4.7%。中方承建的斯里兰卡普特拉姆燃煤电站供应斯全国超过40%的电力，解决了斯2000多万人的用电问题。非洲1/3新增的电力受益于中国投资项目。“一带一路”倡议提出以来的5年期间，非洲新增了四条中国建设的铁路：蒙内铁路、亚吉铁路、阿卡铁路（在尼日利亚）、安哥拉本格拉铁路。我们在这么短时间内提供了这么多的基础设施建设，而且建成了，这是“一带一路”的重要贡献。

So Africa has a great need for infrastructure, including roads, railways, power plants, airports and sea ports. Chinese investment in these areas will help boost the local economy in time. A road is not just a means of transportation, but an economic belt or corridor that will catalyze the development of the whole region.

According to Forbes, Chinese investment in Africa's infrastructure has generated US$50 billion in revenue for host countries every year. The Mombasa-Nairobi railway China helped build has created nearly 50,000 jobs for Kenya and driven its GDP up by 1.5%. CPEC, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, contributed 2.5 percentage points to Pakistan’s GDP in 2016, which grew by 4.7%. In Sri Lanka, the Puttalam coal fired plant built by China is now providing over 40% of the country’s electricity, benefiting 20 million plus people. About one third of additional electricity added to grid in Africa is attributable to China-invested projects.

In the past five years since the BRI was proposed, four railways undertaken by China in Africa were completed, i.e. the Mombasa-Nairobi railway, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway, the Abuja-Kaduna railway in Nigeria and the Benguela railway in Angola. The fact that China has delivered all these much needed infrastructure in a short period of time shows the BRI is making a big difference.

　　中国企业投资时也要讲经济效益，做了充分的调研论证和严格的测算，还参考了信用评级。我们不是过度投资，而是量力而行。有些国家提出一些不切实际的项目，我们还劝他们不要把摊子铺得太大。当然，现在有些国家债务比较重，我们也能理解，但是中国不逼债，有困难我们通过双边协商灵活处置。这次中非合作论坛北京峰会期间，习近平主席宣布免除非洲与中国建交的最不发达国家等2018年底到期的无息贷款类债务。所以，有些媒体指责中国制造了债务陷阱，我觉得不能接受，我们做出的是贡献。到底我们提供的是“馅饼”，还是“陷阱”，还是让事实和实践来回答，“让子弹再飞一会儿”，不要急于下结论。

When making investment decisions, Chinese companies make sure that they are economically viable, with rigorous feasibility study and evaluation and by factoring in credit rating. We do things according to our ability. Likewise, we advise countries to act within their means and not to overstretch themselves when they consider projects that are not in line with local conditions.

Some countries may face difficulties in repaying the debt. We understand the situation they are in and will not press down hard on them. When they encounter difficulties, we will have bilateral consultations with them and take flexible measures. During the FOCAC Beijing Summit, President Xi announced that for some African countries, including the least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China, the debt incurred in the form of interest-free loans due to mature by the end of 2018 will be exempted.

Some media reports say China has created “traps” for certain countries. We find it unacceptable because we have made contributions to those countries. What does China bring to those countries? Is it a pie or a pitfall? Let facts and results speak for themselves. Better be patient for a while and do not jump to conclusions.