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。
