This week, China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang is visiting Africa to "deepen the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership and boost friendly cooperation between China and Africa."

Last week, China and Ecuador announced an agreement to restructure Ecuador's $4.4 billion in outstanding debt, and also advanced trade talks and said they hoped to reach a trade deal by December.

A new report by a Boston University center offers some analysis of the recent decision of the Chinese government to forgive some interest-free loans made in African countries.

Last week, the Solomon Islands government announced that it had signed a contract with Huawei for the construction of mobile communications towers, with US$66 million in funding for the deal coming from China's Exim Bank.

In a speech last week, a Chinese official said that China will waive repayment of interest-free loans for 17 African countries.

A new policy brief from the Boston University Global Development Center looks at Chinese loans to Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting a recent decline and possible shift towards foreign direct investment instead.