World Tour - China’s vaccine diplomacy

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ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: China pledges vaccines to Africa—We start today here in Africa.

XI: [Speaking Chinese]

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pledged to provide 1 billion doses of China’s COVID vaccine to African countries. He made the announcement during a China-Africa summit held Monday near Senegal's capital, Dakar.

Forty percent of the donation will come in the form of investment in local production facilities. Beijing will also send 15-00 medical professionals and public health experts to Africa to help address COVID-related issues.

African leaders have embraced Chinese investment on the continent, particularly for infrastructure and other development projects. But those projects often come with large amounts of debt. And critics say Beijing exploits that financial obligation to its advantage.

AUDIO: [Man speaking French]

During the summit, Senegalese economy minister Amadou Hott said African governments needed to seek better economic sovereignty. And he urged them to push Chinese investors to support existing African companies, creating a more equitable partnership.

Honduras elects new president—Next we go to Central America.

AUDIO: [Crowd chanting]

Left-wing opposition leader Xiomara Castro is set to become the next president of Honduras. Supporters celebrated her victory on Sunday as preliminary results came in.

Castro beat the ruling party’s candidate by a wide margin. Election observers feared an outbreak of violence after the polls closed, but the rallies that filled the streets remained peaceful.

AUDIO: [Woman speaking Spanish]

During the campaign, Castro vowed to end rampant corruption. Gang violence and economic woes have plagued the country for years. The outgoing president faces possible charges in the United States. Federal prosecutors in New York have accused him of running a narco state and fueling his own political rise with drug money.

But Castro’s government might not be much more popular than her predecessor’s in Washington. Castro is married to former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. During his time in office, he maintained close ties with Venezuelan autocrat Hugo Chavez.

Barbados cuts ties with the U.K.—And finally, we end today in the Caribbean.

AUDIO: [Sound of marching band]

Barbados cut ties with the British monarchy on Monday and became the world’s newest independent republic. A marching band welcomed Prince Charles to the island to participate in a ceremony transferring power to the nation’s first president.

CHARLES: From the darkest days of our past, and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude.

Barbados became a British colony in the mid 17th century. English settlers covered the island with sugar plantations, and worked them with hundreds of thousands of African slaves. Barbados gained its independence in 1966 but remained a part of the British Commonwealth, with Queen Elizabeth II as its official leader.

President Sandra Mason will serve as the new republic’s first head of state.

MASON: From this moment, every Barbadian becomes the living embodiment of the new republic. Whether fair or foul winds come our way, vessel republic Barbados has set sail on her maiden voyage. May she weather all storms and land our country and citizens safely on the horizons and shores which are ahead of us.

That’s this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

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