Aid offering to neighbours

CHINA has offered more than $3 billion (R34.7bn) in loans and aid to neighbours Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos to improve infrastructure and production, and to fight poverty, state media reported on Saturday. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the offer included $1bn for infrastructure, $490 million for poverty alleviation and $1.6bn in special loans for China’s production capacity export, Xinhua news agency said. During a speech to the fifth summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Co-operation in Bangkok, Li also pledged $16.4m to dredge waterways along the Mekong River. – Reuters