Chinese President Xi Jinping will host a China-Africa summit on containing the coronavirus in Beijing on Wednesday, the foreign ministry announced.

The move is seen by an analyst as China’s attempt to rally support from Africa against the “smearing campaign” by the United States and other Western countries, the leaders of which have requested inquiries into the pandemic.

Xi is expected to deliver a keynote speech at the summit, which will be held via video conference, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced Tuesday.

Leaders of a dozen African countries, including members of the African Union and the chairperson of the AU Commission will attend the summit, according to Hua.

Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization will also attend as special guests.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump and other conservative parties have put the blame on China for economic losses brought about by the virus.

In April, Missouri’s attorney general filed a lawsuit in a federal court in St. Louis against the Chinese Communist Party, hoping to hold the country accountable for the damages brought about by the pandemic.

China has hit back against these lawsuits in a commentary run in state media, calling them “nothing but political pandering”.

Other moves from the West that have angered China include Trump calling the novel coronavirus “Chinese virus” and Australia calling for an independent inquiry into its origin.

Bruce Lui, a senior lecturer of journalism at the Hong Kong Baptist University, said China often chooses to join forces with third world countries whenever it needs to find support within the international community.

“When China is being blamed by the U.S. and European countries, they will try to paint themselves as the victim, while at the same time offering supplies, scientists or rescue personnel to other countries, and Africa is the perfect example of such a case,” Lui said.

Africa’s debt to China has amassed to US$150 billion, according to Ghana’s finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta.

Ofori-Atta, who spoke with Masood Ahmed, President of the Washington-based Center for Global Development in April, said he hoped that China could do more to help to ease their debt burden amid the coronavirus pandemic.

At a WHO meeting in May, Xi pledged to provide US$2 billion over the next two years to Africa and other developing countries to fight the coronavirus.

Lui said that he expected Africa to seize the opportunity to ask China for more debt relief.

“Africa knows China has too much to handle on their plate, so they know that now is the right time to negotiate and maximize their interests … ” he said.

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