Ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) richest countries lately reached a deal on debt relief worth 40 billion US dollars for 18 of the poorest countries. This debt write-off scheme, the world's largest in history, was welcomed by the international community and was hailed as a positive act to help poor countries shake off poverty and develop their economies.

14 of the 18 nations benefiting from the scheme are in Africa, making the world's "largest impoverished continent" a major beneficiary of this good deed by developed countries. African countries, as is well known, quickened their steps for development in recent years, set up the African Union and worked out the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). However, the continent is still shackled by heavy debts and a severe shortage of funds.

Africa has been increasingly lagging behind developed countries and faces the risk of being further marginalized. Out of Africa's population of 800 million, there are still 300 million living on no more than 1 US dollar per day and almost as many people have no access to clean drinking water. Many urgent construction projects have been suspended due to a lack of funds.

In such a context, the debt relief decision by the G8 is apparently of great significance by providing external support for African development.

African development certainly has a bearing on global peace and stability. It is out of this consideration that developed countries often make "Africa aid" an agenda of summits. Their promises of debt relief and financial aid, however, more often than not stay on paper.

According to statistics of the World Bank, over the past decade Western aid to Africa has actually decreased. The per capita economic aid Africa received from the West was 32 US dollars in 1990, but only 19 dollars in 1998. Meanwhile, distribution of Western aid among African countries is seriously imbalanced. From 1990 to 2000, 70 percent of the total aid to Africa flew to the four countries of South Africa, Nigeria, Angola and Lesotho.

Western countries have long been accustomed to pegging economic aid and debt relief to political conditions.

On announcing its debt cancellation, the G8 didn't forget to stress that the 18 beneficiary countries all met conditions on building clean governments and containing corruption - rules that were set by the G8 and the International Finance Facility. The debt exemption scheme pushed by Britain involves 38 countries and a total sum of 55 billion US dollars, while a write-off of the remaining debts will depend on "corruption crackdown by related countries".

It is no denial that some African countries still have a lot of work to do in building democracy and clean governments. However, since reaching out to the poor is an unshirkable responsibility of developed countries, it is far from advisable to attach political conditions to the "carrot". A good deed, as it is, should be an embodiment of humanism instead of an instrument for promoting Western values.

After all, the debt relief scheme deserves welcome, and developed countries are expected to turn more of their words into deeds so that poor countries can benefit substantially.

By People's Daily Online