For the sixth year in a row last year, the debt owed by Mozambique to China was greater than its debt to any other country, A Verdade reports.

The Mozambican newspaper, citing official data, says the Mozambican debt to China grew to US$2.2 trillion last year from US$1.8 trillion the year before as Chinese money flowed into Mozambique to pay for various projects.

The report says the projects include the construction of the Maputo-Katembe Bridge and the road from Katembe and Belavista to Ponta de Ouro; and the rehabilitation of the Beira-Machipanda Road and of the fishing port in Beira.

The other main creditors of Mozambique last year were Portugal, to which it was US$611 million in debt, and Japan, to which it was US$300 million in debt, A Verdade says.