China’s $20 billion (£10.1 billion) programme of economic support for Africa came under fire this weekend as Germany said that the plan could bring a return of the debt woes that have plagued the continent in the past.

Peer Steinbrück, the German Finance Minister and the host of the G8 preparatory meeting in Potsdam, said that China appeared to be “willing to relaunch what we wanted to break, with our debt relief”.

His comments were echoed in a call for a “charter for responsible lending” made by finance ministers of the Group of Eight advanced economies at a two-day gathering ahead of next month’s G8 summit.

Last week it emerged that China, which is not a G8 member, was planning a package of trade and infrastructure loans to Africa over the next three years worth about $20 billion. Much of the funding will be in exchange for Africa’s oil and other commodities.

China’s growing role in African public life has sparked nervousness among the G8 countries as they try to write off debts of the world’s poor.

The campaign group DATA said that the G8 was being hypocritical. It said that only $2.3 billion of the additional $25 billion in aid pledged to Africa by the rich nations two years ago had been delivered.

Meanwhile, Gordon Brown crushed speculation that Tony Blair could be the next president of the World Bank, saying that the post would go to an American. The future prime minister effectively ruled Mr Blair out of the running when made clear that he expected Paul Wolfowitz to be replaced by a fellow US citizen.

Mr Brown said: “The American Administration are likely to nominate an American. There’s a long history of a European being managing director of the IMF and an American nominee being president of the World Bank.” The comment indicates that Mr Brown will not challenge the American grip on the appointment process.

Spokesmen for France and Germany said that they were not trying to alter the tradition of a United States-led World Bank after Mr Wolfowitz’s resignation.

The G8 called for vigilance on hedge funds’ growing clout, but did not urge tighter regulation.

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