Senegalese authorities ought to use European Union development funds to purchase Chinese buses if the move benefits local workers, said Udo Bullmann, a leading socialist member of the European Parliament.

A European tender worth over €300 million for buses and infrastructure in Dakar, the capital of Sénégal, has stirred controversy. The contract appears likely to go to a Chinese state-linked company that previously violated EU foreign subsidy rules.

While some EU officials and lawmakers have criticised this outcome—one even called it “crazy”—Bullmann said he would support awarding European money to a Chinese state firm as long as it helps the local workforce.

“The criterion is a skilled African workforce and the creation of African added value,” Bullmann told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

In June, during a visit by Senegalese officials to China, both sides agreed to build a bus assembly plant in Sénégal.

As long as the winning bidder employs local people, the MEP said he is not concerned about the Chinese offer.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” he said, while noting he is unaware of the project’s specifics.

“I welcome investors who invest in Africa and train the African workforce to higher standards,” he added. “That makes all the difference.”

Bullmann, who chairs the European Parliament’s delegation to South Africa, is coordinating the Socialist-organised Africa Days in Brussels this week, gathering African politicians and decision-makers. He argued that Europe is the best alternative for Africa.

“If you want exploitation, you turn to the Chinese. If you want political repression, you turn to the Americans. If you want friendship, you turn to the Europeans,” Bullmann said.

EU development chief Jozef Síkela said in May that “measures to strengthen European preference” would be included in future EU aid projects—a stance Bullmann rejects.

“We need a rule that gives preference to local production. That is what matters most,” Bullmann said, adding that EU-backed tenders should favour African products.

Barry Andrews, chair of the European Parliament’s development committee, also said Senegalese authorities should choose the offer that best suits them. “Basically, you are asking Senegalese to pay twice as much,” Andrews noted, referring to the fact that the CRRC bid is less than half that of Scania, the sole European competitor in the tender.