“The leaders, who are fatigued by the big brother style of the West, will likely turn willingly to China’s generosity.” (source)
&
“China is expected to become Africa’s third most important trading partner, behind the US and France and ahead of the UK.” (JC Servant @ LeMonde diplomatique in 2005)
Allmost all imported goods in Embu are “Made in China”. Except for the sweets – those are from India.
Perhaps it’s too easy for African leaders to take Chinese money and not have to worry about getting questioned on their human rights records. Maybe this is, as one influential publication pointed out, the beginning of a new world order; emerging markets taking their place in the world. I certainly hope it is.
But as they say, charity does start at home. If lessons, of shared prosperity, are not learnt from nations such as Botswana then there will be another Live 8 in 2025, God forbid!
Almost all imported items in the US have “Made in China” stamped on their butts. Guess Embu is coming up in the world.
Ummm, let me see if I get this straight:
China has found religion, decided that the African continent is a wonderful place to build relationships. In exchange for this friendship, they are willing to put massive :cough: investment into government coffers to help Africans explore and exploit (pardon the pun) their natural resources. Like oil.
All they ask in return, is that Africans don’t ask – about human rights offenses, about democratic process, and opening their own market to African goods. They too won’t ask Africans about corruption, about human rights offenses, democratic process…
Let’s begin with Kenya, gateway to “middle-class” Africa. From Afromusing blog (via an article from the East African):
” In an unprecedented act of generosity, the government in April gave the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Company Ltd (CNOOC) exclusive rights over a total of six out of 11 available blocks, including the hotly contested Blocks 9 and 10A in the Mandera area.
” So dominant has China become in the oil exploration scene in Kenya that CNOOC alone now controls 28 per cent of the total exploration acreage in Kenya.”
http://www.afromusing.com/blog/?p=257
No doubt African leaders are pinching themselves, wondering how such good fortune could come their way. MILLIONS of dollars/euros will soon be flowing within their grasps, with “no strings attach”, with no annoying international oversight to how the money is spent. All they have to do is allow a foreign power to come into their countries and take some of their natural resources. For trade, of course.
This new – need a word that rhymes with ‘partnership’, but is not one – will usher in a new era of prosperity for Africa, and allow them to determine their own economic fate.
Hmm, haven’t we heard this kind of thing before? Oh yeah, in the 1970’s. Same things were said about all the Cold War and petrol dollars that flowed through the continent. When this influx of “investment” was to help reduce poverty, increase self-dependence, and spread wealth equitably through the region.
…
There’s a saying about pigs flying. I wonder what the Chinese version is?