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| Written by Loro Horta | |
| Friday, 20 November 2009 | |
 Africa's poor don't see China as a great power
The second China-Africa summit meeting in Egypt this week, which witnessed a Chinese pledge of US$10 billion in concessional loans to African countries, has again brought to the fore the debate over China's growing profile in the continent. Is it a boon to Africa as China and many commentators maintain or is it a return to neo-colonial exploitation, as many critics claim? The truth, as usual, may be somewhere between the two. The debate on China's meteoric rise in Africa has been dominated by two extreme and opposite views. One tends to see China s presence in the continent as generally negative and generating a lot of resentment among Africans. The second view is inclined to see the Chinese presence as largely beneficial providing African states with generous aid in the form of soft loans, major infrastructure programs, but, above all, providing a balance to traditional European and American dominance of the region. How do Africans see China after all? Based on 163 interviews and over a decade of living in Africa, I shall argue that both views are wrong and right, depending on to what region of Africa and to which group of Africans one is referring. African elites in general seem to welcome China's new found enthusiasm for the continent. China provides many African governments with generous and large loans, allowing them to develop badly needed infrastructure, expand agriculture, and strengthen their security apparatus. Perhaps most attractive of all, Beijing asks no questions nor imposes any conditionality on such investments, at least for now. China's so called non-interference policy and its no-strings-attached approach to aid has gained it many friends and admirers among African elites. Moreover, China's model of a strong government and its focus on economic growth is looked upon by many African despots, and even some democratic leaders, as an example to follow. Frustrated with decades of instability and corruption, which many African elites tend to blame on the West and its liberal democratic model, the continent's elites are fast embracing the Chinese model. Out of the 67 African officials interviewed from six countries across the continent and ranking from junior military officers to a former President, 63 expressed quite positive views about China. In contrast, out of the 98 non-government affiliated people interviewed – among them street sellers, teachers, and small business people – 73 expressed highly negative views about China, some bordering on racism. From this small sample, hailing from Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Cape Verde and Zambia, it becomes apparent that African elites clearly welcome the Chinese presence, while the people are growing increasing ambivalent. These discrepancies result from the different ways in which China touches different sections of African societies. In Angola, where Western companies rely primarily on local labor, Chinese companies bring 70 to 80 percent of their labor from home. For instance, while nearly 90 percent of Chevron's workers are Angolan, including specialized personnel such as engineers and managers, Chinese oil companies employ fewer than 15 percent Angolan labor and usually at the end of the pay scale. For instance, in 2006 at a Portuguese run construction site in Maputo, Mozambique, there were only five Portuguese out of 120 workers. While nearby, a Chinese run site had 78 Chinese workers and only eight locals, three of which were night watchmen. The influx of thousands of Chinese migrants into Africa is becoming a major source of grievance for the local population. In Angola, Chinese street sellers are fast putting out of business thousands of locals and Malian sellers who have been there for generations. The fact that many Chinese tend to live in isolation with little or no contact with the local population further aggravates the resentment already present. China has also been accused of serious environmental damage in Mozambique, Southern Sudan, and Equatorial Guinea to mention a few. In Southern Sudan, local villages attacked a Chinese oil team, killing its leader, whom they accused of poisoning their land. Chinese workers have also been killed in Ethiopia, and Equatorial Guinea; while in Nigeria, rebels warned Chinese companies to stay away from the oil-rich Niger delta region. Although African elites and the Chinese government sing the song of friendship and mutually beneficial south-south cooperation, there is growing resentment at the grassroots level that has so far been ignored. It should be mentioned that this resentment is not common or equally acute in all countries. For instance, in Cape Verde, one of the continent's most successful and transparent countries, the government has imposed strict conditions on Chinese investment such has requirements on hiring local labor and environmental standards. A similar situation obtains in Botswana and Namibia. It should be mentioned that Chinese companies are not the only ones at fault on environmental issues. However, on the hiring of local labor, Chinese companies have by far the worst record. The large influx of Chinese migrants, many of whom are illegal, has caused severe damage to China's image as a great power in the eyes of the Africans. As noted by a Mozambican high school teacher: "They say China is a great power just like America. But what kind of great power sends thousands of people to a poor country like ours to sell cakes on the street and take the jobs of our own street sellers who are already so poor?" Unless these issues are addressed, the growing resentment in the lower sectors of African society may erupt into violent incidents and undermine a relationship that could bring great potential benefits for both sides, provided it's wisely managed. To its credit, Beijing has taken some positive steps to address this problem by restricting Chinese textiles exports to certain African countries in order to protect indigenous industries and pledging to employ more Africans in its projects. However, judging by the record of Chinese companies in their own country, there are great limitations to what the Chinese government may achieve. How could one expect Chinese mining companies in Africa to comply with environmental and safety laws if the mines they operate in China are considered the most dangerous in the world? Nonetheless, China assisted Africa at a time when many in the West scorned the continent. After the end of the Cold War, Africa was abandoned by the West and the 1990s were marked by great suffering and instability. China's meteoric rise in Africa forced many in the West to re-engage the continent, diminishing its marginalization. Beijing built major infrastructure projects such as mega dams, badly needed roads and telecommunications in the continent that no Western nation was willing to fund. Still, it remains to be seen if in the long run, the benefits will outweigh the many problems caused by the new great power in the African savanna. Perhaps in the end, the greatest responsibility lies with African elites. Cape Verde and a few others that have shown that with an honest and responsible approach, Sino-African ties can be highly beneficial to both sides. As noted by a former Mozambican foreign minister: "In the end it's up to us, the Chinese like anyone else have their interest and will plunder us to the extent that we let them. Africa's future is in our hands like it as always been. Let's stop blaming others and wait for people to feel sorry for us." Loro Horta is a Visiting Fellow with the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He lived in Africa for several years where he worked for humanitarian relief organizations and in law enforcement. This article was published courtesy of YaleGlobal, the magazine of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization
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(13)
Out of Africa
written by Sapiens , November 30, 2009
We are all descended from Africans!
Votes: +0
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Retribution
written by Bingo , November 28, 2009
We can safely prophecise AS, your days are numbered for all the poison you spew on non-white countries.
Votes: -5
You reap what you sow, The DIvne Law will take care of people like you. Sit back and reflect on how you try to write to incite, instigate the locals to destabalise countries over the years. It's true. Do not to others if you don't want others to do unto you. Your aganda & motive is clear to many in many instances. Well, you will be liquidated any time soon now. It's payback time. And the most amazing thing is you & your employees will unashamedly go hunting for jobs in those very countries which you have always written badly to ruin them. Shabas! report abuse
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Agree with True and Untrue
written by Christian Democrat , November 25, 2009
Lama ("Retribution", immediately below ) feels she must "agree" with commentor Li, who as usual says a few true things (that some "western media .. malign China", that "Chinamen .. are taught how the West force-fed them opium" and "grabbed their lands" ) and as usual a good many untrue things :
Votes: +2
"No one believes in what the West says today." ("...", Nov 24) Which "West" voice is Li talking about - Obama? The US Republicans? The EU? The Pope? BBC? The New York Times? Asia Sentinel? www.zmag.org ? If Li thinks that all these voices are saying the same thing, then he doesnt read or listen to very much at all. And how does Li's tight little thought-system cope with the Oriental govts or media who also itemise "anti-China" news - are taiwanese papers "western"? Are disbarred chinese lawyers "western"? "(The West) made the Chinese fight between themselves when they were weak." ("..." ) That's pretty rich. Chinese were fighting between themselves long before China learned it wasnt the centre of the world. Was the Mongolian invasion and dynasty a Western plot? Was the Manchurian? Does Li think "the West" should not have supported the Qing against the christian Taiping Rebels? Does Li think Warlords like Wu Peifu and Zhang Zuolin were bribed to break away from the central govt and thwart it? Did Jiang Kaishek not heartily welcome his Nazi (and later US/Christian) funds and advisors? Did the Russian/Soviet funds and advisors for the CCP not also count as Western meddling? Was Mao a Western stooge when he and Kissinger agreed to squeeze Vietnam? The unreasoning Li then sternly cautions the Asia Sentinel "You're only making a mockery of yourself to say that the West was only bad then not NOW." ("..." ) When, commentor Li, did the AS say that "the West" wasn't bad now? Give us one single reference and we will complain right along with you! As for Li's laughable complaint about "the cut-and-paste job over the Tibetan rioting prior to the Beijing Olympics by so-called "renowned" TV stations like CNN, FOX, BBC, etc." ("..." ) -- well, this commentor for one has never heard Fox "renowned" for anything except the use of fake footage and badly biased or lying reports. What do you expect from the grasping billionaire Murdoch anyway, the mogul from Down Under who wanted to get into the china media market so badly he agreed to drop the BBC from his Star package so that Hongkongers and other Cantonese should never see it? Li seems to think "Al Jaseera" and the Russians did not report on the TAR rioting and subsequent media clampdown, using whatever limited footage they had. If al-Jazeera reliably takes a pro-China line, then why isnt it beamed into every chinese home? But Li may know that it can't ever be, as al-J is the last channel in the world that would kowtow to Pekinese oversight. As for CCTV -- at least we may thank the foreign "cut and paste" job for prolonging the air-time which Central television would not otherwise have given any case of ethnic unrest within the PRC, and for drawing the attention of hundreds of millions of viewers to the possibility of lying photographs. I hope the "karma"-wielding Lama will think twice before next agreeing with such an ill-informed and fact-resistant commentor. As to her own odd statement - "The Falklands are a case in point. If they can "eat" you they will." ("Retribution" ) - i was just wondering : which evil "western" country are we meant to direct our sneers at in the war of 1982 - the UK or Argentina ? report abuse
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Retribution
written by Lama , November 24, 2009
I agree with Bruce Li , November 24, 2009 . Leopards don't chang their spots.
Votes: +0
The Falklands are a case in point. If they can "eat" you they will. Otherwise, they'll use their media to destablise you by inciting & instigating the local dissidents or separatists to do the job fot them. However, they have forgotten "what you reap, you sow." So you see the bombings in the West. Lately, Fort Hood, Anyway, the 5th column is already there; the potential for destruction within is also there. I guess it's only waiting the right time. So I'd suggest that the West do not what you don't others to do unto them. Otherwise karma reigns.. report abuse
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ConSultans
written by Dinas Tee , November 24, 2009
Based on the past experiences, The African poors have a good reasons to fear the Great powers who are now gone from ravishing their continent to their new habits of placing their expensive Consultans in their aid projects, some of which are of dubious benefits to the people.
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..., Lowly rated comment [Show]
they're out to get you, Bruce
written by T Long , November 23, 2009
Commentor HuLuvsYa ("Barbarian neo", Nov 21 ) thinks the theft of African mineral resources ended with transAtlantic slavery. It did not. (Hu is also ignorant that this form of slavery was not ended until the 19th century).
Votes: +4
All the same Hu's apprehensions re: Chinese mineral-extraction on that long-suffering continent are not as baseless as our incorrigible commentor Bruce Li would have us think ("Neo Colonialism", immediately below). Proving nothing but his own paranoia, Li stupidly asserts that "western" guilt then should remain the by-word today; that "westerners" would gladly enslave Afghanis and Chinese if only they had "the means"; that the military move made at the tiger-watch on the 4th of June precisely two decades ago was a brilliant bold parry to "western" sneaking; that "[the West]'s agenda, motive, etc" is fair game while no one should dare to doubt China's "Spirit of Bandung" co-prosperity public relations. Since Li mis-credits Hu's bleak view of chinese colonialism to commentor Diamond Michael ("Mr.", Nov 21 ), we may assume that Li also resists Diamond's assessment of Yellow-Black race relations. On that under-reported topic I would like very much to read what Li was on the point of posting. report abuse
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Neo Colonialism, Lowly rated comment [Show]
Rape of Africa
written by Mamakthir , November 21, 2009
Luckily for Africa, the poors surely knows who is the big power nowaday intended upon raping Africa of her virginity.
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Mr.
written by Diamond Micheal , November 21, 2009  I wonder a lot the way these Chinese and there government treat Blacks in there country and now will want to subtly overun them by what they know they need in these Black African countries...development. It is stated and noted that Chinese and mostly Asia are paranoid racists, so what do they want with the Blacks if they cannot change. They are doing all these simply because of Chinese god....MONEY!. report abuse
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Barbarian neo-colonialists at the gate
written by HuLuvsYa , November 21, 2009
So the Westerners "grabbed their minerals for a song and plucked slaves from Africa"? That was 300 years ago. Are you advocating that because that happened in the past, China should also be given a break when it does the same thing today?
Votes: +1
The Chinese populace themselves are treated like dirt by their own leadership in their own country which has no civil rights to speak of and which has a self-perpetuating government born of violence and which cannot be removed except through violence. Life is cheap there as thousands of dead miners in death-trap mines would attest if they could talk. Given just that example, the ordinary African peasant has good reason to be fearful of the arrival of an unscrupulous new colonialist power which is openly anti-black (see: http://www.theage.com.au/world...-ie71.html ) to boot. Unless strictly curbed, they will attempt to rape the land of Africa just as they have despoiled and poisoned their own country in pursuit of the Chinese God, money. report abuse
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In Hindsight
written by Zorro , November 20, 2009
"Chinese pledge of US$10 billion in concessional loans to African countries,"
Votes: +0
People aren't blind. The West grabbed their minerals for a song and plucked slaves from Africa when they were the strong imperialists. Did they pledge anything whilst stealing their mineral resources and people? Today, the weakened West behaves like sour grapes. report abuse
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In the mind
written by Mamakthir , November 20, 2009
Greatness is the state of mind only. The West think that they are big powers and each went on a rapacious rampage over Africa enslaving the population from Day numero one to today neo-colonial relationships of induced underdevelopments through deliberate distortion of prices and markets.
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