The West Bemoans China-Africa Commerce

Photos

China learns capitalism very quickly

see larger image

uploaded by Barry Artiste

• 

  uploaded by Barry Artiste | add comment

• 

  uploaded by potenzh | add comment

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11428653

NPR
did a story about Western complaints over Chinese-African business
relationships. Basically the Chinese offer cut rate loans and favorable
public works deals to African nations for stuff that the World Bank
won't do and Western governments would charge too much for (palaces,
dams, soccer stadiums). To boot, China doesn't nag the African nations
over transparency, anti-corruption, and democratic reform like Western
agencies might. So in return for being so nice, the African nations
offer Chinese first dibs on their sought-after natural resources such
as timber, precious metals, and fossil fuels, which Chinese industry
relies on for its record economic growth. Maybe this isn't a good
thing, but as the Mafia say... It's business. I totally agree with the
critique that China's business dealings prop up bad regimes, and China
doesn't really seem to care whether they're trading with Idi Amin or
Nelson Mandela. But what do they care - they just want to get paid.

But
consider where the criticisms originate. Western powers don't exactly
have a stellar track record of political and economic relations with
Africa. Did China ever mass-export slave labor to toil overseas? Did
China ever forcefully "convert" Africans to a foreign religion? Did
China usurp land, pillage resources, and conscript villagers to fight
in European wars they couldn't care less about? At least China is
PAYING for the resources they extract. Did China assassinate leftist
leaders and plunge nations into civil war? Actually Maoist China (far
from a rich nation) gave millions in aid as a sign of solidarity (and
for good PR for socialism) to fledgling African republics emerging from
the colonial shadow. Did China pit one tribe or ethnic group against
the other to maintain colonial control, thereby fomenting the seeds of
genocide years later? Did China offer huge loan packages to
impoverished nations, then stand idly by as the debt destroyed them?
Did China withhold lifesaving drugs to poor Africans just to protect
intellectual property? Did China get in front of the cameras and pledge
mountains of humanitarian assistance, yet delivered very little? You
get the idea.

Yes we wish China wouldn't
be so "exploitative" in their business ventures there, but don't blame
them for doing much less harm than what white imperialists did in their
time of economic expansion. Western powers had their time in the sun
(for centuries actually), running roughshod over the colored peoples of
the world, dictating policy, making war on a whim, and getting rich in
the process. But now Europe is decaying since the World Wars, and
America is still a superpower but with arguably a less rosy future.
China is on the rise because the West loves to have its stores chock
full of cheap shit they can turn a profit on. So a side effect of our
greed is Chinese expansion into the Third World, Chinese devaluation of
their currency, Chinese spying and acquisition of new weapon systems,
and importing Chinese goods that may be low quality or even dangerous.
China wouldn't be able to do any of that if it wasn't for Western
buyers and borrowers across the ocean making it happen. Before we
started importing their T-shirts and DVDs, they were a pitiful,
agrarian failing experiment in socialism. So we created the "beast",
and now we have to live with it. But if China is truly a monster, we're
friggin' Lucifer for committing so many crimes on other peoples.

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." – Some important Biblical guy

------------

we do all the same shit but then kill thousands
through enslavement, starvation and unimaginable
poverty. at least it sounds like china's giving them
a fair trade. we'll see...poor africa doesn't have a
real good track record with these kinds of things. do
you happen to know if zimbawe is dealing with them?

-----------

The
article mostly spoke of Congo-Brazzaville, so not sure about Zimbabwe.
Now that is a sob story there. It's like Nero's Rome with extreme
poverty. I wish that guy Mugabe would just get a heart attack and be
over with - though I worry a power struggle and civil war among his
subordinates and rival factions might insue in the vacuum. As usual,
it's a no-win situation for them. Like in that "Blood Diamond" movie,
you just shake your head in exasperation and say " T.O.A." - this is
Africa. Now if the West forgave all debts,
pledged and actually DELIVERED needed humanitarian aid, and paid
reparations for past crimes - then maybe we have some moral standing to
start to criticize China. Also it would help if we cancelled all those
ridiculous protectionist policies/subsidies that keep Western
agriculture on life support, at the expense of Third World farmers who
can't sell for a decent price and starve because of us. Fair trade? Hah
that's a good one. http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/23736/ Also
it's not just cotton: as we know Western companies make big bank from
African gold, diamonds, and other precious stones, and also shaft them
on tropical crops like cocoa and coffee - the West won't help Africans
develop domestic manufacturing to process the raw materials and add
value to their goods prior to export. Their farmers get shafted if they
just sell coffee beans on the open world market, where fluctuating
prices can ruin a small farmer overnight. If they had local factories
to turn the commodities into finished products, they would be more
desirable, lucrative, and stable for international trade. Like a raw
steak at the grocery costs anywhere from $2-10, but at a restaurant
holds fairly stable at $25 - we just refuse to let the Third World open
restaurants. The West doesn't want to help poor people if it makes us a
little poorer in the process.