The Secrets of China's Economic Statecraft in Africa

[Alexander Of Assyria]

https://thediplomat.com/2022/06/the-secrets-of-chinas-economic-statecraft-in-africa/

Beijing has succeeded by responding to African governments’ precise needs, against a backdrop of lingering mistrust of the West.

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Anzetse Were

GUEST AUTHOR
Anzetse Were
Anzetse Were is a development economist with over ten years of experience in economic research, analysis, advising and strategy development focused on inclusive economic development and transformation in Africa.

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I’ll start with providing an outline on how and why China became such a deep economic partner for African governments so quickly. First, China does not have the negative historical legacy with the continent that many Western nations have. The U.S. and European powers were responsible for the Transatlantic and East African slave trades; colonization; the manipulation of newly forming African states during the Cold War era, as exemplified by the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba; the devastation of the Structural Adjustment Programs; and inequitable globalization.

Due to this historical stain, the West has a legitimacy problem in Africa that China largely doesn’t have.

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Well worth the read on China in Africa from a non-Western viewpoint.

[TexasTowelie]

1. Meanwhile, all of the shoddy Chinese construction is falling apart

and when the countries can't pay back their loans then the Chinese move in to take over the place on their own terms (e.g. Sri Lanka). Or how about poorly constructed dams--if the dams fail in China why would anyone expect the Chinese to build better dams in foreign countries?

IOW, if you make a deal to get a piece of crap China will be happy to sign a contract for it so they can hold you over the barrel a few years later.

BTW, remember when China took over Hong Kong in the 90s and promised that they would not interfere in the political structure there for 50 years? Another lie from China.

Are you still reading Global Times (an affiliate of Chinese state media) and consider it to be a reliable source?

This is purely my opinion, but the Chinese Belt & Road Initiative is a pile of shit and neither it or China should be promoted on this site. Fortunately there are some countries that have clearer visions and reject the Chinese initiatives entirely--they cannot be trusted.

[TexasTowelie]

3. I wonder how much damage the Belt & Road Initiative has caused?

How many projects were initiated that could result in extinction of species? How many projects resulted in environmental destruction? How many of these projects were constructed using forced labor?

I note that the author of the piece you are using in this OP doesn't mention any of these concerns in her analysis, but her occupation is as an economist so she probably isn't concerned about anything that diverts from her area of "expertise." She does seem to be involved with a lot of projects related to China and authored many pro-China articles--it makes me wonder if she is on the Chinese payroll.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

4. America did a lot of construction using forced enslaved labor, I recall!

No forced labor is being used, if so…link?

One can read all about the author and the publication, and the other publications this publication is partners with, right on the site!

There is more media and opinion than what exists in America, much much more.

[TexasTowelie]

5. Yes, I'm not the only one who has noted that you side with China over Western interests every time.

How about the deal that China cut to build a port in Nigeria? China has 75% ownership of the port and will receive 75% of the revenue that the port generates. Most of the construction was done by Chinese companies so while the CCP can claim that hundreds of millions were invested in Nigeria, the truth is that it was a pass-through from the government to Chinese companies and the benefit that Nigeria is receiving has been substantially reduced by the deal.

Then what happens when the price of oil declines significantly and Nigeria can't service the debt? The Chinese will step in and take over 100% ownership of the port. The Chinese will be able to force Nigeria to sell oil to China at discounted prices. China might even decide to set up military operations in that new port that they constructed to protect their new energy supply.

Give it some critical thought and you will realize...



And yes, I read all about the author. It doesn't look like she gets a paycheck from anywhere except from Chinese sources so I can consider her writings to be mostly propaganda.

Finally, here is the link that you asked for about the Chinese using forced labor in the Belt & Road Initiative. The link is to the US Department of State:

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Forced-Labor-The-Hidden-Cost-of-Chinas-Belt-and-Road-Initiative.pdf