Beijing makes play for Africa

The Sunday Times ^ | November 5, 2006 | Michael Sheridan

[MadIvan]

Oh dear.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Ping!

[GSlob]

Good. They richly deserve each other. And if one could, by some magic wand, saddle the Chinese with every basket case in the world, they would surely collapse under the weight.

[Joe Boucher]

Hopefully the chi-coms will make inroads in Haiti also.

[Viet Vet in Augusta GA]

They are realists and tough-minded in pursuit of their own interests. They going to do very well in Africa and elsewhere and get what they want (oil, allies on their UN votes) while Western governments funnel all their aid $$ through NGOs which sit around dithering about whether enough gender equity seminars have been held in the donee country.

[NurdlyPeon]

Good. They richly deserve each other. And if one could, by some magic wand, saddle the Chinese with every basket case in the world, they would surely collapse under the weight.

Maybe Africa could export some of their AIDS to China.

[A. Pole]

refusal to link aid and investment to human rights or democracy as it scrambles for assets in Africa

Why would they want or should make such link? They are pragmatic, they want resources, markets, and allies.

[A. Pole]

Opposition groups and human rights activists say prestigious projects such as the stadium refurbishment are inappropriate when millions of Zimbabweans have been impoverished by inflation and disastrous economic policies.

Inflow of money WILL improve lives of Zimbabweans. For example they will work at this stadium refurbishment and they will use it.

[A. Pole]

Hopefully the chi-coms will make inroads in Haiti also.

Haiti already gets US help.

[liberty or death]

China is one superpower that could go in and clean up the tribal messes of Africa in a colonial way without anyone (MSM)calling them racist. Not saying this bodes well for the rest of the world but Africa needs a babysitter willing to kill off the murderous thugs that have ruined this continent.

[Joe Boucher]

I know, that is my point.
We keep throwing money into that pit to no avail like we have so often Africa in the past.
Let the chi-coms throw their money away.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Beijing makes play for Africa

And second prize is ?

[GSlob]

The "murderous thugs that have ruined [the] continent" are merely an adequate reflection of the underlying societies. When one thug gets bumped off or runs away, what he gets replaced with is yet another thug [spontaneously generated] in much the same mold. To clean up a mess so deeply ingrained would require a pretty deep scouring. And one needs to stop being sensitive to MSM labels, "racist" or no "racist". The labels are baboonery.

[diesel00]

A lot of it really is just basic economic development. Africa needs all the foreign investment it can get. A stadium is better than no stadium, regardless of how little perceived benefit it is to the "average" Zimbabwean. Western NGOs have a tendency to forget this and end up throwing money on unproductive social projects that are even less beneficial to the "average" man than a stadium. China got significantly wealthier over the last decade from undiscriminately accepting foreign investment all over the world. The Chinese appear to have considerable faith in Adam Smith's "invisible hand," while many leftists in the West have lost that faith.

[A. Pole]

To clean up a mess so deeply ingrained would require a pretty deep scouring.

As French and Bolshevik revolutions demonstrated, scouring will scour, burning will burn, slashing will slash.

What is needed is building, humility and patience. Things like stadiums add to the infrastructure of civilization. Purging, killing, bombing will satisfy Puritan arrogant passions while bringing misery and destruction.

[RightWhale]

China has jumped the shark. Africa is a bottomless pit.

[mewzilla]

Africa had better bring a very long spoon.

[A. Pole]

China has jumped the shark. Africa is a bottomless pit.

Not so many years ago China and India were seen as hopeless cases. Now Africa undergoes the period of hidden growth.

Trivial things which do not show much in GDP statistics like organizing local schools, introducing electric grids, radio or TV, some gadgets and second hand goods can be revolutionary. People are waking up and learning. Give them 20 more years and you will be amazed.

[RightWhale]

Maybe since Fukuyama admitted the error of nation-building in Africa there is hope.

[monkeywrench]

Lately, the US has been hammering africa on cleaning up the rampant corruption in their govts. That is the only thing that will ever benefit the average citizen, there.

I'm sure it's much easier for these corrupt thugs to sell out the assets of their countries to the chicom, who could not care less about anyone's rights. Think of the people of darfur.