Posted on 09/18/2007 9:20:01 PM PDT by george76
China has bowed to economic reality and political expediency by calling a halt to aid to Zimbabwe.
One of the few remaining friends to President Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s embattled leader, China has been quietly allowing the relationship to cool over the past few months. But Li Guijin, China’s special envoy for Africa, confirmed yesterday that Beijing had halted development aid. “China’s assistance is mainly humanitarian. In terms of development assistance, we have some difficulties,” he said.
“China in the past provided substantial development assistance but owing to the dramatic currency revaluations and rapid deterioration of economic conditions, the economic outcomes of these projects have not been so good.”
The decision deals a heavy blow to a country where unemployment is 80 per cent, inflation hit 7,600 per cent in July and the value of the Zimbabwean dollar on the black market recently fell to 500,000 to the pound.
China’s continued aid could have served as a lifeline to Mr Mugabe’s Government. And its decision to end years of government investment must have involved much soul-searching for a country eager to present itself as an unconditional friend of Africa and one that does not impose conditions on its loans and investment.
President Hu Jintao excluded the country from a tour of several African countries this year. Beijing may have begun to feel international pressure ...
With the Olympic Games less than a year away China may not want to be associated with a state leader regarded by many nations as a pariah...
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Why? He’s followed the Chicom model faithfully.
It does not look good for Mugabe now. If he can’t pay his thugs, he is toast and the sooner the better.
“Cut and run” is what they’re best at - just look at the Commies in this country.
Olympic Games are less than a year away
I’m surprised Chicoms have stopped the charity to this country. It’s not like them to so easily give away a place to put their huge population. I thought there were lots of chinese relocated to this country....
You're finding Zimbabwean crafts at your local Wal-Mart?
Why would China want to stand in the way of South Africa’s communistic ANC annexing Zimbabwe?
Mugabe is a dead man walking...
In pre 1900s Zimbabwe would of been ripped apart by civil war or invaded by a neighbor by now. I don’t understand todays world. How does a failed nation, stay nation for this long?
Of course not. I meant the earlier model of the "Great Leap Forward" and "Cultural Revolution" under Mao in which millions starved to death or were murdered. No one in Zimbabwe looks to be like Deng XiaoPing.
Socialists would be embarassed to admit that Mugabe is worse, much worse in *every* sense, than the “racist” Rhodesian regime which they championed to be replaced by native rule.
In the meantime, Socialists coerced Western governments into threatening anyone who tried a military intervention in “Zimbabwe,” even though that is the inevitable outcome.
To paper over their glaring mistake, Socialists will next beg South Africa to invade and annex Zimbabwe...then they will demand that the West give South Africa vast amounts of rebuilding aid for Zim.
It will be yet another example of Socialists being anti-war until they need one (i.e. to occupy and annex Zimbabwe into SA). Kosovo 1999 being another.
It will make for a great campaign 2008 question for Hillary, though.
“Senator Clinton, would you support a South African invasion of Zimbabwe?”
Irony being that SA is headed down the same road as Zimbabwe.
The Chicoms may send money thru a back door or just wait until the Olympics are over ?
Hugo: Are you paying attention to this???
-
lol, the Chinese are stupid, but not THAT stupid..
With oil at $80/barrel (or even $50/barrel) it'll be a long time before things get *that* bad in Hugo's Paradise.
But no, he wants to stick around to complete his sarcophagus, and believe that his remains will remain undisturbed forever, as a testament to his destroying a perfectly good country.
now that China has bought in at low low prices they want to dump Mugabe for some government that can increase the value of their investments. sounds almost capitalist
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.