Posted on 06/04/2006 9:01:42 PM PDT by ncoaster
China is investing in Africa on a vast scale that goes well beyond efforts to meet its growing need for oil. In Zambia, seven Chinese companies have invested $170 million in the mining sector. In Zimbabwe, exploration of the world's No. 2 platinum reserve is largely dominated by Chinese companies. China is even sending unemployed laborers to farm and set up small factories in parts of rural Africa.
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"To attract and retain us, they gave extremely good terms, such as charging a symbolic annual fee of $1 per acre for 99 years," said Mr. Liu, whose efforts have provided jobs and a new life for 15,800 farmers and laid-off factory workers from the city of Baoding, in Hebei province. Mr. Liu rejects the name "Chinatowns" for these settlements. "They are 'Baoding villages,'?" said Mr. Liu, noting that Baoding means "protection and peace."
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(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Not to sound alarmist, but this is starting to look a lot like the efforts Mao made back in the 60's and 70's. Despite having his own people starving from famine he was exporting a lot of goods to third world nations.
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With the size of their population, and the amazing expansion of their economy, raw materials of all kinds are a priority and they are attempting to put all the pieces in place now.
China's purpose is to create a set of problems that will split American attention away from East Asia.
I predicted this turn of events last year, but have expected it ever since China started making overtures to Saddam.
Don't forget China's forays into South America. They are like chess players, moving each piece carefully.
Actually . . . I knew some sent to Africa for such tasks more than 18 years ago.
The Chinese aren't ashamed of using the same tactic more than once.
If they thought European racism was demeaning, wait til they get a load of the Han variety.
It'll be good for Africa. Maybe it's a chance for Africa to turn itself around, by giving them more competition (they can't blame the White Man anymore either). The Chinese didn't get to be the world's largest ethnic group by coincidence. If the Black Africans don't get their act together quickly, they might just find that they are minorities in their own continent.
Yeah, just wait until the Chinese farmers are successful and Mugabe can take their land away and renege on promises.
I guess that's why the Chinese are building an aircraft carrier. The Chinese don't have White Guilt. I get this gut feeling that the Chinese are better at reneging promises than Mugabe.
Well, the aircraft carrier might not be too effective in Zimbabwe since its land-locked, but I agree the PRC might be a little more quick to exert force on those African countries that cross them.
Africa is such an economic basket-case, I'm willing to see the Chinese pour their money down that hole.
Hmmph! How do you say "Quagmire" in Chinese?
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