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Don't confuse Africa ties for colonialism
(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-07-17 07:08

China's increasing investment in Africa has triggered fear in some
Western countries. Accusations that China is looking to become an
"imperial power" engaged in "neocolonialism" have mushroomed since last
year.

Karin Kortmann, parliamentary state secretary of the German development
ministry, has made such accusations. Last November, she warned that "our
African partners really have to watch out that they will not be facing a
new process of colonization". China had just signed $1.9 billion worth of
new trade deals with African countries.

Others have followed suit. This year, on June 7, an article in the
International Herald Tribune entitled "Tattered French African empire
looks toward China" described China as the successor of France and an
imperial power in Chad, saying: "Paris's erstwhile clients, meanwhile,
are turning to China."

But is China really a "neocolonial" or "imperial" power as some say? Or
are people just trying to paint China with the colonialist brush in
Africa?

Neocolonialism refers to the international economic arrangements that
former colonial powers used to maintain control of their former colonies
and new dependencies after World War II. The distinctive feature of
neocolonialism is the use of economic, financial and trade policies to
dominate less powerful countries, together with military-political
control.

China has never been a colonialist in Africa. And it will never be one in
the future, neither economically nor politically. As clearly stated in
China's Africa Policy in 2006, "(China will) establish and develop a new
type of strategic partnership with Africa, featuring political equality
and mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and cultural exchange" and
"do its best to provide and gradually increase assistance to African
nations with no political strings attached".

In contrast, Western countries have imposed many conditions on African
countries. The loans from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and
G8 are always packaged with Structural Adjustment Programs. Enacted in
1980, the programs require African governments to reduce public spending
(especially on health, education and food) if they cannot pay debts.
Meanwhile those governments must increase exports of raw materials to the
West, encourage foreign investment and privatize state enterprises.

The major accusation in the "neocolonialism" charge involves expanding
Chinese investment in resource-related industries, especially energy.
However, according to statistics from last year, Africa exported 36
percent of its oil to Europe and 33 percent to the United States. China
got 8.7 percent. So who has a greater stake in African oil?

The energy sector, one of Africa's strongest, is the catalyst to the
development of other sectors. As Li Baoping, secretary of the Centre of
African Studies at Peking University, commented: "Investment by Chinese
enterprises in this sector will spur (the continent's) further
development and the improvement of its fiscal status."

Actually, Chinese investment in Africa's oil industry is just part of the
picture. Since 1958, China's aid programs and investment have covered
many areas, including resource-related industries, infrastructure,
agriculture, manufacturing and so on. By the end of last year, Chinese
investment in Africa had reached about $11.7 billion.

This figure has led to accusations that China uses economic measures to
control African countries, a manifestation of "neocolonialism".

However, the fact is, China invests a large amount of money in
infrastructure that not only improves living standards and the
environment in African countries, but is also laying a good foundation
for the future development of those countries. The World Bank estimated
that loans from the China Export-Import Bank to Sub-Saharan Africa in the
infrastructure sector alone amounted to over $12.5 billion by the middle
of last year.

"The lack of infrastructure hinders private sector initiatives and
increases their investment costs, and China is giving Africa
infrastructure such as railways, roads and others that some development
partners are not providing," said Firmino Mucavele, chief executive of
the New Partnership for African Development.

Of the more than 800 aid projects China has carried out in the last five
decades, 137 were agricultural projects and 133 involved the construction
of infrastructure. And since 2000, Chinese enterprises have been
contracted to build more than 6,000 km of highways, 3,000-plus km of
railroads and eight large and mid-sized power stations.

Western donors have long avoided assisting with the development of
infrastructure in African countries. Some Western countries have even
sold weapons to opposing African tribes and countries.

Beyond infrastructure, Chinese manufacturing enterprises in Africa offer
both jobs and production technologies to local people. Many privately
owned Chinese enterprises seek partnerships with local ones. African
companies can easily adopt the Chinese way of doing business. Moreover,
successful businesses create a catalytic effect and attract more of
Africa's elite to invest at home.

As a developing country, China offers experiences and goods that are
better suited to the needs of African societies than the policy advice
and products from industrialized countries. China is aiming at building a
healthy partnership with Africa.

As Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe said last year: "(China) is
cooperating with African countries on an equal basis without any desire
to colonize Africa."

The author is a graduate student at Beijing Foreign Studies University

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20071122 Extracted From http://www.learnchinese.bj.cn