The Power and Interest News Report (PINR)

Pinr.com is a site that is really valuable for analysis of international relations. Their latest article is an excellent one on China's evolving policies in Africa.

__________________
chicken butt

Good article. China's use of the stable Yuan in Africa for capital injection and granting debt will greatly benefit Africa and prolong China's ability to maintain their modified non-interference policy. Far less expensive and much more effective than military interference.

__________________
These are my principles. If you don't like them I have others. ~Groucho Marx~

Depends on what your goals are. The line about African governments being keenly interested in how to grow an economy while still being corrupt and tyrannical was striking.

Is it really a good thing for the free world to see multiple prosperous tyrannies around the world?

__________________
chicken butt

As long as they mind their own business, I don't really care what form of government other countries employ. The 'free world' certainly facilitates the Sauds and other oppressive governments, why pick and choose?

__________________
These are my principles. If you don't like them I have others. ~Groucho Marx~

Many tyrannies don't mind their business. Most in fact. The only ones that do, do so becuase they are too weak or are deterred.

The last thing we need is another Germany-Italy-Japan type axis among powerful totalitarian states. China alone isn't a serious threat. China allied with some powerful states in Africa and South America would be a threat.

__________________
chicken butt

A defense of China's policies.

ursday, February 8, 2007; A14

JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 7 -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday sought to reassure Africans that his country's aggressive investments in oil, copper and other natural resources do not amount to a new wave of colonialism, saying China would "not do anything harmful to the interests of Africa and its people."

Hu's comments, made in Pretoria on the sixth stop of an eight-country tour of the continent, came amid rising anxiety that China's economic power is strangling African manufacturing while locking up vital resources for years. Although China has made massive purchases of oil from Angola, Sudan and Nigeria, the flood of finished goods to Africa has created a large trade imbalance.

Commentators increasingly compare the relationship to that of European countries and their African colonies, in which the ruling powers extracted natural resources at marginal cost and forced the colonies to import costly manufactured goods. But Hu sought to distinguish China by invoking his country's experience with colonialism.

Hu Defends China's Role in Africa - washingtonpost.com

__________________
STUPIDITY Is The Deliberate Cultivation Of Ignorance

TRUTH exist, only a falsehood has to be invented.

Please Visit My Blog http://studiesandobservations.blogspot.com/

Heh. The worst slavemasters are usually former slaves.

Anyway, Africans complain too much. They want wealth, but without the knowhow to exploit their own resources, they need outside help. THen they complain about that outside help.

__________________
chicken butt

true that, but why is China more attractive partner than the US? It would seem that the "communist" stigma might turn them off. Though I do not agree that China is a communist country, maybe in name only.

__________________
STUPIDITY Is The Deliberate Cultivation Of Ignorance

TRUTH exist, only a falsehood has to be invented.

Please Visit My Blog http://studiesandobservations.blogspot.com/

Several reasons. Firstly, the Chinese never enslaved Africans or ruled them. Secondly, they don't care about dictatorship and human rights abuses.
Thirdly, there wasn't a lot of difference between capitalist and communist countries in Africa during the cold war. Both were poor, tyrannical and supported by foreign superpowers. The difference is that America was one of the two foreign superpowers. China, while sharing ideology with the other, wasn't involved.

__________________
... I am surprised at your insolence in writing to me at all. You know, as I know, that I bought this constituency... may God's curse light upon you and may it make your women as open and as free to the excise officers as your wives and daughters have always been to me while I have represented your scoundrel corporation.
I have the honour to be... your obliged humble servant, Anthony Henley
- MPs reply to constituent, mid 1700s

true that, but why is China more attractive partner than the US? It would seem that the "communist" stigma might turn them off. Though I do not agree that China is a communist country, maybe in name only.


China doesn't expect respect for human rights. Non-interference is very attractive to despots.

__________________
chicken butt