Politics.za: Is Anyone In Foreign Affairs Concerned About China?

Is Anyone In Foreign Affairs Concerned About China?

Farrel — Tue, 15 May 2007 17:35:00 -0500

If you asked government today what is the strategic goal for South Africa in relation to the rest of the continent I bet the answer would probably be something along the lines of: “To be the driving economic force on the continent and to be a strong influence on African governments”. Unfortunately for the SA government in a few short years that phrase may apply to China more than it does SA.

China is investing billions in Africa and in doing so is quickly becoming the “go to” government for infrastructure investment. The May issue of Maverick has an article about the massive investments China is making in special economic zones in Zambia, Mauritius, Nigeria and Tanzania. China is aiming to lock up massive amounts of raw and mineral resources from central Africa and is investing in railways and manufacturing.

All this investment always has a political price attached and should SA and China ever differ on some issue it will be interesting to see who the African countries that have received Chinese investment stand behind.

"Is Anyone In Foreign Affairs Concerned About China?" by kilps

Wed, 16 May 2007 10:19:48 -0500

I would tend to agree … from my limited knowledge it seems China is very focussed on it’s own growth (and not the spread of it’s ideology) ...

"Is Anyone In Foreign Affairs Concerned About China?" by Skwug

Wed, 16 May 2007 09:53:01 -0500

I have a deep-seated fear that China’s brand of colonialism is going to be far greedier than anything the Europeans foistered on us. And their human rights record/lack of environmental concern is going to be far more damaging than this exhausted continent can bear.