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Zambian President meets with China's Prime Minister in Beijing (The Guardian)Take Your Pick, Human Rights Violations or Boosting the Economy?
Among
actors of the international community, it is evident that China has been the
biggest contributor and foreign aid lender to Africa. There are numerous
articles and journals attributing to China’s success in building infrastructure
and boosting the African economy, especially success stories that supersede
those of the US. However, how helpful is this aid and infrastructure? How
does the African community feel towards the developmental efforts of the
Chinese over the past few decades? Are the developmental efforts ethical?
“In 2010, for example, 11 local employees of a coal mine in
Sinazongwe, Zambia were sprayed with bullets by the Chinese managers while they
were protesting about pay and working conditions. This followed a 2005
explosion in a Chinese copper mine in Chambishi, Zambia, which killed 46
workers. In 2007, the Nigerian government leased to China Nuclear International
Uranium Company a tract of land belonging to ethnic Tuaregs, without
compensating them” (Shah).
Human
rights violations have been at the forefront of aid from China. The Chinese are
lending aid with their unique cultural mentality: that human rights and
environmental rights do not really matter in developmental efforts and successes.
“Legal
and illegal timber logging has wreaked havoc on the prospects for sustainable
forestry in Liberia and Mozambique. Dams built in Sudan and Mozambique have
displaced thousands of local residents, while over-fishing off the eastern and
southern African coasts has impaired communities dependant on fishing for their
livelihood” (Shah).
In
addition to human and environmental concerns, other issues arise about Chinese
aid favoring dictators and ignoring democracy. However, after analyzing foreign
aid in comparison to the US, it was found that the US actually favors corrupt
regimes and that China favors democratic clients such as Zambia and Namibia
(Shah). The US sold to Sudan five times more than China and sold Egypt billions
of dollars worth of fighter jets, tanks, missiles, and other arms (Shah).
In
class on Monday we discussed how China tends to act without concerns for the
environment or human rights, which is evidently true. We also discussed how
there is no conditionality for China in working with democracies, however, this
article argues differently. This article states that in fact the US will act
with their own strategic interests in mind even if it fuels corruption and that
China will act in favor of democracies.
This
week we have analyzed how China is more efficacious at providing foreign aid to
Africa than the US, via building infrastructure rather than writing checks. The
Chinese also employ over 70% of the natives for their building projects and
small and medium businesses so that the economy can be stimulated. But the
question is, which is more important, human and environmental rights or
boosting the economy? Can we have both?
I
chose this article because this week we have extensively covered China’s
foreign aid influence on Africa and I found this article to challenge some
theories covered in class. It challenges that theory that China has no
preference for democracies and supports the theory that China turns its head away from human and environmental concerns.
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Thursday, December 6, 2012
China in Africa: Human Rights Violations or Boosting the Economy?
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It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out of the course of the next 10-20 even 30 years. That being said, all the points you've prefaced hit what seem to be all the key factors of the issue and only time will tell what will come of China's involvement in Africa.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article. This is what the West knows China does in its own country, so why would it not do it in Africa? Despite the issues coming up with China's aid to Africa, I think that Africa will become a powerhouse thanks to China. When China began to develop itself, we saw the dramatic increase in its economy and technology. Mostly because China had nothing. It came from nothing and became something. This could be true with Africa as well. With those improvements will come these problems, and that is something that will be very difficult to control.
ReplyDeleteI found it really surprising that the US is less likely to support democracies in Africa then China...I'm also curious as to what the US sold to Sudan five times more than China, and what the financial comparison is, not frequency..I thought this was interesting because one of our readings highlighted China's business with Sudan in providing weapons, and held China largely responsible for what happened in Darfur.
ReplyDeleteI agree that China has clearly been ignoring human rights issues and environmental issues...I wonder if aid from the west will be stronger in the future when China has built everything it can..maybe the increase in infrastructure will provide a better ground for western aid to come in and be used effectively