China Expanding Influence in Africa

Resource-hungry China is continuing to invest capital and technology in Africa.
win-win or exploitation?

recent article in Forbes:
www.forbes.com...

“Right now you could say that any big project in African cities that is higher than three floors or roads that are longer than three kilometers are most likely being built and engineered by the Chinese. It is ubiquitous,” spoke Daan Roggeveen, the founder of MORE Architecture and author of many works on urbanization in China and Africa...Since 2011, China has been the biggest player in Africa’s infrastructure boom, claiming a 40% share that continues to rise. Meanwhile, the shares of other players are falling precipitously: Europe declined from 44% to 34%, while the presence of US contractors fell from 24% to just 6.7%.

“The Chinese SOEs they are really taking over the market of infrastructure projects in Africa. It's true to say that everywhere you go in East Africa you see Chinese construction teams,” said Zhengli Huang, a research associate at the University of Sheffield.

downside?

When we look at Africa, we see many countries chasing dreams of a better economic future while burying themselves in massive amounts of infrastructure-induced debt that they may not be able to actually afford. There have already been warning signs: the $4 Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway ended up costing Ethiopia nearly a quarter of it’s total 2016 budget, Nigeria had to renegotiate a deal with their Chinese contractor due to their failure to pay, and Kenya’s 80% Chinese-financed railway from Mombasa to Nairobi has already gone four times over budget, costing the country upwards of 6% of it’s GDP. In 2012, the IMF found that China owned 15% of Africa’s external debt, and hardly three years later roughly two-thirds of all new loans were coming from China. This has some analysts issuing warnings about debt traps – with some even going as far as calling what China is doing a new form colonialism.

'Debt Trap', as in 'We own you'.

article from 2019
www.lowyinstitute.org...

While China’s tens of billions of investments and loans are greedily gobbled up by cash-starved African states, they are not as bereft of strings as is often claimed. In fact, the BRI is trapping numerous countries in unsustainable levels of debt. At the same time, bilateral trade, though often increasing after the conclusion of a deal, remains one-sided, where China extracts resources for exports but imports cheap finished goods of questionable quality that undermine local manufacturers. With a country’s destiny thus chained to Beijing’s wits, accusations of Chinese “neo-colonialism” are rising – not surprising given Beijing’s scramble for Africa.

the Chinese government is not a nice entity.
I have to think that anything they do is self-serving and I would question motives.

some of this frankly is a reaction to European colonialism, which was so detested that much of Africa couldn't wait to go independent, and now finds itself needing outside capital and technology, and prefers to go to China instead of back to Europe / USA.

Exploitation.

Sounds like the Marshal Plan for Africa. Next thing you know there wil be Chinese bases all over the place there.
Oh wait....

www.cnbc.com...

Naw, it's nothing, just a peaceful China looking to unite the African continent and lead them to their rightful destiny, imperialism? Pffff, come on................

they desperately need fresh water, not to mention they want all the minerals.

I guess you could say its more peaceful or a new way of conquest/exploitation.

Exploitation clearly.

But if you do an ATS search, you will see there are many many threads about China in Africa and implications of dominating Africa's resources.

The world is constantly changing and dominating forces come and go. China's sheer man power gives it influence and power in many areas. It's Darwin's theory.

Besides, Africa doesn't seem to be resisting much.....yet.

originally posted by: StoutBroux
Exploitation clearly.

But if you do an ATS search, you will see there are many many threads about China in Africa and implications of dominating Africa's resources.

The world is constantly changing and dominating forces come and go. China's sheer man power gives it influence and power in many areas. It's Darwin's theory.

Besides, Africa doesn't seem to be resisting much.....yet.

I remember thinking there were thread(s) but couldn't find

they pay off the elite. the poor in Africa are royally screwed.
I read somewhere a lot of the construction work is done by imported Chinese, denying jobs to locals.

here's a thread from 2008. still relevant.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

China, Soviets, Cuba may have seemingly lost the Cold War but that is an illusion all the time they crippled are Empires in Africa first through natioinalism leading to so called independence then onto a direct assault on influence esp in southern Africa and central too, last pawns to fall Potugeuese in 70s then final screws Rhodesia 80s then last stand South Africa in 90s................. Since then it's been a steady build up of influence while continuing the lows level warfare to rid the region of any western influence over lands and mining hence terror attacks on farms and 'nationalisations' of mines etc. The Commies won the Cold War in our zones of influence and gave the impression to fool us the West won it

a reply to: ElGoobero

It's amazing in this day and age of the internet, that we are not hearing a peep out of the group of people that go on and on and on about the patriarchy, colonialism and racism etc etc Yet in real time China is telling the whole world to "hold my beer" and these same groups remain silent?

Just thinking out loud as to how that' possible.

Hmm, a virus "accidentally" gets loose that shuts down the majority of the world.

China locks down and is the first country to open back up.

While the rest of the world is locked down and fighting amongst themselves, China moves to continue expansion.

I mean that's what it really is. China is expanding beyond it's borders. It's been doing so for decades.

The countries being used for expansion may see it as beneficial for their growth, but Chinese build crap that doesn't last regardless of what it is.

By the time countries like Africa realize it their criminal warlord leaders will be taking off with the profits while the citizens will be having to deal with Chinese military.

a reply to: ElGoobero

China want's there resources NOT there manpower, simple as that but they will do whatever it takes to buy out or ingratiate the African states in order to achieve there goal.

One way of looking at it is will the African's be better or worse off, well so far it look's like the Chinese are making them better off if only to put other and often already entrenched influences such as European and US interests out of the picture.

But how long will they be a benign force, how long before they decide to move vast numbers of Chinese into those nation's and the native African's suddenly become infertile? (not that the Gate's foundation has not already tried - with some success to do just that to the poorest both in Africa and India according so some very noteworthy accusations ***).





***
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

Please note I am not an anti vaccer but I take exception to some rich prick taking these peoples right to have children away from them because he dream's of an empty world for him and his fellow elite.
If ever there was a time for a vaccine the current crisis is one but the above makes you wonder just how many times these vaccination program's have been used as a Trojan horse program and given our own falling birth and fertility rates in the so called developed world if perhaps we too have been so dosed without our knowledge?.