China-Africa: China in Africa
As with every new kid on the block, China is being told by those who for long have had a vested interest in Africa, to play the game of politics after its rules. Good Governance, Human Rights, fiscal transparency, structural adjustment programs were some of the Western strategies added in the last decades to the handbook of development implemented on the African continent. And as many leaders in especially Sub Saharan Africa today point out the results of these often drastic economic plans, envisaged in the First World to overhaul Africa into a consumerist capitalist heaven, are still pending positive results on the scoreboards of improved African livelihoods.
China on the other hand, as Power and Mohan explain, came with a clear interest to Africa “based on bilateral ‘co-operation’ rather than a moralising political discourse of ‘catch up’ development”. It joined in “partnerships” for a hunger to develop itself with Africa’s resources untapped by Western nations and is much less interested in exporting an ideology to win over the hearts and minds of Africans. China refers to these “special relationship” with African states as a “win-win” situation for all. Even in problematic cases such as Angola and Sudan the Chinese politbüro remains true to its diplomatic pragmatism based on sovereignty and non-interference, which are – we ought not to forget – still the guiding principles of the United Nations. In both cases the foremost acceptance of sovereignty and non-interference are now increasingly put under scrutiny by the new language of the West, and the United States in particular, linking security to development and humanitarian action as well as calling for preventing conflict in a cloudy language of a responsibility to protect. And of course, Taylor makes a valid point, in seeing a danger that China will “politely rip off Africa, just as the West did.” However, in respecting sovereignty and non-interference, China appeals to many states on the African continent still perceiving themselves as fragile Pawns in the international system of states. In this sense China increasingly establishes itself as a counterweight to the covert and nebulous neo-imperial and hegemonic strategy of the United States. At the same time China signals to African states to be a trustworthy player in the future interested in stability and long lasting partnerships. It is to earlier to judge Chinas long-term interest as a global player in Africa, at the moment I believe to detect a primary interest in building itself internally, while making sure that outsiders perceive it as “business partner” instead of a “preacher”. This is indeed a new approach to international development that surely is not in line with liberal ideals of human rights, democratization and consumerist capitalism. It is to be seen what will happen once business relations with, as Chinas critics proclaim “undemocratic” and “greedy”, African leaders go sour. The Chinese leadership might than follow another strategy that is based on a very different understanding of the term “crisis” which in Chinese also means “opportunity” – thus Taylor might be right and in the end the people of Africa are loosing out once more. Yet, if China wants to build genuine trust amongst Africans it will begin to involve itself more in development projects building on their efforts in Eastern Africa in the 1970’s were their development support up to this day is still highly regarded
(jl.luedert.com)