The West bemoans Africa-China commerce

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11428653

NPR did a story about Western complaints over Chinese-African business relationships. Basically the Chinese offer cut rate loans and favorable public works deals to African nations for stuff that the World Bank won't do and Western governments would charge too much for (palaces, dams, soccer stadiums). To boot, China doesn't nag the African nations over transparency, anti-corruption, and democratic reform like Western agencies might. So in return for being so nice, the African nations offer Chinese first dibs on their sought-after natural resources such as timber, precious metals, and fossil fuels, which Chinese industry relies on for its record economic growth. Maybe this isn't a good thing, but as the Mafia say... It's business. I totally agree with the critique that China's business dealings prop up bad regimes, and China doesn't really seem to care whether they're trading with Idi Amin or Nelson Mandela. But what do they care - they just want to get paid.

But consider where the criticisms originate. Western powers don't exactly have a stellar track record of political and economic relations with Africa. Did China ever mass-export slave labor to toil overseas? Did China ever forcefully "convert" Africans to a foreign religion? Did China usurp land, pillage resources, and conscript villagers to fight in European wars they couldn't care less about? At least China is PAYING for the resources they extract. Did China assassinate leftist leaders and plunge nations into civil war? Actually Maoist China (far from a rich nation) gave millions in aid as a sign of solidarity (and for good PR for socialism) to fledgling African republics emerging from the colonial shadow. Did China pit one tribe or ethnic group against the other to maintain colonial control, thereby fomenting the seeds of genocide years later? Did China offer huge loan packages to impoverished nations, then stand idly by as the debt destroyed them? Did China withhold lifesaving drugs to poor Africans just to protect intellectual property? Did China get in front of the cameras and pledge mountains of humanitarian assistance, yet delivered very little? You get the idea.

Yes we wish China wouldn't be so "exploitative" in their business ventures there, but don't blame them for doing much less harm than what white imperialists did in their time of economic expansion. Western powers had their time in the sun (for centuries actually), running roughshod over the colored peoples of the world, dictating policy, making war on a whim, and getting rich in the process. But now Europe is decaying since the World Wars, and America is still a superpower but with arguably a less rosy future. China is on the rise because the West loves to have its stores chock full of cheap shit they can turn a profit on. So a side effect of our greed is Chinese expansion into the Third World, Chinese devaluation of their currency, Chinese spying and acquisition of new weapon systems, and importing Chinese goods that may be low quality or even dangerous. China wouldn't be able to do any of that if it wasn't for Western buyers and borrowers across the ocean making it happen. Before we started importing their T-shirts and DVDs, they were a pitiful, agrarian failing experiment in socialism. So we created the "beast", and now we have to live with it. But if China is truly a monster, we're friggin' Lucifer for committing so many crimes on other peoples.

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." – Some important Biblical guy

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we do all the same shit but then kill thousands
through enslavement, starvation and unimaginable
poverty. at least it sounds like china's giving them
a fair trade. we'll see...poor africa doesn't have a
real good track record with these kinds of things. do
you happen to know if zimbawe is dealing with them?

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The article mostly spoke of Congo-Brazzaville, so not sure about Zimbabwe. Now that is a sob story there. It's like Nero's Rome with extreme poverty. I wish that guy Mugabe would just get a heart attack and be over with - though I worry a power struggle and civil war among his subordinates and rival factions might insue in the vacuum. As usual, it's a no-win situation for them. Like in that "Blood Diamond" movie, you just shake your head in exasperation and say " T.O.A." - this is Africa.

Now if the West forgave all debts, pledged and actually DELIVERED needed humanitarian aid, and paid reparations for past crimes - then maybe we have some moral standing to start to criticize China. Also it would help if we cancelled all those ridiculous protectionist policies/subsidies that keep Western agriculture on life support, at the expense of Third World farmers who can't sell for a decent price and starve because of us. Fair trade? Hah that's a good one.

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/23736/

Also it's not just cotton: as we know Western companies make big bank from African gold, diamonds, and other precious stones, and also shaft them on tropical crops like cocoa and coffee - the West won't help Africans develop domestic manufacturing to process the raw materials and add value to their goods prior to export. Their farmers get shafted if they just sell coffee beans on the open world market, where fluctuating prices can ruin a small farmer overnight. If they had local factories to turn the commodities into finished products, they would be more desirable, lucrative, and stable for international trade. Like a raw steak at the grocery costs anywhere from $2-10, but at a restaurant holds fairly stable at $25 - we just refuse to let the Third World open restaurants. The West doesn't want to help poor people if it makes us a little poorer in the process. Yeah that goes for Mother Teresa Jolie as well! If she wins an Oscar for that Daniel Perl movie I'm going to retch. Ok rant over, you can come out of the bomb shelter now.