CHINA-AFRICA RELATIONS: PARTNERSHIP OR EXPLOITATION?

OPINION:

CHINA-AFRICA RELATIONS: PARTNERSHIP OR EXPLOITATION?

By Samuel Riose Okemwa* (oksriose@yahoo.com)

Africa has a large quantity of diamonds, salt, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum etc but poor leadership in Africa is a genesis of all problems facing the continent. China is exploiting Africa than we can imagine because of poor leadership. Because of corrupt and greedy African leaders, China's entry to Africa is express and faster to exploit its natural resources. Do we know that Chinese are now present in every single country in Africa?

We can agree that China is improving infrastructure in Africa but let us not forget that Chinese are in Africa to do business and make profits, although they create a perception that they are developing and helping Africa. It’s not help. We pay for what they do.

 China is investing billions of dollars in Africa as they exploit the continent's vast mineral and energy resources which are worth trillion of dollars at the expense of African people. For many years Africans have been regarded as low thinkers who cannot innovate. Whether you like or not China sees Africans as inferior and weak.

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If China can not engage Africa as an equal partner and stop exploiting Africa then whether they like or not children of Africa will soon riot against them and leaders they have corrupted will never help. I have no malice or ill will against China in Africa but I am concerned about my AFRICA.

We may hail china for building roads, bridges etc. But do we know that all raw material-nails, hammer etc are imported from China? Do we know that labour is brought in from China? African people are now obliged to learn Chinese in order to interact and work with Chinese in Africa instead of Chinese learning English and other African languages to work with Africans.  Chinese currency, yuan is becoming a Zimbabwean currency and soon it will become an African currency. With massive borrowing of loans from China, Africa will be soon be heavily indebted and controlled by China. Africans are not children of a lesser God that we have to suffer and die of hunger in a continent with vast natural resources and fertile soils. We have brains, intellect and manpower to develop Africa ourselves.

We have to ‘agitate’ for a new leadership in Africa and save it from neo-colonialism and exploitation.

* Kenyan-Canada based Rights Activist

QUESTION: What is your appraisal of Africa China Relations as compared to the West? Who should Africans look up to, Chinese or the Western World for a mutual beneficial Partnership?  Have your say!