As befits a rising superpower (or perhaps one that has already risen), China is in the news a lot. First there was the brief spike in sympathy for Tibet during the Olympic torch run. That died down quick, didn’t it? Then there was the huge earthquake that showed that China, no matter their human rights record, responds to natural disaster more quickly and with greater effectiveness than FEMA. Don’t forget about China’s undervalued currency, China and Taiwan reaching out to each other and China devouring natural resources faster than a forest fire. And, finally, there’s China and Africa.
A friend from work sent along this article that shows that the Chinese presence in Africa goes beyond a dubious relationship with Sudan’s murderous dictatorship. He also suggested that rampant Chinese theft of intellectual property may salve some of the wounds British (and by extension Western) colonialists created a century ago. Perhaps. But I believe the true motivation and aims of the Chinese are beyond us. The West and China will never be able to work in unity and one of the main reasons is that the Chinese mind is so alien to us in the West (and ours to them). Whatever their motivation, in a global economy, China has all the advantages in the race to become the preeminent superpower and she doesn’t seem to want to make friends along the way.
The article also solidifies my belief that Africa is irreparably screwed. The joys of throwing off the yokes of colonial overlords have long been forgotten to be replaced by what may be an even worse situation. The plight of the common man in Zimbabwe and Darfur is well-known but what of the rest of the continent? Is there a single success story in Africa? Somalia – once in the forefront of the American conscience because of a military presence there – is in constant civil war. The Congo has been in a never-ending state of conflict for decades. And South Africa, where men like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu inspired the world, is spiraling into ever deepening depths of poverty and violence while lesser petty men like Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma vie for power.
There has been a current of thought throughout history that Africans are simply inferior humans (in fact, James Watson sullied his considerable reputation by suggesting as much not too long ago). That’s hogwash. Africa lacks stability and part of that comes from leaders more worried about making money and raping their people rather than leading. It’s no different than many areas around the world – the only difference is that the entire continent, one that happens to be rich with natural resources, is saturated with dictators. China is a new player in the African game but the rest of the world bears much blame as well. Disease – especially AIDS – ravages the continent as much as man-made causes of death and I can’t help but think the West, especially the United States, could have done more. All the money in the world means nothing if it comes with religious strings attached.
China, however, is taking colonialism and exploitation to such a level that historians will have to coin a new phrase for it. I can’t help but think the situation is now hopeless. It reminds me of a grotesque fantastical creature sucking the life out of its victim, leaving a lifeless husk when it’s had its fill – like Ungoliant from the Silmarillion or ‘IT’ from a Wrinkle in Time. Will the rest of the world do anything? At some point, the West (or someone else in the East) will have to respond to China’s shameless pillaging of Africa. Hopefully, this won’t lead toward a new sort of Cold War – with Africa as the wasteland that gets caught in the crossfire. Unfortunately, the supply of hope is dwindling fast in Africa.
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