Is China investing in Africa in a neo-colonial way?

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  • Created by: Anoush
  • Created on: 25-11-15 21:04
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  • Is China investing in Africa in a neo-colonial way?
    • Hard power
      • China has committed $75bn on aid and development projects in Africa in the past decade. It has been called Beijing's escalating soft power "charm offensive" to secure political and economic clout on the continent.
        • Almost 1,700 projects in 50 countries between 2000 and 2011. 54 countries in Africa!
          • In Liberia, China has put millions towards the installation of solar traffic lights in Monrovia and financed a malaria prevention centre.
      • "The dominant narrative has been one of China's insatiable desire for resources."
      • "Just as western countries abandoned newly independent Africa, the Chinese came,"
      • iN 2006, Cnocc Ltd, a Chinese oil cooperation, spent $2.7 bn buying Nigerian oil fields.
    • Soft power
      • In Mozambique, China's projects include a National School for Visual Arts in Maputo.
        • In Algeria, construction has begun on a multimillion dollar opera house in the Ouled Fayet suburbs of western Algiers.
      • Many of the cultural and sporting projects across the continent are probably "upfront sweeteners" to win government favour, a "downpayment" for future commercial deals
        • "These are all about diplomacy, about soft power ... like the Alliance Française and the British Council ... all about presenting China as an important global player. All the big countries do this,"
        • Chinese medical teams have worked in Africa since 1963, but recently their objective has expanded to include promotion of China's pharmaceuticals such as antimalarials
        • Beijing has also sought to improve its image on the continent by financing the rapid expansion of Chinese media outlets.
          • China's  Africa policy, released in 2006, which encourages exchange and co-operation between African and Chinese media.
    • China has also sent thousands of doctors and teachers to work in Africa, welcomed many more students to learn in China or in Chinese language classes abroad and rolled out a continent-wide network of sports stadiums and concert halls.
    • Others argue Beijing's development projects on the continent – from infrastructure to debt relief to providing medical support – are also part of a public diplomacy strategy to build up goodwill and international support for the future.
    • Joseph Nye: China would see little return on its investments until it relaxed its control over information.  "The best propaganda is not propaganda,"

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