Why China is trying to colonise Africa !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Daanyeer]

Source: telegraph.co.uk
August 31, 2007 Author: David Blair


No one alive at the close of the 19th century could have missed the "scramble for Africa". A motley collection of robber barons, imperialist ideologues, explorers, rogues and adventurers - the likes of Cecil Rhodes and the appalling Leopold II, King of the Belgians - carved up the continent in the name of five European powers.

Today, few appear to have noticed that a second "scramble for Africa" is under way. This time, only one giant country is involved, but its ambitions are every bit as momentous as those of Rhodes and company. With every day that passes, China's economic tentacles extend deeper into Africa. While Europe sought direct political control, China is acquiring a vast and informal economic empire.

Reliable information on Beijing's African adventure is hard to come by. But we do know that trade between China and the world's poorest continent totalled about £30 billion last year - a sixfold increase since 2000.

China now buys about one third of its oil from Africa, mainly from Angola, where an £800 million deal to develop a new field was signed last May, and from Sudan, where Beijing built a 900-mile pipeline and invested at least £8 billion. China is spending another £1.2 billion on a new offshore oilfield in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Beijing has acquired mines in Zambia, textile factories in Lesotho, railways in Uganda, timber in the Central African Republic and retail developments in almost every capital.

The reasoning behind China's new focus on Africa is simple. If its economic boom is to be sustained, Beijing must find more raw materials and new markets for manufactured goods. Chinese oil consumption is forecast to grow by at least 10 per cent every year for the foreseeable future. At this level of demand, its domestic reserves will vanish within 20 years.

Hence the quest for overseas oil. Yet Beijing's options are limited. America and the Western powers have already snapped up the world's largest oil reserves. Saudi Arabia and Iraq - with 45 per cent of the world's oil between them - are in effect closed to China.

So the less developed tracts of Africa are an obvious target. Sudan's six billion barrels of proven reserves - with more still to be discovered - have become of vital strategic significance to China.

These facts are of deep concern to many Africans. Their governments may welcome Chinese investment, but Africa's independent voices do not share this enthusiasm. The consequences of China's new role there have already been catastrophic.

Thanks to Beijing's interest in Sudan's oil, President Omar al-Bashir's regime in Khartoum has received a windfall. Ten years ago, Sudan's oil revenues were negligible; last year, Chinese investment ensured that they totalled at least £3 billion.

Without this ready cash, Mr Bashir could never have sustained the war in Darfur, where four years of fighting have claimed about 300,000 lives, either from violence, starvation or disease. The military machine that has laid waste to vast tracts of land, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, was, in effect, bankrolled by Beijing. Moreover, China has sold weapons directly to Sudan, notably Fantan ground attack aircraft.

Elsewhere, China provides a convenient alternative for African leaders spurned by the West for their human rights abuses. Devoid of aid and foreign investment, President Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe would be entirely isolated but for China's backing. Beijing has given Mugabe civilian and military aircraft, and its experts helped design a new mansion for the old dictator, in the style of a Chinese pagoda.

Yesterday, the Chinese government assured Lord Malloch-Brown, the Foreign Office minister responsible for Africa and Asia, that any future aid for Zimbabwe would be purely humanitarian. Whether China will keep this promise is another matter: Mugabe's Zanu-PF has received Chinese money for at least 30 years; Zanu-PF's national headquarters in Harare - found, aptly enough, on Rotten Row - was built by China.

The harsh truth is that Beijing has become the ally of choice for Africa's worst rulers. While China likes to portray itself as a benign force in Africa, free of the historical baggage carried by the former colonial powers, Beijing's conduct is already resented.

During last year's presidential election in Zambia, the leading opposition candidate, Michael Sata, campaigned on an explicitly anti-Chinese ticket. Beijing's investment was, Mr Sata argued, almost entirely worthless for Zambia.

Yes, China had reopened some copper mines, but the workers were being exploited and all health and safety regulations ignored. An industrial accident at one Chinese-run mine claimed 46 lives in 2005. Later, workers rioted over low wages and poor conditions. Meanwhile, local companies were being driven out of business by cheap imports.

While Mr Sata lost the election overall, he won huge majorities in all the areas of Zambia affected by Chinese investment. His defeat prompted a day of anti-Chinese riots in the capital, Lusaka. Every Chinese-owned shop in the city was barricaded to avoid being looted. Meanwhile, shops owned by whites or Asians carried on trading without incident.

Even inside Mugabe's crumbling domain, it has not gone unnoticed that all three MA-60 aircraft supplied by China to Air Zimbabwe have a terrifying history of engine fires and emergency landings.

While Americans and Europeans have only just encountered shoddy Chinese consumer goods, ordinary Zimbabweans talk of "zing zong" products - by which they mean exports from China which have a tendency to break in your hands.

Like all empires, China's economic domain in Africa is stirring deep resentment. The wonder is that it has happened so quickly, and where the scramble will end.

[shidow1]

oil...........

[Somaliweyn]

This is bullshit, China and Africa have a long history.

If China wanted to colonize Africa they would have done it when they arrived in East Africa with their giant junk ships and more than 30.000 men.

It is said that the junk ships China used then were immense huge....one junk ship was the size of total 27 portugese ships, If my memory serves me right.

The fleet consisted of about 300 ships, and more than 30.000.


With such force, they could have colonized all of Africa when they set foot in East of Africa...yet the Chinese were civilized and had high morals which lead them to greet the people of Africa, take some souvernirs and return peacefully. Contrast this to when the Europeans came, they started to expand, enslave the people, steal their riches, and at the end colonize the whole place.

The high civilization and morals of the Chinese is superieur to the barbarian Europeans and their greed which lead them to colonize Africa.

[gurey25]

This is pure jelousy towards the Middle Kingdom.

Chun Kuo


chinese investment in africa is mutualy beneficial,
its a win win deal,

[Somaliweyn]

We'll see which ignorant African groups fall for this propaganda launched by their ex-colonisators.

Somalis are not easily fooled, especially by hypocrites like Western countries.

Insha allah, when Mogadishu gets its act together, we'll welcome Chinese investment like we have welcomed them when they arrived in 15th century

[*Arabman]

The Chinese are different from Anglo-Saxons. They aren't known for imperial or colonial mindset.

[DONKEYMAN]

The Chinese are good people. We appreciate their investments. China's next adventure is Somalia.

[Ican]

[quote="Somaliweyn"]We'll see which ignorant African groups fall for this propaganda launched by their ex-colonisators.

Somalis are not easily fooled, especially by hypocrites like Western countries.

Insha allah, when Mogadishu gets its act together, we'll welcome Chinese investment like we have welcomed them when they arrived in 15th century [/quote]

But china is already investing in Mogadishu thanks to this man: http://www.gov.cn/misc/images/images/00 ... 897204.jpg

What I like about the Chinese is they are business people first, they don't bring their ideology with them when investing in a country.

[#1baller]

what u people fail to realise is that whether China or America invests in Somalia. The end result will always be tha same.

your profits will not remain in Somalia.

[Grant]

[quote="*Arabman"]The Chinese are different from Anglo-Saxons. They aren't known for imperial or colonial mindset.[/quote]

Arabman,

You may have trouble convincing the Tibetan people of that. It is also my understanding that Han Chinese are pushing many Mongols out of Mongolia.

You might also wish to consider that the Communist Chinese government is officially athiest and has a poor history with all religious groups. Muslims in China have been legally able to practice their faith on a limited basis since the 1980's, but check this:

Chinese Muslims forge isolated path

By Louisa Lim
BBC, Ningxia


Against a desert backdrop, surrounded by parched yellow-earth hills, an army of worshippers sing devotional chants as they march through a compound to the central mosque.
Ningxia province is the heartland of Islam in China - and the base of Hong Yang, a Muslim leader who commands a million Chinese followers.


Religious freedom is laid down in the Chinese constitution, but Hong Yang admits there are limits.
"It depends on how you interpret the word freedom. Our religious freedom cannot compare with other countries. We're only free to practice within the boundaries set by Chinese law and policy," he said.

"But we don't want to overstep those limits, as that might create conflict and instability for the whole society."

Spreading the faith is a duty for Muslims, but for the 20 million Muslims in China, it is only allowed within the confines of a mosque.

China's atheist leadership distrust all whose loyalties might be split, especially those for whom religion is a higher calling.

Its strategy is to bind religious leaders into the communist hierarchy.


Hong Yang is a government advisor, as well as a spiritual leader, and he is often torn between religion and politics.
"Of course it would be ideal to be a purely religious figure. That's what I strive for. But this is China," he said.

"If I can serve as a bridge between the government and the people, then that's a good thing for everyone."

Islamic resurgence

Arriving at a funeral, the devotion which Hong Yang inspires is palpable.

Men, young and old, mob him to exchange greetings, and the hillside around swarms with the white hats worn by Muslims in the region.

Religious rituals only resurfaced in the 1980s after years of communist suppression, when all religious activity was banned.

These days an Islamic resurgence is taking place, but China's leaders fear the fervour of faith.

In the past, rebellions brewed in Ningxia province, as Muslims chafed against the yoke of central control.

Mindful of that, China's communist rulers keep careful control over their flock.

Female imams


But Muslims in the province are pushing forward the barriers of faith - with unique results.
Jin Meihua is at the forefront of those changes. Her head covered with a lilac scarf, she teaches passages from the Koran to other women.

The 40-year-old wife and mother is one of a handful of Chinese female imams.

"I felt I couldn't be a true Muslim if I didn't understand Islam. I craved knowledge, so I went to the imam and asked his permission to study in the mosque," she said.

"There were only men there, and no mosque for the women. He said it would be hard but after about a year of study, I got support from the other imams and the community."

Jin Meihua runs a mosque exclusively for women. While hers is attached to a male mosque, some female Muslims have set up their own completely independent mosques.

"These are sites led by women for women, not overseen by male religious leaders," said Maria Jaschok from Oxford University.

"They're independent, even autonomous. This is simply not the case anywhere else in Muslim countries."


Beijing's tight control over religious practice means Chinese Muslims have been isolated from trends sweeping through the rest of the Islamic world.
According to Dr Khaled Abou el Fadl from the University of California in Los Angeles, that means that ancient traditions like female jurists - which have been stamped out elsewhere - have been able to continue in China.

"The Wahhabi and Salafis have not been able to penetrate areas like China and establish their puritanical creed there," said Dr Khaled Abou el Fadl.

"That's a good thing, as it means that perhaps from the margins of Islam the great tradition of women jurists might be rekindled."

It may be controversial, but the women who come here do not care.

Ma Hongmei, a 30-year-old mother, says that what she has learned in the women's mosque has helped her become a better Muslim.

"It opened my eyes and broadened my horizons. It helped my family and gives me a moral framework for educating my children," she said.

"Surely they have female imams in other countries?" she replied, when told that China's system was unusual.

Her licence to practice is issued by a government body, the Islamic Association of China.


Ma Ziyuan, an official at the association, said female imams were allowed because it was the "wish of the masses".
"They gave us this power. We are here to fulfil the demands of the religious believers. People want to learn and women should have the same rights as men," he said.

This is socialist Islam with Chinese characteristics.

Believers are hobbled and co-opted by the state, encouraged to push forward changes which divide them from fellow worshippers elsewhere.

For Muslims in China, the path ahead is an isolated one, and that is exactly what the Chinese government wants.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/w ... 656180.stm

Published: 2004/09/15 14:49:40 GMT

© BBC MMVII

[*Arabman]

Grant, you're mixing up unrelated variables. The topic is about China, Africa and colonization. China never colonized Africa; you can't convince us otherwise. The Ummah has an issue with China, but not on the level of the Great Satan.

[Grant]

Arabman,

Your statement was pretty flatfooted. You said "mindset".

I am positive the Chinese do not compartmentalize to the degree you just did.

Admiral Ho of the Middle Kingdom represented a 15th century China that was convinced of it's own utter superiority. He was exploring and looking for a few curiosities to entertain the emperor. China at that time did not believe it had any needs that could not be better supplied internally.

21st century China lacks fuel and raw materials and will pursue it's national interests any way it can. Scarcely the same deal.

[James Dahl]

Africa is the future, all the untapped oil and minerals are in Africa, and because Africa is undeveloped there's trillions of dollars in construction contracts.

China wants to be the ruler of the world, so its only natural that they want to get their foot in the door in Africa.

Africa should understand that China is willing to do ANYTHING to rule the world, so Africans should fleece them for all they're worth. Make them pay for everything up front and don't give up any concessions, just leases.

[gurey25]

James dhal i disagree china does not want to rule the world,
it wants to secure itself, and its wealth.

[gurey25]

Grant Tibet may be a celeberti topic in the west now, but they have always been under chinese influence and it is part of china.

China's leaders today maybe athiests but they have not been as oppressive to muslims as other have been.

historically china has had an excellent relationship with islam.
there were official relations between the ummayad khalifate and the Tang dynasty.

Muslims dominated trade in the ports of canton duringt he Southern song dynasty and even entered government,
Muslim immigration and conversion of chinese gave china a muslim population so large during southen song ,that we hear 100,000 mulims dying in riots in canton on one occasion.

furthermore chinese muslims were responsible for spreading islam into Indonesia/malaysia and surrounding regions, most people think the spread of islam was from the west, but in reality it was from chinese muslims comming from the north,.
It was these sufi from the southern chinese cities, that were already familiar with the langauge, and culture of indonesia, and already familiar with budhisim and hinduism that played the main part in converting indonesia to islam.


when the mongols conquered china, and created the Yuan dynasty, they brought thier administrators from the sophisticated cities of central asia, (which were the most advanced and prosperous cities outside of spain and mesopotamia) into the chinese Bureaucracy, and ofcourse they were muslim.
several of the mongol leadership in china were also muslim converts.

the founder of the ming dynasty Zu yuangchan's first source of support and inner circle were muslims, his right hand man lang yu was in charge of the army, several more of the top leadership in the revolution that brought the ming dynasty to power were muslim, like general Mu(mohamed) ying .

Ming dysnaty has since then been pro muslim,

this Admiral Cheng ho of the Treasure fleet himself was muslim


actually china has had excellents relations with islam till the Qing dynasty
and the republicans, the communists are a litle better than the Manchus and republicans, thats why muslim support went towards the communists in the civil war.