A few centuries later, the Opium Wars seared a certain
mental caricature about western hegemony, which was further exasperated by the
military dominance of the Japanese Empire who aped Western methods in their
control of Chinese Machurian territory.
It is imperative to note that the China we know today is not
the China of the 1940’s -1950’s when the mind set then was of a common enemy
i.e. poverty and a Western colonial influence. In retrospect, this “common”
past has aided China in forging an impressive relationship with Africa.
While the West and Bretton Woods institutions have taken a
big brother approach of giving stringent political and economic conditions in
order to turn on the aid taps in Africa. Beijing has taken an approach steeped
in neutrality adhering to its five principles of peaceful coexistence, “it respects
African countries’ choices in political systems and development path suited to
their own national conditions and does not interfere in internal affairs of
African countries…”
Many will question the advent and advancement of the
Sino-Africa relationship, especially due to the astronomical increase in trade over
the decade. It stood at 10$ billion in 2000 and 198.49 billion in 2012 of which
113.171 billion of this was contributed by China’s imports from Africa.
China has an insatiable appetite for energy to drive its
growing economy, and China National Petroleum Corp Economics
and Technology Research Institute estimates that China's oil demand in 2014
will reach 518 million metric tons. Of this estimate close to 60% is imported
and 20% of that import comes from Africa.
China’s energy security is a phenomenal
concern to the country given that it surpassed the United States as the world’s
largest consumer of foreign oil, importing 6.3 million barrels per day compared
to the United States’ 6.24 million in late 2013.
Given this it seems that energy
security overrides other concerns, even the “one China principle”. But then again the reunification of Taiwan
and China is foreseeable given that more than 2.2 million Chinese tourists
visited Taiwan in 2013 and the two-way trade has passed the 100$ billion per
year. What this trend depicts is that
the ideological and political can and will be trampled in pursuit of the
economical gain.
The neo-colonial perception of Africa
as a source of raw material replenishes itself as China turns to Africa to
sustain its energy needs away from the unstable Middle East. The “New Energy
Frontier” of East Africa shows sizable natural gas and oil reserves that could
potentially compete with West Africa in the near future.
The viewpoint that East African
countries need to have is one drawn away from corrupt practices. One gauged
from the observation of lost billions that have lined the pockets of despot
leaders in countries like Angola, Nigeria, South Sudan and Equitorial Guinea
while millions of their citizens languish in abject poverty.
While it is very clear that China will continue
to stick to a policy of neutrality even to the detriment of a nation’s
populace. Like in the case of Sudan where it sold small arms to the government,
which allowed the Janjaweed to commit atrocities against innocent civilians in
Darfur. It is also true that they will oppose those who view them negatively
like Michal Sata, the incumbent president in Zambia, before he came into power.
Nowadays Sata sings along to a Chinese tune of cooperation.
East Africans have to take a long-term
view of their regulatory framework and ensure that they earn more from oil, gas
and mining, which can collectively benefit their countries. They also need to
ensure that their economies don’t end up being dependent on these resources.
Every dollar earned from natural
resources can never be retracted, if used badly, thus it is imperative that
wisdom reigns to make East African states middle-income countries in the next
20 years. With proper planning and zero tolerance to corruption, the vision can
be achieved.
There is also the need to realize that
China will make certain investments with long-term goals, for example the
TAZARA railway although considered an oddity when constructed in the 1970’s
potentially opened up Tanzania to Chinese investment.
Having said this the citizenry also needs
to voice their concerns when they feel they are not benefactors of the
resources mined from their land. This oversight can be regulatory or a knee
jack reaction to Chinese exploitation likes what is observed in Zambia and
Congo.
In the final analysis more African
countries are beginning to comprehend the short-term availability of natural resources
and the subsequent long-term destruction that resource exploitation brings to
their land, thus they are collectively demanding more transparency and accrued
benefits from their governments and the foreign companies investing in their
land. This trend has recently been witnessed in Mtwara, Tanzania and in
Turkana, Kenya.
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