Hi Uganduro,

The Chinese issue in Africa is a bit more than good deal/bad deal! Maybe have a look at this;

How China's taking over Africa, and why the West should be VERY worried | Mail Online

A few quotes;

- In the greatest movement of people the world has ever seen, China is secretly working to turn the entire continent into a new colony.

- Pristine forests are being destroyed, with China taking up to 70 per cent of all timber from Africa.

- In effect, through its supplies of arms and support, China has been accused of underwriting a humanitarian scandal.

- In Africa, corruption is a multi-billion pound industry and many experts believe that China is fuelling the cancer.

- As well as enticing hundreds of thousands to settle in Africa, they have even shipped Chinese prisoners to produce the goods cheaply.

- In Kenya, for example, only ten textile factories are still producing, compared with 200 factories five years ago, as China undercuts locals in the production of 'African' souvenirs.


It ends with these words;

The people of this bewitching, beautiful continent, where humankind first emerged from the Great Rift Valley, desperately need progress. The Chinese are not here for that. They are here for plunder. After centuries of pain and war, Africa deserves better.

And that summs it up (at least for me) !

Sure, we have our colonial past which in many cases is not something to be proud of but I like to believe that we have learned from that. We are in 2010 now but it is starting all over again for the Africans but in a much more destructive and definite way.


I'm interested in your opinion when you finished this article.

Cheers,

Noel

I wouldn't use the Daily Mail to support any argument. It is a racist, xenophobic, homophobic, sexist tabloid rag of the highest order that is read by bored housewives. Compared to other British media outlets it only has a 16% stake of the overall media market and for good reason too. It is trash.

A more balanced view:

The Chinese in Africa: Trying to pull together | The Economist


I particularly like this part:

"Indeed, China has boosted employment in Africa and made basic goods like shoes and radios more affordable. Trade surpassed $120 billion last year.

(...)


Quite a bit of criticism of China is disguised protectionism. Established businesses try to maintain privileged positions—at the expense of consumers. The recent arrival of Chinese traders in the grimy alleys of Soweto market in Lusaka halved the cost of chicken. Cabbage prices dropped by 65%. Local traders soon marched their wire-mesh cages filled with livestock to the local competition commission to complain. “How dare the Chinese disturb our market,” says Justin Muchindu, a seller. In Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of Tanzania, Chinese are banned from selling in markets. The government earlier this year said Chinese were welcome as investors but not as “vendors or shoe-shiners”.


The above quote could be straight out of Thomas Sowells' essay on "middlemen people", (=one of the essays in Amazon.com: Black Rednecks & White Liberals (9781594031434): Thomas Sowell: Books).