China Foot Print in Africa: New form of Colonialism

Across Africa, radio call-in programs are buzzing with tales of Africans, usually men, bemoaning the loss of their spouses and partners to rich Chinese men. “He looks short and ugly like a pygmy but I guess he has money,” complained one lovelorn man on a recent Kenyan show (Extract from anonymous blogger). True or imagined, such stories say much about the perceived economic power of Chinese businessmen in Africa, and of the growing backlash against them. Can it get any worse than this?

China has become by far Africa’s biggest trading partner, exchanging about $160 billion-worth of goods a year; more than one million Chinese, most of them laborers and traders, have moved to the continent in the past decade. The mutual adoration between governments continues, with ever more African roads building and mines built by Chinese firms. I feel like it’s overdone. Our governments are all over the Chinese, makes we wonder what sort of charm this people got!!

I agree that Chinese investment does have the potential to address Africa’s infrastructure gap, but its approach has led to mounting debt and few if any jobs in most countries. Do anyone agree less on this? They are locking Africans and making them dependent. And once they do this, they will get their support for geopolitical goals and hence undermining democracy. What am just trying to say in simple terms is that it looks like the Chinese are doing this intentionally, pooh!

If you didn’t know, China launched a project in 2013 “One Belt one Road”, which its key intention is to expand China’s influence in global affairs (looks like The New world Order to me, dot you think?) This program has saddled developing countries with crippling debts and increased their dependence on China. According to IMF reports, Djibouti’s public external debt in the last two years has increased from 50 to 85 percent of its gross domestic product, this very impressive! Wait not so fast, what of Kenya? According to recent data, each Kenyan citizen owes at least 100,000kshs to China. Kenyan government was noted last year to have borrowed approximately 62.7 billion per month. Most of this cash was from China. So next time you meet a Chinese along the stress you can as well take the curtesy of offsetting your personal debt by giving him some money with abroad face, you owe him remember?

The growth in China demand for commodities is growing exponentially and prices of many raw materials are thickening. That said, China’s hunger for agricultural goods, and perhaps for farm land, may grow as China’s population expands and the middle class becomes richer. Imagining having billions of people with good spending power and hunger for to use their money? We might probably runout of goods!!

Africans are increasingly suspicious of Chinese firms, worrying about unfair deals and environmental damage, are we waking up? Opposition is fueled by Africa’s thriving civil society, which demands more transparency and an accounting for human rights. This can be an unfamiliar challenge for authoritarian China, whose foreign policy is heavily based on state-to-state relations, with little appreciation of the gulf between African rulers and their people (I gaze they would not risk handling us like they to in Hong Kong) In Senegal, residents’ organizations last year blocked a deal that would have handed a prime section of property in the Centre of the capital, Dakar, to Chinese developers. In Tanzania labor unions criticized the government for letting in Chinese petty traders. We might just be finally waking up!

Some African officials are voicing out criticism of China. Lamido Sanusi, Nigeria’s former central bank governor, says Africa is opening itself up to a “new form of imperialism”, in which China takes African primary goods and sells it manufactured ones, without transferring skills. Isn’t it obvious people?

After years of bland talk about “win-win” partnerships, China seems belatedly aware of the problem. On a tour of the continent, the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, said on January 12th that “we absolutely will not take the old path of Western colonists”. Last May the Prime Minister, Li Keqiang, acknowledged “growing pains” in the relationship.

If you haven’t noticed, this wasn’t the first time I was putting this matter across, as matter of fact it appeared in one of my previous posts. This is just an indicator how dare this situation is. We have to make a choice here, to seat back and watch as we are being manipulated with raw deals in the name of Bilateral trades, or we actually take control of the situation and forge our own paths which will actually work for us. Let’s not be the cow being fattened for slaughter here!

Author: Beline Nyangi

Beline is an International Relations Professional. She holds an MSc. degree in Conflict and Governance from University of Amsterdam. She has competence and interest in social policy research advisory and implementation in the areas of peace and security, transitional justice, human rights, refugee rights, immigration and social justice. She enjoys traveling, drinking "dawa", good books and rich and thoughtful conversation. View all posts by Beline Nyangi