China is actively seeking to colonize the whole of Africa: Through an aggressive plan which puts hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars into the hands of Africa's leaders, many of them corrupt( read Mugabe, the Sudan),the Chinese are supplying arms for the genocide movement in Darfar, supplanting local economies with Chinese production, recolonizing Chinese Workers to Africa and gradually establishing a new homeland for millions of Chinese citizens.
A staggering 750.000 Chinese have settled into Africa over the last decade. One source estimates that the Chinese will need to send some 300 million Chinese to Africa to solve problems with over population and pollution.
A few years back, the Chinese government reckoned that economic success could not continue unless the country proved able to increase its international political standing, mainly because of the need to secure raw materials supply contracts to feed to its rapidly expanding industrial sector. Unfortunately, relations with the big Asian players (India, Japan and Russia) were and remain tense: historic rivalries and territorial claims mean that the country is still deeply mistrusted by them.
Given this, starting from around 2005 China decided to focus on Africa, tightening relations with those countries that are shunned by the international community:
China isn't doing all of this out of the kindness of its heart. In fact, most might say that China is seeking new markets for its export-driven economy—now the world's fourth largest. In addition, China wants unimpeded—even exclusive—access to Africa's abundant natural resources, especially sources of energy. And don't forget: as a rising power, China is also keen on gathering political influence in Africa.
Arguably, nothing is driving China into Africa more than its quest to satisfy its insatiable appetite for oil and gas. For the past decade, the Chinese economy has expanded annually at near double-digit rates, requiring an enormous influx of natural resources, especially energy.
China is now the world's second largest energy consumer, leading Beijing to Africa's door in an effort—like the U.S.—to find new sources of energy and reduce its reliance on volatile Middle Eastern sources of oil and natural gas. Today, Africa provides China with 30 percent of its energy imports, meeting 5 percent of China's energy needs and rivaling the Middle East as a source of Chinese energy.
Beijing is building ties with African energy suppliers through investment, aid, high-level visits, and a strict policy of "noninterference in internal affairs" that some African governments, under international scrutiny, find comforting. The People's Republic of China has invested billions in resource development and infrastructure—and written off billions more in debt—to help build friendly relationships with oil-rich African countries. For instance:
Some points to consider:
* China has $3 billion invested in Nigerian oil, now the world's eighth largest oil exporter.
* Beijing has at least $3 billion invested in the Sudanese energy sector, for a total of $10 billion since the 1990s.
* In Angola, another African energy giant, a $2 billion credit line for much-needed infrastructure projects secured Chinese access to highly coveted offshore oil fields. Today, Angola is China's biggest oil supplier, outpacing China's previous largest supplier, Saudi Arabia.
China also sees Africa as a potential market for its goods. China–Africa trade soared to $56 billion last year, an increase of 40 percent over 2005, bringing critical revenue to some of the world's poorest nations. The Chinese economy is still export-driven, and Beijing must continue to find and develop new markets to ensure that its economy continues to grow and draw foreign direct investment.
Today, there are over 800 Chinese companies operating in nearly all African nations. There are stories that in some cases, market penetration and influence are more important than profits for Chinese companies operating in Africa.
Beijing has also written off at least $1 billion in African debt, and more write-offs are expected. The World Bank believes that the Chinese import–export bank has loans valued at nearly $13 billion in infrastructure projects in Africa alone. As a matter of fact, the African Development Bank has chosen to hold its annual summit in Shanghai this spring in recognition of China's increasingly pivotal role in the region.
One of the places that China is seeking political influence at the expense of others is Africa. Think about it: With over 50 nations, the countries of Africa represent more than one-quarter of the United Nations General Assembly—a significant voting bloc.
Friendly relations with African nations can bring favorable results for Chinese efforts at the United Nations or U.N. agencies such as the World Trade Organization. They can even reduce the number of states that diplomatically recognize Taiwan: There are five countries in Africa that still recognize Taiwan. For example, in recent years, African states have been pivotal in preventing Taiwan from joining the World Health Organization and in tabling a condemnation of Chinese human rights practices at the U.N.'s Commission on Human Rights.
Today, there are over 800 Chinese companies operating in nearly all African nations. Market penetration and influence may be on equal footing profits for Chinese companies operating in Africa. That remains to be seen, but China is a devious regime, without bounds, and with one objective, to expand beyond its overcrowded frontiers.
Not everyone is optimistic or impressed by China's presence in Africa. Many Africans themselves are skeptical, viewing the Chinese presence with a mixture of anticipation and dread. As China continues to court Africa, how it views the people of Africa, will be a telling story to Beijing's future prominence or its perceived role as another imperalistic colonizer. One thing is clear, Africans don't want to go down that road again, but will their leaders make the right choice?
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