AFRICA DIARY
Where there is aid,
there is infl uence; where
there are investments,
there must be promises
of return. The Chinese
program and infl uence
is here to stay; what
African states might
well be advised to do
beyond the individual
and singular interests
pertaining to each, is
forge a unifi ed front.
care, people-to-people exchange, and peace and security. 3
But on closer inspection of the numbers, the $60 billion in
future fi nancing promised by Xi is actually $50 billion, the
diff erence being made up by private Chinese investments.
China’s view on development is seen as singular, an “all-
weather” friend, if one accepts the views of such analysts as
Hoze Riruako of the University of Namibia. Preconditions
are not present; caveats and qualifi ers are distinctly absent.
But this masks a more complex, and for various analysts,
troubling picture for the continent. Congolese economist
Fweley Diangitukua’s position on the “win-win” stance of
China’s development approach to Africa has been clear for
some years: Beijing’s wooing policy had to be considered
a hoax, meaning that the PRC wins twice. Trade is taking
place in abundance but is imbalanced in favour of China,
a recipe for underdevelopment reminiscent of European
exploitation. Between the lines and buried in the fi ne print
of such arrangements is the importation by China of its own
workforce on aid projects, a case that is distinctly benefi cial to
Beijing. The need for local labour and machinery is alleviated;
projects are not stymied. China’s local domestic employment
market is thereby eased in terms of its stresses, a point that
will become more signifi cant as the Chinese labour market
sheds jobs.
Neo-colonial Critics
Even as the PRC was pressing for such leadership, the 9
Point Resolution of the Sixth Pan-African Congress held in
Tanzania in June 1974 acknowledged the threats and problems
posed by the lingering vestiges of colonialism. Leaders
resolved to: “Put an end to foreign domination in Africa by
destroying the bases of the last colonial and racist regimes;
because for as long as part of the African continent continues
to suff er under the yoke of foreign domination, irresponsibility
and indignity, the personality, and moral integrity of every
man, whether or not of African descent, will be jeopardized.” 4
Old theorems can survive the transfer to new bottles, and
suggesting that China is a neo-colonial power in the mould
of Western states vis-à-vis the African continent remains
common, though not necessary accurate. FOCAC, so goes
this argument, simply serves to perpetuate this approach,
another forum designed as much to convince as to deceive
about the true economic goals of an emerging superpower.
Some scholars have argued that the exploitation of Africa’s
natural resources, the export of oil and raw materials to China
and, in turn, supplying the Chinese market with cheap mass
manufactured goods, enables an exchange to be made in the
absence of criticism and oversight. The British columnist and
writer Peter Hitchens is even more brazen, suggesting that
3
Xinhua, “Spotlight: FOCAC Beijing summit shows China’s approach, dedication to Africa,” Sep 6, 2018, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-
09/06/c_137449669.htm.
4
The 6th Pan-African Congress, June 19-27, 1974, http://www.panafricanalliance.com/6th-pan-african-congress/.
58 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 6 • Issue 10 • Oct-Nov 2018, Noida