news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070208/ap_on_re_af/china_in_africa
Hu Jintao is in Africa bearing the usual gifts of money for soccer stadiums and interest-free loans. But he also has brought a new recognition of the downside of China's aggressive quest for the continent's resources.
Click Here These include tensions over mounting trade imbalances, the practices of some Chinese investors and the risks of doing business with rogue states. Unmentioned, as Beijing adds luster to Africa's renewed status as a strategic ally, is the possibility of a dispute with the United States as the two vie for resources and influence on the continent. Another source of possible conflict is China's arms sales to countries accused of human rights violations. Hu's eight-nation, 12-day tour has taken him to Cameroon, Liberia, Sudan, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa. On Thursday, he arrived in Mozambique and wraps up his tour Friday and Saturday in the Seychelles. But he also had to deal with pressure to influence Sudan's government about the bloody conflict in Darfur. And in Liberia, there were rumors that a legislator received a handout from Taiwan, China's rival. Clothing manufacturers in Zambia complained cheap Chinese goods are destroying their business. South Africa's textile union says some 100,000 jobs have been lost as synthetic fabrics replace cotton prints in street markets across the continent, and last year threatened to boycott anyone selling Chinese products. Fearing protests, Hu's delegation canceled a visit to Zambia's Copperbelt, where Beijing is setting up an economic cooperation zone expected to draw $800 million in mining investments. While many Zambians welcome the Chinese presence, there has been a backlash fueled by workplace accidents, poor working conditions and low pay at Chinese-run copper mines. Fifty-one Zambian workers died in a 2005 mine explosion and dozens of protesters were fired on by Chinese security guards last year. "They are not here to develop Zambia, they're here to develop China," said Zambian legislator Guy Scott. South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki has warned against allowing Chinese forays into Africa to become a neocolonialist adventure, with African raw materials exchanged for shoddy manufactured imports and little attention to developing an impoverished continent. In a speech to South African university students, he emphasized "economic win-win cooperation." In Namibia, he counseled managers of Chinese companies on bearing social responsibility and promoting harmony with residents, China's state television reported. It appeared to be the first time Hu has addressed issues facing Chinese companies operating in Africa. Most Chinese business here is conducted by state companies. Hundreds have invested in thousands of projects, including oil exploration and refining, mines, fishing, precious woods, telecommunications and major infrastructure, especially roads. Chinese exports climbed to $240 million last year, while South Africa's trade deficit with China grew from $24 million in 1992 to more than $400 million this year. Hu promised Wednesday to increase imports of African products to balance the deficit, though it was hard to see how that would be feasible. Chinese officials "are beginning to recognize that they have some problems in Africa," he said. Morrison said China's policy of noninterference, such as in Sudan's Darfur conflict, is untenable. The Sudanese government is accused of funding militias and allowing its military to brutalize civilians in a conflict that has killed some 200,000 people and left 25 million homeless since 2003. Until recently, China resisted using its economic clout to influence Sudan's government.
China opposes any sanctions against Sudan and would be sure to fight a new proposal for the United States to sanction companies that do business in Sudan. China buys two-thirds of Sudan's oil, sells it weapons and military aircraft and is its biggest investor.
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has accused Chinese banks of ignoring human rights and environmental concerns in Africa. He warned that the Chinese surge in lending could fuel corruption and debt burdens.
Democratic Republic of Congo , China is increasingly involved in peacekeeping operations: In 2004 it contributed more than 1,500 troops to UN missions across the continent.
Just as China is having to rethink its strategy in Africa, so should the United States, Morrison said in his report. "China's ambitious, new high-profile role in Africa challenges the United States to think far more comprehensively and strategically," the report says. "A part of that challenge, for both the United States and China, will be trying to avoid the trap of a damaging and unnecessary strategic competition in Africa."
Chinese president, Hu Jintao, inspects a guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, Feb. Hu is on a state visit to South Africa as part of his African tour.
The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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