July 3, 2008
China "invades" Africa on Al-Jazeera English
Last Wednesday's episode of The Riz Khan Show on Al Jazeera English dealt with Chinese industries in Africa. Khan hosted a debate among three experts on the subject: Richard Behar, an investigative journalist and author of an article this month in Fast Company titled "China Storms Africa;" John Afele, former director of the International Program for Africa at the University of Guelph; and David Shinn, former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia. The question on the table:
Is China exploiting African nations and reflecting colonialism, or is it offering them real economic growth and opportunity?According to Khan's guests and several callers, Chinese nationals are "enslaving" Nigerians, forging corrupt partnerships with African party leaders, using up the world's natural resources like there's no tomorrow, and possibly forming an "upgraded replay of colonialism" in Africa. On the flip side of things, one caller demands to know why China is being demonized when Western countries have been doing similar things in Africa for years, and Shinn points out that China is offering long-term low-interest loans to African nations without attaching the political conditions that Western nations stipulate. While the show is pretty one-sided (it's not really a debate without a representative from the other side) it offers a window into the psyche of Western nations who are clearly afraid that China will contaminate Africa. "They're not in Africa to spread democracy," Behar states in the beginning of the episode. Towards the end, he adds: "We must keep in mind that China is at a different level here and at this point in China's economic development it has a corrupt business culture that can't be denied."
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-- "They're not in Africa to spread democracy"? Did the West?
Since when the US-bombed "Al-Jazeera" become a reliable pal to you, a foot-soldiers on the bandwagon of neocon's geopolitical agenda and when China as "new colonist" can manage a triangle slave trade with Africa like a real smart white pioneers?
A funny world, isn it?
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China's black slaves are forced to consume dangerous, poisonous Chinese products on credit while they idle about jobless because Chinese peasant slaves are working 15 hour shifts at Chinese factories and mines.
Everyone is a slave when China is involved.
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@nanheyangrouchuan
What a horrible picture of China!
But from your clenched teeth I can smell how full you have been spoonfed by the cliche of your distorting media demonizing China none-stopped. Tell me a single day when your media did NOT curse China in last 30 years when China made an annual 10%GDP.
I have no problem keeping you in dark. But I just wonder how you still worry all day long about an entry visa to such a commie China hell, no matter Z, or F, or even L type, lol!
Oh yes, girl, “everyone is a slave when China is involved”. Seems you want desperately to be one of them, obviously, for which I don't blame you, since, as Napolean said: “Home is where I feel better off.”
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"it offers a window into the psyche of Western nations who are clearly afraid that China will contaminate Africa."
But does it though, Ms. Wong?
Lets go through this:
1) Al Jazeera is an ARABIAN news network.
2) The participants are:
- An AL JAZEERA reporter who seems to be Middle Eastern.
- ONE former US ambassador who says that China is not practising "colonialism" but is being "mercantilist" (a value-neutral term), admits that the US actually extracts more resources from Africa (also mercantilist), and acknowledges the mixed record of the US in Africa rather than seeing his country as a godsend (not a harsh assessment of China by any means).
- ONE US investigative journalist (Behar) who is decidedly anti-China but does not represent any Western government or even any organisation in any capacity.
- John Afele: An AFRICAN in Brussels at the head of an Africa programme of a Western university
- There are also callers with both anti-China and China-sympathetic views, most of whom, by their names and accents, are not from the traditional West. A Nigerian, a Liberian, a non-French woman in Paris, an e-mail from a man named Irshaad...
Now lets go back to what you claim: "it offers a window into the psyche of WESTERN NATIONS who are clearly afraid that China will contaminate Africa." To support your view, you use Behar's comments (the journalist who only represents himself) and gloss over the others.
This is clearly a broadcast that cries out for fair representation of both sides of an argument. But how does it reflect the mentality of Western nations or even of Westerners in general? Only TWO of the people in this broadcast are from the traditional West it seems (both from one country) and one has a very realistic viewpoint that acknowledges the shortcomings of the US vis-a-vis China in Africa.
So how can this show the mentality of Western Nations who are "clearly afraid" (in your own words) that China will "contaminate" Africa?Despite the anti-China tone, most of the participants are not Western! Can't Africans have mixed feelings about China's dealings on the continent too?
Had you just said that it was a broadcast where China's views were not represented and that they should have been, nobody could argue. So why imbue this passage with a value judgement (Western nations fear China will contaminate Africa)? For someone who notes the impartiality of a news broadcast, you certainly are adept at adding impartialities of your own (Taipei 101 is a Chinese building.... does that ring a bell?).
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Correction: That comment should read for someone who notes lack of impartiality in a news broadcast, you seem to be incapable of being impartial yourself.
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taihanasie: It's no secret that Al-Jazeera is staffed by ex-BBC and CNN employees, so it does behave like your typical Western news station in many ways, except when it comes to reporting on Mideast politics and Islam (okay, there is no "typical western" station but you get what I mean).
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Actually, no I don't, Vladivostok. How does a broadcast, even if it were by the BBC itself, where 80 percent of the people are in it are not Western, represent "a window into the psyche of Western nations who are clearly afraid that China will contaminate Africa."
You can't say it does. The fact that Al Jazeera is Arabian is only a minor point. The comment itself is a value judgement and completely without basis.