China investment
Since the beginning of the Sixties of the past Century, China was able already to provide help to African countries in agriculture, heavy industries, and infrastructure developments.
Between 1960s and 1970s, China investment had supported liberation movements in several African countries, and had gaven aid to Socialist nations to build stadium, hospitals, railboards and cemented relations through a steady team of experts engineers, teachers and doctors. Nowadays, chinese oficials travel to Africa accompanied by bankers and businesspeople, promoting political and economic commerce, that expands China- Africa ties in oustainable fashion.
In the beginnings of the Nineties, China investment was a marginal investor in Africa nowadays became the third investors in the continent , with over 55 African countries, investing 30 bilion annually. China will overtake the United States by 2010, as Africa's second largest foreign investor, and it will have overtaken Europe, specially, France by 2030.
China's soft policy towards Africa :
Chinese premier WEN JIABAO saod during his visit to Cape Town in South Africa in june 2006 " over these years, the chinese and African have supported each other in the fight for national sovereignty and dignity,and have worked hand in hand in the pursuit of economic development and for better future, and have maintained close coordination in the cause of upholding world peace and safeguarding the rights and interest of the developing world " .
In Actual fact, many African leaders, regarding China as a reliable freind who has sufred the similar imperialistaggresion by western powers, welcome investment and development teams from beijing.
Non interference in domestic affairs is the currency of China to invest in Africa,it would seem to be favorable to certain African leaders.
China, consistently, cast talk of democracy and human rights as a tool of neo imperialism and deman that internal matters remain outside the concern of external actors. China declare that all countries have the right to choose their own definition of human right.
China is also making an effort to win the hearts and minds of African people and to extand its political influence.
One one hand, China investment is convinced that macroeconomic situation in Africa became increasingly favorable ; This analysis is based on the belief that African countries have adopted active measures to push forward the policy of privatization , open to international trade and reform their economie. China beleive, this affords great opportunities to chinese companies.one the other hand, Chinese manufacturers and shopkeepers beleive that the type of goods they produce and sell have immense potential in Africa. they also beleive that economy in Africa is not as developed as europe and other part of world and consumer are perceived.
Furthermore, Africa is vast in territory and is rich in nature ressources and China and Africa have complementary economies, China can invest in, and provide technology to Africa, while Africa can provide the natural resssources to China. In addtion, has a population of 900 million, which in a huge market for chinese cheap products.
A china's oil investments in Africa :
Actually, China is the second consumer of crude oil in the world, and brings more than 25 % of its oil imports from the gulf of Guinea and Sudan. China projected to rely on imports for 45% of its oil usa by 2010. China has oil partnerships in many Africain Countries such as Sudan; Chad; Nigeria; Angola; Gabon and Madagascar and explore a potential collaboration in Kenya.
Everyone agrees that the essential reason of the Chinese presence in Sudan is oil. Since 1996, China have became Sudan's main oil producer, exporter, and importer. China investment National petroleum corporation 5 CNPC)paid US 441 million to acquire a 40 % majority share in the greater Nile. Petroleum operating company (CNPOC) a recently created consortium, in may 1997, it won a large scale 20 years project for the production and transportation of oil in western Kordofan. China, also, played a major role in the construction of 1,506 km export pipeline ,by providing engineering, equipement and construction of the field's facilities , and 70 % of the line supplies. In june23,1999 oil began to flow through the new pipeline.In august 30,1999,for the first time, Sudan became a net oil exporter .A little later, China had expanded its presence in Sudan,so in january 2001, the Petrodar operating Company (PDOC) was established, with CNPC holding 41% of the shares and 72000 Km2 covering blocks 3 and 7 i nthe Melut Basin.
China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Group has been chosen to build a US $215 milion oil terminal to service blocks 3 and 7. In 2002, China's Petroleum and Natural Exploration, Development coorporation established Sudan's polypropylene project in Khartoum with US$23 million. Beijing, also, hols 50 % of the khartoum chemical industry company and 100% of Sudan's petrochemical trade project. China is the largest foreign investor in Sudan by an investment amount of US $15 billion .
Most recently, The chinese government bought stake in one of Nigerian's major and gas fields.
Chinese oil companies have formed alliance with local partners since 2001 to devolop oilfields on the Island of Madagascar. Thanks to cihnese, Madagascar is expected to produce its first barrel of crude in 2007.
China : an important partner of Africa
nowadays, China is becoming an important trade partner of Africa. China's economic involvement in Africa has, rapidly, increased.During the 1990s,trade between China and Africa is multiplied by seven. Since 2000, more than 40 agreements have been signed between Beijing and African Countries, and trade has doubled to more than Us$20 billion between 2000 in the end of 2004.
Actually, seven hundred china's companies operate in 49 African countries. Chinese trade with Africa will reach US$30 billion by the end of 2006, triple the level five years ago.in the end of 2005 China overtook Britain as Africa's third largest partner after united States and France.
China's economics and socials supports to Africa
In the end of 2005, Chinese had completed some 900 projects of economic and social development in Africa, had recieved in China's universities and Schools 18000 students from 50 African countries, and sent 16000 medical personnel to 47 African countries, who have treated 240 million patients.
China has expended significant resssources in foreign assistnace toward African states, forgiven African debt and embarked on an umprecedented peacekeeping mission in Liberia and ather part of Africa.
China's military support to Africa
China provides weapons to Africa, often, during the period of the conflicts .According to the American Congressional research Service ( ACRS),between 1996 to 2003, Chinese export to Africa more than 10 percent of total conventional arms transfers .China also had provided military training to Equatorial Guinea, and had sent chinese specialists in heavy military equipement to the country, presumably, in order to sell such weapons to Equatorial Guinea in exchange of oil.
According to the commissionner of the US - China Economic and Security review comission,in 2004, the government in Zimbabwe ordered "12FC1" fighter jets from china, as well as, 100 military vehicles ,and China most advanced military aircraft that was worth Us $200 million.
Western Countries reaction
It is clear that, American irritation about China's growing involvment in Africa as well in other part of the world concerns not just about the competition over energy ressources and commodities, but primarily about China's new international behavior.Americans are observing China which was, traditionally, a passive and isolated power,and became more active, interactive, interconnected and modernizing global power.
From all this, it follows that china will be, sooner, a major player in Africa, and that merits particular attention by USA and other western countries. This is of course, leads to the logical conclusion: that how will Africa's traditional partners adopt to the chinese presence
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