Page 3 of 3 SPEAKING
FREELY A dangerous continental
drift By M A Orona
society. The government, under Mugabe's
orders, also enacted a program to demolish more
than 700,000 homes in one of the poorest areas
outside the capital city and stated that his goal
was to "beautify" the city, but never provided
housing to those who lost them. The majority of
individuals who lost their dwellings were said to
be supporters of the political opposition.
Last year, Mugabe issued a public
diplomacy statement to "Look
East" and replicate and
embrace all things Chinese. Mugabe, 81, has also
gone so far as to issue irrational statements
urging citizens to learn Mandarin and eat more
Chinese food. This pro-China drive spearheaded by
Mugabe has allowed China the opportunity to
provide Zimbabwe with military equipment and for
the Chinese military to use former British
military bases as means to extend influence in
Southern Africa.
In August, Zimbabwe
bought military aircraft from Beijing at a cost of
$4.7 million - this coming from a country that
already is in arrears with three Chinese defense
companies and facing an inflation rate of more
than 1,000%. When asked what the aircraft would be
used for, Trust Maposa, the defense secretary,
stated, "low-intensity attacks".
The most
alarming aspect of the relationship is a letter of
agreement signed between Zimbabwe and China that
would allow Beijing to train police and prison
officials how best to run detention centers. A
recent report by the UN special envoy on torture
announced that torture in China is widespread. To
have a well-documented human-rights abuser known
for its poor prison conditions and use of torture
offering to train another violator is indeed
frightening and will do nothing to promote a
much-needed improvement in the human-rights
environment in Zimbabwe.
China continues
to sell Mugabe's government technology that allows
it to monitor the electronic communications of
those critical of the government. During the
Africa summit in Beijing, Hu stated that
"developing friendly relations between China and
Zimbabwe is an unshakable policy". Despite an
uproar from international rights groups, China is
unwilling to use its diplomatic leverage with
Zimbabwe to encourage change.
The use of
Chinese soft power can only go so far, and in some
countries is showing signs of friction. China is
trying hard to prove that its own failures to
respect the rights of its workers will not be
supported abroad and Beijing in no way wants the
working population of African nations to associate
Chinese investors with this label. However, old
habits die hard and the workforce in countries
such as South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia have
taken to the streets to protest poor labor
standards initiated by Chinese-owned factories.
In April 2005, 49 Zambian miners working
in a decrepit copper mine, under the eye of a
Chinese mining company, lost their lives when the
miners became trapped. It is reported that
families of the deceased never received
compensation, which sparked protests aimed at the
Chinese company and its employees.
During
a recent general election in Zambia, Michael Sata,
the leading opposition candidate, used the April
2005 incident to highlight the poor and unsafe
working conditions found in Chinese-owned mines in
his country as a way to force the Zambian
government to negotiate better conditions for the
country's miners. Instead, Chinese government
officials used their political and economic
leverage and the Chinese ambassador to Zambia
issued a statement warning that depending on the
election outcome, Beijing might strongly consider
cutting off diplomatic ties. Sata, one of the
strongest challengers, lost his presidential bid.
Filling the void A British
Broadcasting Corp poll conducted in late 2005 in
22 countries around the globe found that nearly
all believed that China played a more positive
role in the world than the United States. How
could the numbers be wrong when China has made
attempts to win the hearts, minds and pocketbooks
of so many developing countries? To this end, the
Chinese government has upgraded and invested in
its diplomatic corps, producing a younger, more
energetic body, with the average age of Chinese
diplomats being 35 years.
China has also
done its best to export its culture and history to
developing nations by building "Confucius
Institutes" or Chinese Cultural Centers that are
attached to local universities. In support of such
centers, China has dispatched more than 2,000
volunteers all over the world to teach Mandarin.
China has even established the China Association
for Youth Volunteers, which is the Chinese
equivalent to the US Peace Corps.
At a
time when Western nations have failed to fulfill
investment and development promises in Africa,
China has taken the lead in building much-needed
roads, schools and clinics and establishing
telecommunication networks, all at 30% below the
cost of Western nations.
Home to 34 of the
world's least-developed countries, Africa is in
need of sound development investments and
political allies. For now, both China and its
African allies maybe benefit from limited economic
growth, but the risks attached surely outweigh the
long-term benefits. Poor business practices could
undermine domestic stability, development and
Africa's goal of creating a better way of life
through political and economic indigenous models,
such as NEPAD.
The United States has
failed to convey the message adequately that
African nations have a vital role to play in the
international system and the leaders of
progressive African nations must be seen as equal
partners. This failure left a void for a country
such as China to fill with promises of expanding
trade and the idea of "non-interference in
domestic affairs".
It is no secret that
China's long-term goal has nothing to do with
creating a peaceful, dynamic and stable African
continent, but rather its goal is to use its
economic soft power as a way to limit Western
influence in developing nations such as in Africa
and Latin America. China has targeted the US as
its major global rival and is using developing
nations as means to tighten its grip on resources
and political power - only five African nations
have diplomatic relations with China's political
rival Taiwan.
China's successful model of
"development minus democracy and non-interference
in domestic issues" is leading to lack of respect
for human rights, is creating an immense gap
between rich and poor, and will ensure that poor
working conditions remain the norm throughout the
continent.
If African nations fail to act
soon, these same nations will once again face
exploitation at the hands of a foreign presence
and continue down a road of despair and
unfulfilled promises.
Dr M A
Orona has traveled extensively as a
human-rights advocate and has published several
articles on issues affecting populations in Africa
and Asia.
(Copyright 2007 M A Orona.)
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times
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