2014-01-27

Legitimate questions about Chinese investment in Africa









Salam al Rabadi \ researcher and author in international relations


spain \ Universidade de Santiago de Compostela




Chapter of globalization is taking place in Africa writes this chapter Chinese Who's in various African countries.The Chinese investment has expanded its business scope and crept into the daily lives of the African continent. The strategy of Chinese companies does not depart from the strategic objectives adopted by the Chinese state.Where the government is working to encourage companies to secure vital resources for the economy. The Chinese state owns or manages most of the Chinese companies operating in Africa and these investments reflect the foresight of the Chinese state to achieve long-term objectives .The volume of trade between China and Africa increased at a pace too high and the number of Chinese companies on the African land nearly 900 companies, and the number of Chinese in Africa nearly one million people the largest foreign community in Africa. As the work of Chinese companies do not go out and strategy framework for the political choice of the Chinese government which is based on creating transnational corporations can make China a global economic power.

So Chinese influence in Africa raises questions and concerns. Thus, there is a global competition between the U.S.A and China in Africa and there is also a European concern because of the increased Chinese economic power in Africa. The Chinese influence in Africa raises questions and concerns when the Europeans as the Chinese institutions and companies now possess the qualifications and privileges to compete with American and European companies in several areas.The European Union has called on China to tripartite dialogue with Africa to serve their common interests, to bypass the traditional view and avoid confrontation in the areas of development and exploitation of raw resources in the African continent. To this end held in Brussels in the summer of 2007 a conference organized by the European Commission under the heading:"partners and rivals"than not be competition between Chinese and European companies at the expense of Africa.

Chinese investment in Africa within the strategic vision of the Chinese state. These investments can be considered a form of conflict and competition in international relations. Perhaps the influence of Chinese investment in the African continent is a geopolitical earthquake, and the completion of the achievements of globalization tipped the scales global economic and political.





However, it remains a legitimate question about the investments made by Chinese companies ?

Is this investment included in the framework of cooperation and exchange of interests or intervention under control?When Chinese President vows to raise the value of Chinese investments in Latin America to nearly 100 billion dollars over the next ten years how can we classify these investments?Is intervention in the economic framework or take political dimensions ?

How can we look at the reactions of American and European influence on the growth of Chinese investment in Africa? What are its dimensions ? How can we approach ?

One of the main problems that we can talk about :

open doors of many countries in front of Chinese investment on terms easier than going with Western companies: where can tab?Cooperation in the box? Or in the control box?And How can we deal with the dialectic ignore the intellectual and cultural elites and human rights in the countries of the developing world the issue of violations and abuses of Chinese companies principles of human rights in Africa?

Are we in front of an ideological approach? or there must be a scientific approach, and clear criteria based on interest in the human being and sustainable development when evaluating any investment? whether it is the source of this investment company from developing countries or companies from developed countries? And whether the company is owned by the State or owned by the private sector?





In principle,we can not ignore the political and strategic dimension in European and American criticism for investment by Chinese companies in Africa. If the Europeans try to criticize Chinese investment in Africa from the angle of the omission of these investments to the issues of corruption and how to combat it?And how can support sustainable development?

But these questions should not blind our eyes how the concept of sustainable development acquire the "rubber miraculous"? Where can contain all the problems afflicting mankind and the earth?Examples include : threats to the environment from pollution and desertification .Or manifestations of misery that was and still is the human companion poverty and epidemics and malnutrition .....

This fact opens the door to put the problematic concept of sustainable development and exploitation by the advanced industrial countries ????






For communication and cooperation

يمكن التواصل والتعاون مع الباحث والمؤلف سلام الربضي عبر الايميل
jordani_alrabadi@hotmail.com