Kwame A Insaidoo

China Kwame A Insaidoo

Chinese generally look condescendingly on the humanity of black Africans, but over the past decades there have been a huge influx of Chinese on the African continent. What is driving the Chinese to the African continent? Are the Chinese in Africa to help Africa develop in their so-called "win-win, or south-south"development method? Or are the Chinese in Africa to exploit the huge super abundant raw materials and mineral resources to fuel their expanding industries?It is true that the Chinese are currently building monumental stadiums, presidential palaces, conference halls, but as much as Africans are grateful for these they do not represent economic progress for Africa. What we see though is Chinese offering huge loans to African nations in return for their raw materials. Ironically, most of the loans end up in the hands of Chinese contractors undertaking the construction projects, Chinese labor working in the projects, and Chinese materials and products used in the projects. In the end African governments are left holding the bag of huge repayments back to China. Moreover, some, if not, many of the infrastructure are often shoddy as the case of Angolan hospital, and many roads in Africa have demonstrated. Additionally, Chinese also support African dictators like Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Omar Bashir of Sudan, Santos of Angola and many others with deadly weaponry to oppress African citizens. Finally, the Beijing Consensus though has helped lift many Chinese out of poverty cannot be replicated in Africa, because of its authoritarian nature.