Angola riots, Chinese evacuate

from the Uganda Monitor:

China Under Fire: Angola Riots Trigger Mass Exodus and Factory Closures

a taxi driver strike over high fuel prices has escalated into a protest against Chinese investments:

the anger is by unemployed youth and the unemployed against Chinese businesses, which were looted etc.

 Over a thousand were arrested, and many Chinnese citizens are fleeing the country. 

Over 250 thousand CHinese are estimated living there, embedded into the economy, but the gap between rich and poor has caused a simmering anger that is now erupting

BBC Report here

"The fuel price issue is just the last straw that has reignited widespread public discontent... People are fed up. Hunger is rife, and the poor are becoming miserable," a prominent local activist, Laura Macedo, told the BBC....

AlJazeerah article here.

The Conservativetreehouse blog has a long economic analysis here from a geopolitical standpoint, which is of course from a capitalistic conservative point of view.

But unlike the other articles he puts it into perspective of China's world wide trade network:

 “One-Belt / One-Road” is essentially their ‘bully plan’ to ensure their supply chain and long-term economic viability.

essentially China is replacing colonial powers who were thrown out by the people: 

and like the colonial powers, they are exploiting poor people as cheap labor in their factories etc. and stealing mineral and oil resources to get rich.

but as one Mashona co worker advised me years ago: People get mad. 

And as the African proverb reminds one: Even a small snake has a fang...

China' causing problems via Nigeria

 From StrategyPage:

March 24, 2025: The government is going after Chinese citizens who continue to use Nigeria as a base for economic crimes throughout Africa. The Chinese ambassador in Nigeria assured the locals that China was cooperating in identifying and prosecuting Chinese citizens based in Nigeria and committing crimes. China is Nigeria’s largest trading partner and that large volume of trade is what brought Chinese gangsters and independent criminal entrepreneurs to Nigeria. China is currently owed over $5 billion by various Nigerian businesses and individuals. Nigeria is the major African exporter of oil and Chine is one of the top ten buyers.

the rest of the article discusses tribal and religious feuds, and the problem of corruption...

Chinese overfishing destroying West African ecosystem

 China has overfished and dug up the sea bed in the West Philippine sea, harming our fishing industry. But their fishing trawlers have also been busy stealing maritime resources from South America,

but now they are destroying the fishing grounds off of West Africa:

......

these reports are not recent. 

But Global voices has a report on what is going on recently:

The impact of China's fishing policies on West Africa Large trawlers are destroying the ecosystem in West African ocean

Senegal is one of many countries affected by devastating overfishing due to illegal Chinese fishing vessels. Senegal’s unemployment rate remains high because, according to Greenpeace, an environmental organization working in more than 50 countries in the world, including West and Central Africa, the introduction of mass-scale fishing techniques by Chinese vessels has devastated local fishing industries, leaving many without their livelihoods....

Rice growing causes methane. Duh.

 We Asians are aware that growing rice causes methane release.

Asians have long been blamed by the global warming crazies because we eat rice.

Flooding rice paddies and plowing weeds etc into the mud to rot and fertilize the crops results in methane, a greenhouse gas. So we rice farmers are under pressure to limit the flooding of the rice paddies.

dirty little secret: this method lowers methane release, but increases Nitrous oxide release, which is another greenhouse gas even worse than Methane.

But now Nature magazine is blaming Africa because they too are busy growing rice.

Africa has been identified as a major driver of the current rise in atmospheric methane, and this has been attributed to emissions from wetlands and livestock. Here we show that rapidly increasing rice cultivation is another important source, and we estimate that it accounts for 7% of the current global rise in methane emissions.

so what is their answer? Stop growing rice and starve you peasants. 

Continued rice expansion to feed a rapidly growing population should be considered in climate change mitigation goals.

This will alert the western green NGOs to stop Africans from doing this.

In contrast, China is helping them to grow rice.

getting them to plant hybrid rice with a higher yield, and helping with loans to update their farming practices.

The article goes into details how they are doing this, including finding which type of rice grows best and making a rice institute there to grow seeds for locals to plant.

 

More than 20 African countries are planting hybrid rice, and China continues to provide agricultural technical support to countries and regions in need, helping countries strengthen agricultural capacity building related to hybrid rice.

Chinese debts harming Africa

 

...............

Refugees in Angola (from DRC Civil wars and Ruanda)

at Crux.

how the Catholic church is helping refugees, who lack proper papers, in a country that was poor to start with.

in the past Angola had it's own civil war, and Cuban military helped the winning (minority) tribe win LINK

and in the last two decades, China has essentially taken over their economy (and oil wealth).

LINK

invest in China

As an ex federal employee, I have a small inestment in the government Thrift Savings program

A couple years ago, Tsp planned to invest in high risk questionable  overseas funds including some in china

https://401kspecialistmag.com/tsp-still-investing-in-shady-chinese-companies

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-federal-retirement-fund-is-about-to-invest-in-china-some-former-us-military-leaders-object/2020/04/27/9cd30280-84dd-11ea-a3eb-e9fc93160703_story.html

senators tried to stop it over the objections of certain unions, but Trump heatd about it and stopped it.

Much of the objections were that the money would support the Chinese govt, but the lack of transparancy was also noted.

But the usual suspects lamented how this interfered with the ability of federal employees to make good investments...but we were not informed about it.

But other US pension funds did invest in Chinese companies.

So now that Evergreen and other chinese companies are going belly up, I will have to start googling if US pension funds are affected.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/business/economy/china-tsp-federal-retirement-fund.html

This article is from last month

 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/kudlow-china-list-sanctioned-americans

Last month chinese propaganda said invest in china

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_yBSHWQBB.html

China in Africa

China in Africa

by TPMBarnett

Once feted as saviours in much of Africa, Chinese have come to be viewed with mixed feelings—especially in smaller countries where China’s weight is felt all the more. To blame, in part, are poor business practices imported alongside goods and services. Chinese construction work can be slapdash and buildings erected by mainland firms have on occasion fallen apart. A hospital in Luanda, the capital of Angola, was opened with great fanfare but cracks appeared in the walls within a few months and it soon closed. The Chinese-built road from Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, to Chirundu, 130km (81 miles) to the south-east, was quickly swept away by rains.

Business, Chinese style

Chinese expatriates in Africa come from a rough-and-tumble, anything-goes business culture that cares little about rules and regulations. Local sensitivities are routinely ignored at home, and so abroad.

Referenced from: http://thomaspmbarnett.com/globlogization/2011/5/10/the-chinese-in-africa-welcome-is-wearing-off.html#ixzz1M5wmH2PJ

China criticizes West's approach to ZIm

from CNN:

(CNN) -- China's foreign minister pushed Friday for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe, saying no country has a right to dictate the internal affairs of another nation, state-run media reported.

Starting in 2002, the European Union and the United States imposed targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and some senior party members amid rampant reports of stifling his political opposition, human rights violations and his controversial land reform policy that has targeted white commercial farmers.

Mugabe blames the sanctions for his country's woes, which late last year included an unemployment rate of more than 90% and an inflation rate of 231,000,000%.

Speaking Friday during a two-day visit to Harare, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that "China believes that Africans have the right to choose their own way of development, as they are masters of the African continent. All others are just guests."

--------------------

of course, having a greedy dictator who lets his croonies steal everything in sight is not quite the same thing as letting Africans chose their own way of development, but hey, what's a couple million dollar bribes between friends?

NeoImperialism?

StrategyPage has this in an article about the Congo:

December 18, 2010: Police broke up a riot by soccer fans in the town of Lubumbashi (Katanga province). The fans were angry when their team lost a close match. What's truly interesting about this is that the crowd thought the Japanese referee was Chinese and yelled that the Chinese referee should go home. The rioters subsequently attacked several Chinese owned stores in Lubumbashi. China has signed agreements with the government to provide infrastructure (roads, power lines, etc) in exchange for Congolese natural resources. Many Congolese believe the agreement is a return to colonialism. The rioters may be an ominous warning to the Chinese.

More African wikileaks

From AlJezeerah:

Chinese investment in Africa lacks morals.

"China is a very aggressive and pernicious economic competitor with no morals. China is not in Africa for altruistic reasons," Carson said in a February meeting with oil executives in Nigeria.

"China is in Africa for China primarily," he said, according to a confidential cable written by the US consul-general in Lagos earlier this year.

Chinese investment in Africa has exploded in recent years, reaching a total of $9.3 billion by the end of 2009. Chinese state media say that more than 1600 businesses are investing in Africa in a range of industries, from mining to manufacuring. ...

"The United States will continue to push democracy and capitalism while Chinese authoritarian capitalism is politically challenging," Carson said.

Beijing pursues a "contrarian" approach by dealing with the "Mugabes and Bashirs of the world", he said, referring to the Zimbawean and Sudanese leaders respectively....

-----------------
But of course, western companies aren't much better:

Shell "infiltrated" Nigeria

A US embassy cable released by the WikiLeaks whistleblower website alleges that Royal Dutch Shell's top manager in Nigeria claimed the oil company had sources inside of "all relevant ministries" involving its business....

Other messages show oil executives fearful of Chinese and Russian companies breaking into a market vital to US fuel interests, despite saying all the major fields in the West African nation had already been developed.

The US ambassador to Nigeria, citing Pickard, said in the leaked cables that the Dutch oil giant had got a copy of a letter from a Nigerian government advisor rejecting a Chinese offer on oil exploration blocks.

"Pickard said Shell had good sources to show that their data had been sent to both China and Russia," Robin Renee Sanders, the US ambassador, had reportedly written.

Another cable recounting a February meeting between Johnny Carson, the US assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, and oil company executives shows the US' strong criticism of Chinese interests in the continent's crude supply.

"China is a very aggressive and pernicious economic competitor with no morals,'' the cable quotes Carson as saying. "China is not in Africa for altruistic reasons. China is in Africa for China primarily.''

Chinese in Africa

Strategy Pages discusses China, but the middle part of the podcast discusses China in Africa. Warning: Not politically correct, just blunt about the problems.


Ancient Chinese Secret - 10/28/2010
Jim and Austin discuss why some of the Chinese elders think it’s time for more change.
MP3 Download

China's potemkin village

not about Zimbabwe, per se, but Tom Friedman wrote a pro China propaganda piece in today's New York Times, lauding China's economic miracle, and insisting that although he wouldn't want to live under it's "authoritarian rule", nevertheless, it is a wonderful place.


I answered it at my BNN blog, pointing out that China's economic miracle is partly based on an underpriced Yuan and unfair labor practices that mean new businesses in Asia and Africa can't compete, while China's bribery to corrupt governments mean they can exploit their resources for pennies, while local folks don't benefit.


The previous post from the UK Mail shows an example of this with the blood diamonds, but here in the Philippines, it includes suspected bribes to the Arroyo administration to allow them to have sovereignty over our gas fields in the Spratlys islands. But this is the tip of the iceberg: Today's news shows that bribes to customs officials allowed the importation of melamine contaminated milk from China, and in our area, cheap Chinese onions have made many of our farmers bankrupt.


From my BNN essay:

China is undoubtedly a growing power, but what Friedman is not noticing is most worrisome for those of us who live outside the US: that China’s economic policies-are essentially neocolonialist. By keeping the Yuan’s value artificially low, and by giving government subsidies to their goods, they are waging a price war against emerging markets in Africa and SEAsia.

By flooding the markets with their under-priced goods, thanks to the underpriced Yuan, local businesses here in the Philippines can’t compete. So local businesses either can’t be started or go bankrupt.

Is this good or bad? Both. I have no problem with free trade per se. But China’s manipulation of the Yuan means that they are not playing fairly.

And President Obama is trying to pressure China to reform the problem.......

To the President’s credit, he is allowing the Congress to consider passing protective legislation to counterbalance these unfair trade practices.

China’s economic miracle is based not only on their questionable currency manipulation, but on bad labor practices (underpaying workers, forbidding strikes), and (alas) often the export of shoddily made or even counterfeit goods due to a large amount of corruption at all levels of their society.

We here in the Philippines are aware of this, because we have to worry about buying products from China, because a lot of them are poorly made and break shortly after being bought. Sometimes the goods are even dangerous, such as melamine in our milk or the cheap generic medicines that don’t work. And we also know about the large bribes by China to certain politicians to allow them to steal our natural resources.

So one longs for a real report on the Chinese economic miracle, that sees a more balance picture, instead of a glowing report on what the Chinese government wants Mr. Friedman to see.

The Colony

AlJazeera report on a film about the Chinese colony in Dakar...

"...Small Chinese businesses have been expanding and growing rapidly across the African continent [EPA]

Upon arriving in Dakar and more recently Liberia, I was shocked at how visible the Chinese presence in these African countries is. Many African nations are mired in hopeless economic prospects, yet in these places the economy was booming for the Chinese.

With the Chinese, unthinkable growth was possible even in countries long abandoned by the West.

Cranes, enormous dump trucks, and construction equipment of all kinds baring Chinese logos and imported from China could be seen feverishly building late into the night.

And workers brought over from China can be seen overseeing all aspects of construction.

There are Chinese restaurants serving genuine Chinese cuisine everywhere. During my second trip to the country I lived on authentic steamed fish and dumplings. Chinese goods like cars, motorcycles, pots and pans, shoes, pesticide, clothing, plastic toys, etc., are very popular among local consumers.

Everywhere I looked I saw evidence of Chinese activity in Dakar from large-scale fishing companies and stadiums to toothbrushes and cheap jewellery sold on the street...."

there is a film at the link

China and Zim ties

He also said the two countries should keep in close communication on issues that concern each other's core interests.

"China supports the Zimbabwean government's efforts to promote economic recovery and development and will further cooperation in the mineral industry, agriculture and infrastructure construction," Hu said.

China will also expand cultural exchanges with Zimbabwe, especially in areas like the arts, education and human resources training, Hu said...

He said he expects the two states to boost cooperation in trade, education, healthcare and infrastructure construction.

Mugabe said his country welcomes Chinese investors and he thanked China for its long-term support of Zimbabwe.

from Xinhua:

Chinese now in Chiadzwa

from Newsday Zimbabwe


Government sources this week said the Chinese had already descended on Chiadzwa where they were building housing structures and offices.

The sources identified the company as Anjin China – Zimbabwe although it could not be confirmed by officials at the Chinese embassy in Harare....
Two weeks ago over 50 Chinese nationals were sighted at the government complex in Mutare before they proceeded to Chiadzwa.

Surge in Rhino poaching

From the LA Times.

I usually don't get bothered by animal poaching, figuring it is poor folks trying to make a buck. while rich westerners moan more about dead animals than dead babies.

But the key part of this article is here
:



China's recent thrust into Africa in a rush for resources is a major factor in the illegal rhino horn and ivory trade, analysts believe, because China remains the largest market. Rhino horn, made of keratin, the same substance that forms fingernails, hooves, feathers and hair, has long been used in Chinese medicinal tonics.

Zimbabwe's collapse added to the problem, with corrupt government, army and wildlife officials reportedly involved in poaching and smuggling rhino horn and ivory. The airport in that country's capital, Harare, is reportedly a key transit hub.

In South Africa, Vietnamese diplomatic officials have allegedly been involved in rhino horn buying and smuggling. Reports in Vietnam that a government official was "cured" of cancer by rhino horn appear to have spurred Asian demand.

Many fear that the Asian market is so ancient and entrenched, there's not much a small group of farmers can do to save the species. Some support the idea of rhino farming -- regularly pruning horns, which grow back -- to meet the demand and drive down prices. Others argue that legalizing the trade would only fuel demand, putting the creatures at even more risk....

IMF tells Zambia: Embrace China

the Times of Zambia via AllAfrica:

IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said during the 'Africa Economic Transformation' discussion with civil society organisations, students and the youth that Zambia and the rest of Africa should accept investment and assistance from China, currently regarded as one of the biggest economies.

"Loans by international institutions and even the IMF to other countries are welcome. One big country, China is willing to provide resources to Africa. Do you think this investment from China is welcome? In my opinion I think that this investment from China is welcome" Mr Strauss -Kahn said.

-------------------

yes, but remember:
China will bribe your politicians (in the Philippines, a broadband contract from China was dropped after a whistle blower became upset that the kickback amount was 40 percent instead of the usual 20 percent).

China will buy your assets. Here, there is a suspicion that they bought (bribed) the government to allow them to take over the Spratlys islands, where our fishermen fish, and which is rich in natural gas...

And remember, Chinese are racists...there is a low grade animosity between those of Chinese heritage and full blood Filipinos...they tend to look on other Asian, including their own minority groups and SEAsians as less civilized, whites as inferior, and blacks as subhuman....unlike here in the Philippines, one doubts they will intermarry (under Filipino law, foreigners can't own land or businesses, so the Chinese married Filipino women and put all the businesses in their wives' names).

Finally, remember that China will use your country to dump it's cheap goods on you...destroying your own indigenous businesses....here in the Philippines, many of our clothing/shoe and even agricultural small businesses are going under because it is cheaper to import from China, whose wages are lower than here and whose currency is artificially kept low to enable them to under price other countries.

China Africa ties

Reuters news blog has two articles:

Africa Asia ties flying high:

and
How will Chinese culture influence Africa: