From The Christian Science Monitor:
In Beijing this weekend, China is seeking tighter ties with regimes reviled in the West.
For Chinese officials, this weekend’s summit of more than 40 African leaders is a chance to celebrate Beijing’s booming economic ties with the continent.
For Western governments, though, the jamboree highlights a new and troubling source of friction with China: the Asian giant’s readiness to bail out African regimes that the US and Europe are trying to pressure into improving their human rights and good governance records.
Behind the handshakes, and the giant billboards from which elephants look down on Beijing’s expressways, the summit raises vexing ethical questions about China’s role in the world.[Full Text]
– See also related stories: “China Poised to Overtake World Bank as Biggest Lender in Africa” from Bloomberg, and “FACTBOX-Why is China chasing African oil?” from Reuters.
