The BBC is launching a series on China’s relationship with Africa. The first piece examines the economic ties between the two:
Africa’s need for new and better roads, school buildings, computer networks, telecoms systems and power generation has opened a lucrative window of opportunity for Chinese firms.
The new Sino-African dynamic can leave the West ill at ease, reviving memories of Europe’s colonial domination in Africa and drawing complaints that low Chinese bids are freezing out Western companies.
…Critics say China’s approach has emboldened unsavoury governments, allowing them to ignore Western calls for reform, safe in the knowledge that Beijing will take up the slack. [Full text]
[Image: Map of China’s investment in Africa, via BBC]
