From Radio Free Asia:
China’s search for new energy sources has set back the cause of human rights in Africa, advocates say, but some analysts argue that China’s investment is just part of the worldwide competition for oil.
Over the last three years, China’s surge in oil imports has fueled trade and investment in regions ranging from the Middle East to Central Asia and South America. But its energy expansion has proved most controversial in Africa, where China has been blamed for channeling funds into corrupt governments and civil wars.
With oil imports soaring over 87 percent since 2002 to 2.6 million barrels daily last year, China has relied heavily on Africa. In the first 11 months of last year, China bought more than 765,000 barrels per day, or 30 percent of its imports, from African countries, according to Chinese customs data.[Full Text]
