From The International Herald Tribune, via A Glimpse of the World blog:
HARAR, Ethiopia: It is tempting to see the incident last week in eastern Ethiopia, in which nine Chinese oil workers were killed and seven briefly kidnapped, as a sort of inflection point in Beijing’s fast-evolving relationship with Africa.
As tempting as it is, though, to assume that a single attack caused China to awaken to the risks of its full-court press to embrace the continent that is home to the world’s richest and most varied trove of natural resources, it would be mistaken.
For much of the rich world, Africa is often seen as a nagging ache that won’t go away. You apply salves. You take medicine. You might even consult a doctor from time to time, but the basic hope is that you can stop thinking about it for as long as possible, or perhaps forever. [Full Text]
Read also, China: Bloggers’ Response On The Attack In Ethiopia on Global Voices blog by Jacky.
