As China’s growing clout in Africa sparks debate around the world, the Christian Science Monitor reports that activists within China are becoming involved as well:
At a much smaller and more discreet gathering on the sidelines of the AfDB shindig, African and Chinese civil society groups were meeting for the first time to plan how they could at least take some of the rough edges off a relationship that has sparked controversy well beyond Africa’s borders.
But holding the Chinese government to account for its behavior in Africa will be a tall order for Chinese nongovernmental organizations that are still testing the political waters and have no international experience.
“The problem for us Chinese is that we are not aware of the projects” Beijing is funding in Africa, says Wen Bo, a leading Chinese environmental activist. “Chinese people don’t know what Chinese companies are doing in Africa.” [Full text]
