Owning the barrel in the Dark Continent
Friday, June 27, 2008 at 4:19AM SPECIAL REPORT: "China ‚Üí Africa: With Its Resource-Hungry Push Into The Sub-Sahara, Beijing Puts The Planet To The Test," by Richard Behar, Fast Company, June 2008, p. 101.
Scary but good piece that emphasizes all the downside in Africa from China's great search for raw materials.
The main problem? China acts like the world is running out of resources, believing, in the 1970s manner of the West, that it needs to own everything still in the ground to feel secure.
In reality, an ever-wealthier China doesn't face supply threats or risks, but price risks.
But because China remains backward in its thinking, its approach in Africa repeats a lot of colonial mistakes. These pile up over time, creating a backlash.
And that means China will have to change its policies—indeed, it's entire foreign policy.
The grubby approach simply drives up prices, which feeds inflation, which will make China too expensive in production, which will reduce profits.
Reader Comments (2)
Two great quotes in part 2, "As bureaucrats in Beijing like to say, "China is like an elephant riding a bicycle. If it slows down, it could fall off, and the earth might quake."
And,....("Let China sleep," Napoleon famously remarked, "for when she awakes, she will shake the world." Today, China is not only roused, she is devouring the world for breakfast.)
One hope, offered by Dutch Shell, seems to be encorporating your title, "Blueprint for Action" in their plan for the future. "Shell's alternative scenario has governments banding together to create "blueprints" for the future that embrace sustainability." This ties in nicely with what you have been avocating since you first began your quest to offer a plan for the future.
Thanks for the link, it is one of the most informative series about China and Africa I've read in a long time.