Critics of China-Africa relations 'not objective'
Updated: 2013-03-27 00:11
By Andrew Moody and Zhao Yanrong in Johannesburg (China Daily)
|
|||||||||
Western critics of the China-Africa relationship are often guilty of superficial research and a lack of objectivity, according to a leading South African academic.
Garth Shelton, a professor of international relations at the University of Witswatersrand in Johannesburg, said many use terms such as "neo-colonial" without thinking.
"It is often based on a lack of research. There are a lot of academics who subscribe to the idea the China-Africa relationship has negative consequences," he said.
"When you ask them for specifics, they have nothing to add. They are just repeating a general viewpoint: We need to work harder to assess this relationship."
The new links between China and Africa are certainly one of the defining geo-political relationships of the last decade.
Trade between China and Africa increased more than tenfold, from $18.54 billion in 2003 to $200 billion in 2012.
China's stock of overseas investment on the continent has increased similarly from just $1.6 billion in 2005 to $13.04 billion at the end of 2010, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics.
This has been evidenced by Chinese-built hospitals, airports, ports and other infrastructure facilities right across the continent.
Even the gleaming new $124 million African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was not only built by Chinese workers but was a gift to the African people.
Yet China is continually accused of operating a resources grab on the continent, acquiring oil and much-needed iron ore and copper to fuel its own economic growth.
- Li Na on Time cover, makes influential 100 list
- FBI releases photos of 2 Boston bombings suspects
- World's wackiest hairstyles
- Sandstorms strike Northwest China
- Never-seen photos of Madonna on display
- H7N9 outbreak linked to waterfowl migration
- Dozens feared dead in Texas plant blast
- Venezuelan court rules out manual votes counting
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
American abroad |
Industry savior: Big boys' toys |
New commissioner
|
Liaoning: China's oceangoing giant |
TCM - Keeping healthy in Chinese way |
Poultry industry under pressure |
Today's Top News
Boston bombing suspect reported cornered on boat
7.0-magnitude quake hits Sichuan
Cross-talk artist helps to spread the word
'Green' awareness levels drop in Beijing
Palace Museum spruces up
First couple on Time's list of most influential
H7N9 flu transmission studied
Trading channels 'need to broaden'
US Weekly
Beyond Yao
|
Money power |