colonial era still obscures US and European views of Africa. As Margaret Lee observes, in Western discourses Africa is a benighted continent in need of salvation 20 : Western society has paternistically (yet understandably) assumed the worldview that third-world poverty is static and nothing develops. However, the idea that the developed West has a ÂdutyÊ to force other nations into obliging to their own set of Western moral values by enforcing a policy of economic and political sanctions against disobliging countries is not only more colonially-minded than anything China has done, but is restricting African growth: a spokesman of the Kenyan government no doubt echoed a widespread sentiment on the continent when he noted: ÂYou never hear the Chinese saying that they will not finish a project because the government has not done enough to tackle corruption. If they are going to build a road, then it will be built.Ê 21 In the words of the charity ÂGood African,Ê what the continent really needs is trade, not aid 22 . I believe that branding the actions of the Chinese as ÂwrongÊ may be just a tool to masquerade Western disapproval of the death of Euro- American hegemony over the continent of Africa and bemoaning the wider global re-balancing of power that it represents. Zeleza describes this as Âan undermining of the WestÊs historic hegemony over the continent 23 :Ê a final severing of historic ties with Africa and a step forward into the world of independence: Donnegan reminded me that, unlike the US and Europe, China has seen the massive potential of the African continent in the sense of mineral wealth (which includes oil and gas reserves) and most likely see long term growth potential for consumerism: although 20 Lee, M. 2006. The 21st Century Scramble for Africa 21 Crilly, R. 2005. Chinese seek resources, profits in Africa . 22 Amanpour.blogs.cnn.com. 2013. Is China buying up Africa? . 23 Zeleza, P. 2008. The Global South
Africa is currently the last untapped continent or consumerism, as it develops and reaches the latter stages of the Demographic Transition Model, its by then massive population will provide a huge consumer base, something the West has failed to see. This shunned trade agreement is born not of an imperialist policy but byte ever growing interconnectedness between countries and regions facilitated by the new information and communication technologies that have compressed time and space in an increasingly globalizing world. Although ChinaÊs Ânon- interferenceÊ policy may temporarily be harming the environment and damaging AfricaÊs quest for human and political rights, I believe this is a small price to pay for the potentially huge benefits of Chinese investment. Donnegan supports my opinion that to harness this Africa needs to introduce coherent and integrated policies on a continental scale to ensure that they donÊt allow themselves to be exploited. I believe this is beginning to happen: for example, China is the only major power to invest heavily in alternative energy forms (primarily hydroelectric)in Africa, 24 not only providing a long term source of income, but providing an alternate means of powering Africa once its natural resources inevitably dry. If they can manipulate the willing Chinese investors to invest in projects which help to diversify their economy like this, rather than draining their limited yet valuable natural resources, the future of Sino-African relations and their effects on the African economy look bright.
24 ESRC . 2012. The Economic and Social Research Council
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