China Defends Oil Trade With Africa
March 31st, 2007
Submitted By: Peter Wu
I came across this article in the New York Times. Please click here (China Defends Oil Trade With Africa).
To briefly summarize, China was criticized by Western aid groups for exploiting oil resources in Africa while not doing enough to help the countries like Sudan with issues of civil war atrocities in Darfur.
China countered the criticism by stating last year’s crude oil export statistics out of Africa. China took 8.7%, while Europe took 36% and the United States took 33%. China also stated that the buying and selling of oil is conducted in reasonable market prices.
Reading this article quickly reminded me of Dr. Morris’s lecture last quarter when he showed us an article (also from New York Times I believe) of China getting a step ahead tying the Guanxi (relationships) with African countries.
Is China really exploiting Africa?
Is the West (with 69% total imports from Africa according to the stat figure above) worried that one day China will take away their share of oil resources from Africa? Should the West try to improve their diplomatic relationships with African countries before China becomes Africa’s best friend, and if so, what might it do in this regard?
What are your thoughts?
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, Beijing, China
6 Comments Add your own
1. Lonnie | March 31st, 2007 at 7:40 pm
China is being incredibly smart in relation to other developing areas. America and the Bush administration turned the purchase of a small American oil company by China. China has since gone on its way and will spend its enormous dollar reserves elsewhere. This economy cannot survivie such enormous growth without cultivating new energy and natural resource options.
China’s smartest move to date has been the African Summit here (http://tinyurl.com/2dxvou) involving 45 nations.
The U.S. and the EU have happily drained the Niger Delta’s resources while common folks there have starved, supported corruption via present and past oppresive regimes and turned a blind eye to preventable genocide (Rwanda) and then laughably reprimanded China, during the summit, for entertaining despots among the delegates.
Great post: We cannot take any moral high ground on this one as our economic, diplomatic,humanitarian and military to interventions have been dismal failures.
We wouldt do well to pay closer attention to China’s foreign policy strategies.
2. Chun-Te Peter Wu | March 31st, 2007 at 9:45 pm
The link does not seem to be working, it is no longer available on NYtimes.com. I have found another working link to the article listed below. Thanks.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/12/business/oil.php
3. nanheyangrouchuan | April 1st, 2007 at 7:01 pm
If China has nothing going on except oil driling, why does it block any and all international action to stop the Darfur genocide? Surely China has nothing to do with the tribal violence going on there…or the renewed financial vigor of Robert Mugabe.
4. Gary L. | April 1st, 2007 at 7:23 pm
I would catagorize this as another example of the legacies of colonialism. Sub-Sahara Africa has been at the whim of Western nations for hundreds of years. Developing relations with Western powers hasn’t work out for them so far, so why not look for an alternative? Asian nations, China and India especially, are in a unique position to build relationships with African nations without the history and exploitations that was experienced from Western countries.
5. Chris Carr | April 1st, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Gary!
Great to hear from you and thanks for checking in! I hope you are well.
6. Chris Carr | April 2nd, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Peter,
Good post.
Dan Harris at the China Law Blog has also written some good stuff on this topic.
China and Africa: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
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