China and Russia Veto Mugabe Regime Sanctions

God...dammit. Well, I guess if you are autocratic, repress and brutalize your own people, you can't really fault someone else when they do it. But hey! The Olympics are going to be awesome, right? And let's make sure we don't do anything to curb our oil consumption so we can keep pumping money in to prop up the Putin/Medvedev regime! Dirty...bastards. [BTW, don't think that we didn't set ourselves up for this. Since Bush has thrown our moral authority in the toilet (along with a few Korans), we have no credibility on these types of issues anymore. (President Obama is the only way we can start to rebuild our credibility.)]

Tsvangirai to Return to Zimbabwe

Update: Tsvangirai will not be attending the MDC rally today due to assassination concerns. I have to say, I'm somewhat relieved to hear this. (Especially since it looks like the report of the Chinese weapons reaching Mugabe are true - and it appears to have been facilitated by South African President Thabo Mbeki.) However, it further illustrates the difficulty of holding a free and fair election when one of the candidates can't appear in public. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is set to return to Zimbabwe on Sunday for the first time since the aftermath of the March 29th election. He's going to begin campaigning for the June 27th presidential runoff election. Returning to Zimbabwe is certainly very dangerous for Tsvangirai at this point. I'd be stunned if Mugabe, et al doesn't try to assassinate him, and it seems as if they'll have plenty of Chinese weapons to use after all. Let's hope that doesn't happen and the Zimbabwean people can overcome the intimidation and violence of ZANU-PF and elect Tsvangirai (again).

Zimbabwe Presidential Runoff Delayed 90 Days

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (which was stacked by "President" Robert Mugabe) has decided to violate the Zimbabwean Constitution and increase the time in which a runoff election must be held from 21 to 90 days (which should be around the 1st of August). That means three more months of violence and intimidation. I hope people don't forget about Zimbabwe in the face of things like Myanmar and the Chinese earthquake. I won't. I will be here for the whole summer. The good news just keeps coming for China who, to refresh your memory, is one of the main reasons Mugabe has managed to stay in power. Oh, and they are desperately trying to supply him with weapons to help in his crackdown. One interesting note, if the election is held on August 1st, it will be one week before the start of the Olympic Games in Beijing. I think it is somehow appropriate that the run up to the Olympics will coincide with the violent run up to the Zimbabwe election. (And the violent aftermath of the election will coincide with the games themselves.) Hopefully, this confluence will help focus international attention on the atrocities that are sure to be committed by Mugabe with China's aid and consent. [Have a cool summer, China!]

Chinese Earthquake Relief: Chongqing

In the wake of today's 7.9 earthquake (which is hard to even imagine) in central China, I wanted to post this video that I've been meaning to highlight. Coincidentally, it is about Chongqing, a massive city in China and the story of its incredible growth. It is a city the size of New York that most Americans (including myself, until recently) have never heard of. It also happens to be near the epicenter of today's earthquake. I know that I often use my blog to excoriate the Chinese but I am always careful to point out that my criticisms are aimed at the PRC government. I have nothing but respect for the Chinese people and hope for them to have the same freedoms we enjoy in this country. I think the best thing we can do is understand each other's lives. I sincerely hope that the death toll won't rise any further. Unfortunately, I'm sure it will. Save the Children is the relief organization that I usually trust for things like this. (You can also donate for the cyclone in Myanmar - Save the Children is one of the only aid organizations that was on the ground before the storm hit.) It is important to remember that, no matter what our differences with the Chinese government, we shouldn't use that as a reason to neglect humanitarian efforts to help the Chinese people. Pray.

Irony

Chinese Factory Makes "Free Tibet" Flags

Chinese Arms Now to Be Flown to Zimbabwe

[Like I said, the Chinese don't give up easily...] According to more reports from Southern Africa, now that the cargo ship carrying weapons from China (to help Mugabe finish stealing the election) is roaming international waters trying to avoid seizure by local authorities, a new shipment of arms is going to be flown into Zimbabwe. If at first you don't succeed... Seriously, I know I've said this before but how do we let China get away with this crap? Are we too beholden to them? Why can't we even try to make them act like adults on the world stage? People are dying and more will die if these weapons get to their intended customer. They are totally irresponsible. Why are we their bitches? Update: Apparently, the Bush administration has been pressuring southern African countries to not accept the shipment. That's great. Now why don't they try to cut off the source? (See above bitches comment.)

China Looks for Any Port in Zimbabwean Storm

Apparently, the shipment of arms from China to Mugabe has left South Africa and is looking for another port to be offloaded and delivered to Zimbabwe. Mozambique will not allow it to dock; so, it is believed to be headed toward Angola. The Chinese don't give up easily...

China's Perfect $#!#storm

I am really enjoying all the outcry and protests around the Olympic flame as it slouches towards Beijing but I have not written about my delicious schadenfreude yet. I have always thought it was stupid that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ever gave China the Olympics in the first place and was just another example of everyone lying down for the PRC. But now? Now, it could hardly be working out worse for PRC leadership! This was supposed to be China's coming out party as a world power but it has ended up looking more like China is on an episode of "My Super Sweet 16". (Yes, I have seen that show and it nearly as soul crushing and the PRC.) They are being exposed as the petulant children that they are. The well-timed Tibetan protests (as well as in other restive provinces) have shown how the PRC runs China. Iron fist. No dissent. Nothing to see here. Unfortunately, for them, there is plenty to see. I am glad to see that the IOC has said that athletes competing in Beijing will be able to speak freely while there (other than the actual Chinese athletes, of course). However, considering the IOC is basically a bunch of whores, I will need to see that to believe it. Good luck, NBC. I was all for a boycott but I think having the athletes speak out in Beijing or staging protests on the medal stand will be much more powerful than just not showing up (although, I think everyone - heads of state as well as athletes - should boycott the opening ceremonies). I will certainly watch way more of this Olympics than I have of any other in recent memory just to see what embarrasses the PRC leadership next, and believe me there will be plenty more to come. Now is the greatest opportunity Chinese dissidents have had since Tiananmen Square. Let's hope this public shaming will pressure the PRC into opening up life for the Chinese people (not to mention the Tibetan people). But don't hold your breath (although, in Beijing, you may WANT to hold your breath).

Tibet Deadline Passes

Can this last until the Olympics? Well, nobody thought that the Democratic nominating process would take this long either. Good luck and God bless, Tibet.

Even the Chinese Won't Buy Chinese-Made Toys

Apparently, the Chinese think more of their children than we do.

Chinese Economy Is Burning Too Hot

clipped from hosted.ap.org China Raises Interest Rates Again BEIJING (AP) -- China raised interest rates Friday for a fifth time this year in a bid to curb rising inflation amid signs previous efforts to cool the sizzling economy were having little effect. The economy, which expanded by 11.9 percent last quarter, is still powering ahead despite repeated rate increases, investment curbs and measures to shrink credit. Even lead-contaminated toys and mercury-contaminated toothpaste can't stop them! 12%!?!

China Cracking Down on AIDS Activists and Orphans to IMPROVE Their Image

Smooth. To clean up the country's image ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government is trying to brush the country's problems under the rug (i.e., repress, torture, and/or kill them). That's right - to clean up their image. Because if no one is there to help orphans or people with AIDS, there must not BE any orphans or people with AIDS. Sort of a tree falling in the forest thing. Also, let's not forget that the Chinese have sat back and done precious little to stop the genocide in Darfur. Again, bravo. I have to admit, I've never been a fan of the Olympics. (I think it has something to do with the fact that they are boring. Either that or Bob Costas...probably Bob Costas. Can't get enough of him dramatic commentary.) I guess that makes me a Communist. Oh wait, the Communists (i.e., the People's Republic of China) like the Olympics. That makes the Olympics Communist! One more reason to fight them. I now have two goals: 1. Shut down the 2008 Olympics and 2. Get this blog banned in China.

Is China Good for Africa?: Conclusion, Part Two

[See part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, and part 6] The current relationship between China and Africa is extremely beneficial for the People's Republic of China (PRC), and the leaders of the worst regimes in Africa, but not for the long-term futures of the vast majority of Africans. The PRC benefits from the availability of African resources to support the continued rapid economic growth that is giving China more power and prestige internationally. China also benefits from the support received from multiple African countries in international forums like the United Nations. This ensures that neither China nor their corrupt African partners will face multilateral sanctions that would force changes in behavior and policy. The complexities surrounding the current and future relations between China and Africa are more complex than just what has been covered here. For instance, one subject not addressed was the impact of the lack of economic strength of African countries on their government’s ability to control terrorist organizations that may operate within their borders, such as Al-Qaeda. Furthermore, an in-depth discussion is warranted as to whether the similar economic rise of India and its own ambitions in Africa will act as a counterbalance to Chinese dominance on the continent. Finally, it is also of importance to further consider how the Chinese-African relationship will impact the United States and how America should respond to this growing threat. As former US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick so aptly put it, China must be a "responsible stakeholder" in regional and international security issues because they have benefited economically from these policies. China demonstrated that it is capable of being a "responsible stakeholder" by applying pressure to other countries when it coaxed North Korea back to the six-party talks in November 2006. The challenge for China, Africa, and the greater international community is how to balance the benefits of increased trade and financial aid between China and Africa with the necessity to maintain pressure on the regimes involved (including the PRC) to become more transparent, more responsive to their citizenry, and less likely to ignore or commit human rights abuses. This is a difficult task but it can be accomplished if all the parties involved understand the benefits of moving in this direction and the hazards of choosing to not. On an ominous note, Chinese state television recently produced a 12-part documentary called "The Rise of Great Powers" which details the ascendance of Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, England, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the United States to global prominence. The Chinese are students of history who are trying to learn what they can from the rise of other "great" nations and every nation on that list extensively colonized foreign lands – a fact that does not bode well for Africa. Will China and Africa establish a mutually beneficial relationship that will lift hundreds of millions out of poverty or will China become Africa's new colonial ruler? Ultimately, the answer will lie somewhere between these two extremes but one can only hope it will result in better lives for the two billion people directly involved.

Is China Good for Africa?: Conclusion, Part One

[See part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5] The rapid and sustained growth of the Chinese economy has led to the need for the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to scour the globe in search of natural resources to fuel continued economic expansion. Currently, one of the greatest untapped areas of the world in this regard is Africa which has scared away many investors with the seemingly endless instability on the continent. The Chinese have stepped in to fill this void and have invested heavily in the development of the African infrastructure, mostly in ways related to the energy sector. In currying favor, the PRC has entered into dealings with some of the more questionable and corrupt governments in the world. Financing these regimes has had the effect of insulating them against international pressure to reform their governments. Furthermore, the PRC has sold weapons to state sponsors of terror who use them to brutally oppress or kill their internal opposition. The emerging relationship between China and Africa has the potential to be either a mutually beneficial relationship, in which potentially hundreds of millions of people are lifted out of poverty, or it could result in an age of neocolonialism in Africa―this time at the hands of an Eastern power instead of Western ones. Economic reforms in China have moved some 400 million Chinese out of poverty over the last 25 years and by continuing these reforms at home, and bringing their benefits to Africa, it is possible that another 700 million people in both Africa and China could escape poverty as well. The China-Africa relationship represents an opportunity to improve the lives of an unprecedented number people, and by extension, the world as a whole. When fewer people die prematurely or do not need to spend every waking moment trying to subsist, they can attend school or work and the global economy is positively impacted by increased GDPs and decreased need for financial aid. On the other hand, China's business practices towards Africa, most notably undercutting African goods with cheaper labor and keeping them out of Chinese markets using high tariffs, could relegate Africa to the role of an oil supplier for China and a market for its goods. An unbalanced relationship such as this will not help Africa advance economically and will not assist in the necessary diversification of the economies of its countries. This latter aspect is essential for the creation of jobs that are desperately needed to begin raising the living standards of the nearly 300 million people living in poverty in Africa.

Is China Good for Africa?: Propping Up Corrupt Regimes and Business Partners

[See part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4] The economic and financial relationships between China and some of the more corrupt regimes in Africa (e.g., Zimbabwe, Sudan) have allowed those regimes to resist efforts from other countries and international institutions to use trade and economic aid to reform their governments to be less corrupt, less oppressive, and more transparent. For example, China’s support in Zimbabwe has propped up the failed regime of Robert Mugabe. This regime’s policies have turned Zimbabwe from a relatively prosperous African state to a dictatorship with an economy experiencing 3,700% inflation. Another example is China’s support of Sudan. The Chinese repeatedly forestalled United Nations intervention into the Sudanese government supported slaughter in Darfur – something for which even other African countries have criticized China. The single most treacherous issue for China in Africa is Darfur. A notable international backlash has resulted from China’s almost unconditional support for the Sudanese government. Sudan is listed as a state sponsor of terrorism and the Sudanese government has armed and supported the Janjaweed militias that have terrorized the people of western Darfur. China has invested heavily in Sudan as part of its strategy to maintain energy security and diversity of supply. To maintain Sudan as an oil supplier, China has threatened to veto sanctions against Darfur at the United Nations under the guise of the "non-interference" policy. Furthermore, to keep US sanctions from affecting Sudan, China may start buying oil with euros rather than US dollars – the currency of choice for world oil markets. Trading oil in euros is something Iran, another major Chinese oil supplier who has faced international criticism, has previously done to sidestep sanctions. Despite China's professed policy of "non-interference in the internal affairs" of other countries, China has pressured many African countries to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan ― a choice that would seem to be an internal diplomatic affair. This convenient violation of one of the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" has been so successful that only five African countries out of 53 — Burkina Faso, Malawi, Gambia, Swaziland, and Sao Tome and Principe — have formal relations with Taiwan. One could argue that if the PRC can violate the Five Principles in the case of Taiwan, they could certainly violate it to stop the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of innocent Africans in Darfur. Fortunately, the Chinese have recently made some small steps towards pressuring the Sudanese government on Darfur; however, such efforts have primarily been for show and may well be too little, too late. Pressure on China from the West to push Sudan to resolve the Darfur issue has met with little success. However, more recently China has received pressure from a somewhat unexpected source – other African countries. This is in part due to the African nations' fears that China’s reticence to act in Darfur may backfire and allow the crisis to spread and destabilize neighboring countries. Ignoring Darfur could also backfire on China through the loss of support from one of Sudan’s neighbors, Chad, which is also a supplier of oil to China and could itself get caught up in the violence. Unfortunately, for all the good they have the potential to do, China's relationships in Africa are often questionable and, at their worst, make the People's Republic of China complicit in genocide.

Is China Good for Africa?: Chinese Investment and Trade in Africa

[See part 1, part 2, and part 3.] While there is a diverse array of African industries that the Chinese have been investing in (such as tourism, power plants, and telecommunications), most of the capital that China is sending into Africa is confined to the building of natural resource extracting industries such as oil drilling and mining. The new Chinese desperation for resources is illustrated by the fact that China alone has accounted for 40% of the growth in global demand for oil since 2003. The importance of Africa in China's long-term energy security plan is underscored by the fact that in 2006 Angola became China’s largest source of foreign oil, surpassing Saudi Arabia. Despite the economic benefit of China’s investment in Africa, the rise of Chinese companies that can out compete most of their international rivals (due mostly to their abundant, cheap labor) has also had a detrimental effect on African businesses, both in international markets as well as within Africa. Furthermore, China's tariff policies towards African imports seek to ensure that China will continue to out compete its African counterpart. Coffee, cocoa beans, cashews, and other agricultural products that African countries produce all have high tariffs. Crude oil and mineral ores, on the other hand, have no tariffs. Many of these tariffs discourage African exports of more highly processed products to China. South African President Thabo Mbeki warned his fellow African leaders about this in December of 2006, noting that Africa must be careful to avoid entering into a "colonial relationship" with the PRC where raw materials are shipped to China and then processed, manufactured goods are imported back to Africa at a net economic loss for the continent. China has stated that it plans to reduce its tariffs later this year; however, it remains to be seen if the changes will have any impact on restoring balanced competition. One disconcerting segment of trade between China and Africa is arms sales. This is of great concern as the major recipients of these arms are oil-rich and human-rights lax countries like Angola, Sudan, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. This is a mutually beneficial relationship for the countries involved because China recoups some of the oil money spent in these countries and African regimes that would otherwise need to turn to the international black market for weaponry have a willing, open supplier of arms. This gives these corrupt regimes the means to continue the brutal oppression and, in the case of Sudan, the overt murder of their citizens.

Is China Good for Africa?: China and Africa Today

[See part 1, and part 2.] In 2006, the Chinese government released an official paper entitled "China's African Policy" which states China's "principles and objectives" in Africa. Briefly summarized, the "African Policy" emphasizes fostering mutually beneficial relationships with African countries both economically and geo-politically while respecting each other's sovereignty and not interfering in each other’s internal affairs. This policy echoes many of the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" that were introduced by the People's Republic of China in the mid-1950s during a negotiation summit with India and have remained the basis for much of China's foreign policy ever since. The "Five Principles" are (1) mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, (2) mutual non-aggression, (3) non-interference in each other's internal affairs, (4) equality and mutual benefit, and (5) peaceful coexistence. Or as they were recently explained by Zhou Wengzong, Chinese Ambassador to the United States, "China treats all countries as equals regardless [of] their size, wealth or strength; China makes independent judgment on the merit of each international issue and takes [a] position accordingly; China does not draw lines along ideology and social system in handling its relations with other countries, or impose its values on others; China does not enter into alliance with any country or country group; does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs, or allow others to interfere in its own internal affairs; China opposes hegemonism and power politics and will never seek hegemony; China will continue to call for respect for the rights of countries to choose their own social systems and roads of development and advocate dialogues and exchanges between different civilizations." One of the "Five Principles", "non-interference in each other’s internal affairs", is a dual-use concept that China uses both as an excuse to avoid pressuring their business partners on human rights shortcomings (e.g., Sudan, Zimbabwe) and as support for China's assertion that no other countries have the right to criticize China's own poor human rights record. One of the tenets of China's African Policy is "Mutual support and close coordination: China will strengthen cooperation with Africa in the UN and other multilateral systems". This policy has manifested itself repeatedly in the United Nations where China has stood in the way of action being taken against violators of international law, like Sudan and Iran. China, in addition to keeping its partners open for business, also gets broad support from these countries to avoid improving its own human rights abuse record.

Foreign Exchange: The EU at 50, Chinese Circus

Is China Good for Africa?: A Brief History of Sino-African Relations

[See part 1] The history of interactions between China and Africa is a relatively short one. The early 1400s saw the first Chinese visits to Africa when the Ming Emperors began dispatching ships to the continent's Eastern coast. Between this initial contact, when both parties were relatively powerful in their own spheres of influence, and now, both Africa and China underwent periods of brutal subjugation at the hands of Western colonial powers. These colonial experiences helped develop a mistrust amongst both Chinese and Africans towards the intentions of outsiders, particularly Westerners, which lasts to this day. Some of the more notable, contemporary relations between China and Africa date back to the 1960s when China undertook major infrastructure projects as part of the Cold War competition for influence in the post-colonial developing world. The Chinese took a break from courting African nations to concentrate on internal affairs in the 1980s but have recently returned with the intention of gaining access to various African natural resources that China needs to fuel its economic expansion. This economic expansion has given China increased prestige as a major player on the world stage, something Chinese modernizers have sought since the period that Chinese historians call Chinas "Century of Humiliation". This period extends from the Opium Wars beginning in 1840 through the Japanese invasion and occupation of China during World War II. As Kevin Rudd, Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and an expert on China, noted, "This period has dramatically shaped the world view of the last three generations of Chinese modernizers." It first drove Mao's Communist revolution and then the reforms of Deng Xiaoping, which have set the stage for the current economic rise of China.

Is China Good for Africa?

I am going to begin a series of posts that I have been working on for some time. The subject of these posts involves two of my favorite subjects China and Africa, specifically the economic and political relationship growing between them: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been the most rapidly growing economic power in the world for the past 25 years and is the only legitimate potential rival to America as the dominant political-economic force in the world. China’s rapid growth and relatively limited resources have forced them to look toward developing new relationships with countries that can provide support for their continued economic expansion. One area of the world that China has aggressively pursued in this regard is Africa. So, the question at hand is: Are China’s policies vis-à-vis their emerging relationship with Africa beneficial to the African countries involved? From an African standpoint, relations with China could either serve to pull the continent out of its seemingly perpetual downward spiral or it could usher in an age of Chinese neocolonialism on the continent. The economic ascendance of emerging market countries, such as China and many countries in sub-Saharan Africa has lifted many millions of people out of poverty and will, if present trends persist, continue to lift out many millions more in the coming years. This makes the China-Africa question a particularly important issue when one considers that the populations of China and Africa combined account for over two billion people - almost one-third of the Earth’s population - and of those people, 300 million in Africa and 400 million in China live in poverty. Economic reforms in China have moved some 400 million Chinese out of poverty over the last 25 years (from 53% of China’s population in 1981 to 8% in 2001), a successful and mutually beneficial economic relationship could have a greater positive impact on poverty in China and Africa than every aid program in the world combined. (No exaggeration.) All things being equal, there is great potential for positive, mutually beneficial growth in this relationship. Unfortunately, all things are not equal here and the balance tilts heavily in favor of the Chinese. Future installments in this series will cover the following issues: the history of Sino-African relations, the relationship today, how and why China is investing in Africa now, and some of the questionable policies that result from the marriage of convenience between the PRC and some of the more corrupt regimes in Africa. To be continued...