China's Rush Into Africa, Explained.
//Summary - Level-C2//
China's involvement in Africa, symbolised by the construction and subsequent spying in the African Union headquarters, exemplifies its broader economic and geopolitical influence strategy. China has invested billions in infrastructure projects across Africa, often resulting in significant debt for African nations. This approach aims to secure resources, economic opportunities, and political alliances, albeit with potential long-term consequences for the continent's sovereignty and stability.
1)
It's January 2017 at the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia. An I.T. engineer is looking at the servers in this building, and something seems to be amiss.
The engineer noticed that these servers often connect to a server in Shanghai at night, uploading emails and audio files.
2)
This building was a $200 million gift from the Chinese government.
It was designed and built by Chinese firms using Chinese money. Chinese engineers installed the servers, deliberately leaving a backdoor in them so they could be easily accessed.
3)
The African Union I.T. team eventually removed these Chinese servers and installed new ones. The Chinese government offered to install them for them, but they refused.
The local I.T. people also swept the building and found microphones embedded in the furniture and the walls. The building was bugged, and audio and internal emails were fed to China for about five years.
4)
Years after the building was built, china building a headquarters for the African Union and then spying on it is a pretty good symbol of what China is up to in Africa, and that's what this video is about.
It's about how a growing China has rushed into Africa, mainly by building roads, trains, dams, mines, and ports. These projects are part of China's growth as a superpower, and they show how this country is projecting its power on the continent.
5)
However, there are questions about why the headquarters of such a critical African organisation is entirely the work of Chinese construction labour and money.
So there's this very predictable thing. You see it repeatedly: as countries become powerful and wealthy, they often start looking outwards economically and militarily.
6)
Fifty years ago, China was an impoverished country with a vast population, but eventually, it opened up to the world. They opened up their immense population as a workforce for cheap labour, and their economy exploded.
They used their massive population as a workforce for cheap labour, and their economy exploded. China's agricultural urbanisation is fast and rapid, but it is still rustic regarding land, not population.
7)
I don't think you're right about that. So, China is now a wealthy country. Remember, rich countries start to look outwards. How can they project their power and connect with other countries to continue their growth? They do this for a couple of reasons.
The first one is economic reasons, in the same way that the U.S. became prosperous and started looking outwards to China for cheap labour.
8)
China also got rich, and its labour eventually became expensive. Wages went up, and China needed its option for cheap labour and new growth opportunities, so it started pouring vast amounts of money, like 300 billion dollars, into Africa.
9)
That's the economic reason China is growing fast; its growth is slowing down, so it needs to invest in emerging economies, which economists will call it. However, the economic explanation is only half the story here in China.
Economics and government power are not very separate, so to understand what China is up to, you must understand its geopolitical motives.
We must look at a map to do that. All the countries with projects are here. I've highlighted every country on the African continent except for Swaziland, which is tiny.
These projects range from transport projects like roads and railways to energy projects like oil and dams to real estate projects like housing estates and then mining for things like copper.
You've got everything from a shoe factory in Ethiopia to a six billion dollar Chinese-financed dam in Nigeria to a massive suspension bridge in Mozambique, the longest in Africa.
11)
These projects are everywhere, even here on this tiny island off the coast where China has poured millions of dollars into building housing, a stadium, an auditorium, a library, as well as their national parliament; China built it all, and there are too many of these projects even to count.
Many of these projects have had enormous benefits and stimulated these countries. But why is China doing this? What are they up to?
12)
In addition to the economic value of investing in emerging markets, China's president also claims they are doing this in the name of cooperation and friendship, the African way.
So, let's investigate this and see what these projects look like, how they are built, and whether they are "The African way," whatever that means.
13)
So, China built an imposing railway system in Kenya. It goes from Nairobi to Mombasa in under four hours, faster than any train in the United States.
This is only saying a lot because we no longer know how to build trains here in the United States.
14)
We used to be good at it, but now we're not. It's a shame. Anyway, look at this train in Kenya. This railway system was a 3. 6 billion project, the most expensive infrastructure project since Kenya's independence.
It was financed mainly by a massive loan from China's state-owned bank.
15)
So, it was financed by China, designed by Chinese engineers, and then built by Chinese construction companies, sending Chinese workers to hire locals and manage the project. Now, a Chinese company runs the thing.
16)
In Mandarin, it's obvious who financed and built this thing. It looks like China just parachuted in and dropped this thing in Kenya, and now Kenya is billions of dollars in debt to China.
72% of Kenya's total debt is owed to China. This railway was supposed to reduce congestion on the highway that runs parallel to it, but it's been destroyed.
17)
But it hasn't done that. This railway goes right through these two national parks.
While the train will give passengers a view of a lifetime as it passes through the national park, conservationists are concerned that this construction will affect the ecosystem and wildlife here. It's not doing what it said it was going to do.
18)
Kenya's extensive shiny railways haven't solved African problems in an African way.
At the same time, the Chinese construction workers who came to build this thing have been caught mistreating the local workers, making them sit at separate tables during meal breaks, punishing them if they don't meet deadlines or take out the rubbish on time, that coupled with the fact that some of these Chinese workers were taking bribes as part of a vast corruption scheme with this railway.
19)
It's clear that it wasn't about helping the local environment; it just left Kenya with a massive pile of debt and an extensive shiny railway, but listen, it's not always the case.
This project wasn't really about helping the local environment. It just left Kenya with a substantial debt, and extensive, expensive railways are not always the case. Many projects, some supporting the locals, like this big, beautiful, shiny road in Lesotho.
20)
This used to be a rough gravel road, but now it's a beautiful shiny road helping the locals move around their country, so it's a mixed bag, China.
21)
You want to give Nigeria a 5 billion loan to build a dam because Nigeria has 200 million people, many of them young, and you want to help them become a booming economy so that you can get in on some of that growth. And you love not complying with environmental standards while doing these projects.
You love China; that's the business case. We're looking for new economies to invest in and contribute to their growth, but if you look deeper, you won't just see the dam.
22)
But if you look a bit deeper, you see not just a bunch of investment projects but also a bunch of gifts from China.
I'm particularly fascinated by political ones, like when China came in and built a new parliament, which they've done for seven African countries.
Or when China offers 32 million dollars free of charge to build the new headquarters for ECOWAS, the economic union in West Africa.
23)
Let me be clear: There is no such thing as a gift in international relations; everything comes with strings attached. So, a big part of all this investment in Africa is China's investment in the future.
China is a global superpower that needs to have friends. Historically, it hasn't had many friends around the world because the big boy, the United States, has been making all the friends by giving people things and making their lives better by being allies. So, China is getting involved in the act.
24)
China has used its chequebook to make friends with every African country except for Swaziland, the tiny little country in the south, which has been the only country holding out on all of this.
By pouring all this money into these countries, China has been able to get all these countries except for Swaziland to stop recognising Taiwan.
And to support China instead, this is that you can't support Taiwan and China because they both think they're China.
25)
So you have to support one or the other, and so China has got everyone to denounce Taiwan and say they support China.
That's another topic I'm making videos about. Suffice it to say that China has used its chequebook to make all these people its friends.
26)
I'm so sorry for the throwback, but do you remember when China built the African Union headquarters and then bugged the whole building so they could spy on the leaders, their emails, and their conversations?
That's a perfect representation of the strings usually attached to these projects, but perhaps the less obvious but more dangerous strings attached are the depts.
27)
John Adams said it best when he said, quote, there are two ways to conquer and enslave a country: by the sword and by debt. It's a pretty intense quote, but it does apply here. So many of these projects have been paid for with Chinese money and loans.
African nations have gone deep into debt. We all know that when you owe someone money, that person has much power, primarily if you cannot repay it.
28)
That person has a lot of power over you, especially if you get to the point where you can't pay them back, and that's not just theoretical. A few years ago, China helped Sri Lanka build a port on the south-east coast.
29)
It was done with a Chinese loan. Over time, Sri Lanka struggled to repay that loan, so in 2017, China swooped in and said, "You can't pay back your debt; just lease it to us."
Your debt, no worries, lease us this port, let us have it for 99 years, and Sri Lanka is like, that doesn't sound great, giving a piece of our sovereign territory to China, which they could potentially use for military purposes.
30)
But we have so much debt, and they are offering to cancel some of it if we give them this port. Okay, so it is now partly owned by China. For China, this is a dangerous precedent that could be applied to many African nations that have gone deep into debt with China and may be unable to pay it back.
31)
So, China is growing and behaving like any superpower would when it grows that fast. If we wanted to make a video about how the U.S. has projected power over the years, it would be a much worse video, okay?
32)
So, let's make it clear that China is a superpower. They are doing their superpower thing. This is very normal superpower behaviour.
It doesn't make it right; it just makes it normal. China has been particularly interested in Africa, leading to countless impressive infrastructure projects.
33)
But it has raised questions about the real motives here. It's not just business and economics.
The bigger question that I want to keep an eye on going forward is how all this debt is going to play out, how African nations that are so heavily indebted to China are going to have to service that debt in the future, and what happens if they can't pay it back.
China's Rush Into Africa, Explained.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJSD8XV3qzE
Add info No1)
France's Greatest Darkness - Franc CFA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIWq8XgeM2k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZDNLa2S7u0
i)
France used to influence African countries significantly, but the situation has changed recently.
In other words, France's influence is becoming weaker.
The background is the presence of China and Russia, which have been increasing their influence in Africa in recent years.
France has provided economic and military support to African countries.
ii)
However, China has recently expanded its economic influence in the region, and Russia has expanded its military influence.
France cannot compete with China economically and cannot compete with Russia militarily.
Of course, various criticisms exist of how China and Russia do things.
iii)
For example, in the case of China, African countries have to give China the right to extract natural resources in exchange for receiving support from China, and they are gradually forced into debt. China also has the right to use roads, ports, and infrastructure.
iv)
However, the people of Africa have been under inferior European rule for hundreds of years.
Many local people are disgusted by France.
In fact, in recent years, more and more people in Africa have become aware of the system of economic exploitation by France through the Franc CFA, and there have been protests that say they want independence from French rule.
v)
The important thing here is that China and Russia have entered the African continent, and African countries now have sources of support other than France.
As long as France was their only source of support, they had no choice but to follow France's instructions.
However, as China and Russia entered the continent, they now had sources of support other than France.
vi)
This means they no longer need to do what France tells them to do, and they have become able to make politically assertive statements.
In fact, in 2019, it was decided to abolish the Franc CFA in circulation in West Africa and introduce a new common currency for West Africa called ECO.
vii)
After the new currency, Eco is introduced, half of the foreign exchange reserves will no longer need to be deposited in the French treasury. France will no longer send representatives to the West African Central Bank board of directors, which previously issued Franc CFA.
viii)
However, some point out that France is also behind the common currency Eco, fearing that it will lose its vested interests if Franc CFA is abolished.
Francophone African countries on good terms with France are considering it positively, but English-speaking countries such as Nigel announced in January 2020 that they would postpone the introduction of Eco, and political manoeuvring is underway.
Franc CFA - Wikipedia
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFA%E3%83%95%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3
The CFA Franc ( Franc CFA ) is a common currency used in many countries, mainly in the former French West Africa and French Equatorial Africa.
Since 1958, the exchange rate has been fixed at 1 French franc = 50 CFA francs. However, in 1994, as part of the structural adjustment program, it was devalued to 1 French franc = 100 CFA francs. Since January 1, 1999, it has been fixed to the euro, with 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs.
There is a provision that states using the CFA Franc must keep 50% of their foreign exchange reserves in the French treasury, which is criticised as economic control by France, its former colonial power. On June 30, 2019, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided to move to a common currency, ECO (ECO) 2020, with eight countries using the CFA franc issued by the Central Bank of West African States. It was a nation. Both sides agreed on December 21, 2019, that if these eight countries go eco-friendly, they will not be subject to the management above by France. Once Eco is launched, the CFA franc will only be used by the six countries where the Bank of Central African States issues it.
Add info No2)
Françafric
Explanation of "Françafric" in the article "Neocolonialism"
A)
A classic example of modern neocolonialism is Françafric, which refers to the continued close relationship between France and the leaders of its former African colonies.
President Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Côte d'Ivoire first used this term to indicate good relations between France and Africa, and at the time, it had a positive meaning.
B)
Still, it gradually came to be used to criticise the asymmetrical relationship between the two countries. In particular, Jacques Foccard, who served as Minister of African Affairs under Presidents Charles de Gaulle and Georges Pompidou from 1960 to the present, is said to be a representative figure of Françafric.
The term was coined by François-Xavier Verschave and was used as the title of a book criticising French policy in Africa (La Françafrique: Le plus long scandale de la République). The translator adds that President Jacques Chirac continued the Focal network (Réseau).
C)
In 1972, Cameroonian exile writer Mongo Betty published Cruel Hand on Cameroon, Autopsy of a Decolonization, a critical account of recent Cameroonian history.
In this book, he shows that the colonies, including Cameroon, are still under French control in name and reality and that the political elites who have followed since independence have defended this permanent subordination.
Verschave, Betty, and others point out that the relationship with the former African colonies has continued for 40 years since independence.
D)
The French military maintained military forces in the former colonies (often used by pro-French African leaders to suppress rebellions), and French companies maintained investment monopolies (usually exploiting natural resources).
The French military in Africa was often involved in coups to install governments that served France's interests rather than those of the former colonies themselves.
Commentators point out the danger of globalising political interests in these neocolonial policies. During the Cold War, leaders who had close ties with France were criticised as pawns of France.
E)
The most criticised of these were former presidents Omar Bongo of Gabon, Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Côte d'Ivoire, former president Gnassingbé Eyadema of Togo, Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, President Idriss Déby of Chad, and former president Amani Diori of Niger.
They retreated, and networks linked to multinational corporations such as Elf Aquitaine took over the exploitation.
Add info No3)
Does BRICS have the power to end American dominance?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_cK_bPOAns
BRICS has officially invited six new countries. The six invited countries are also powerful, including Egypt, the second largest in the Middle East with abundant resources and the Suez Canal; Ethiopia, which is increasing in Africa; and Argentina, the second largest in South America. However, in today's world, where the West and the United States hold absolute power, can they leave a clear mark? Do they have the power to replace the United States? There are pros and cons to this. In this video, we look at the strengths and weaknesses of BRICS and their current situation and future from various angles.
