Articles
2012.08.24 13:26

US-China rivalry over Africa

(*.104.48.48) 조회 수 163471 추천 수 0 댓글 0
?

단축키

Prev이전 문서

Next다음 문서

크게 작게 위로 아래로 댓글로 가기 인쇄
?

단축키

Prev이전 문서

Next다음 문서

크게 작게 위로 아래로 댓글로 가기 인쇄

US-China rivalry over Africa

 Frank Ching

Africa has become a major theater in the global rivalry between China and the United States. This was evident during Hillary Clinton’s visit to the continent, during which she spread the message of democracy and warned Africans against unnamed “outsiders” coming to “extract the wealth of Africa for themselves, leaving nothing or very little behind.” 

While the American secretary of state did not name any country, Beijing was quick to respond. It accused the United States of seeking to
sow discord between China and Africa while keen to reap benefits for itself from the booming continent. 

During Clinton’s tour of Senegal, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa and Ghana, she explained Washington’s new Africa strategy of promoting development by stimulating economic growth, advancing peace and security and strengthening democracy. The American official acknowledged that, historically, “Western powers had too often seen Africa as a source of resources to be exploited or as a charity cause.” As for the United States, she acknowledged that, in the past, “Our policies did not always line up with our principles.”

Those days are over, she said, and today “the United States will stand up for democracy and universal human rights, even when it might be easier or more profitable to look the other way, to keep the resources flowing. Not every partner makes that choice, but we do and we will.”

What Washington wants today, she said, is a sustainable partnership that “adds value rather than extracts it.” As Clinton acknowledged, democracy is hardly
entrenched in Africa. “The number of electoral democracies in sub-Saharan Africa,” she said, has “fallen from 24 in 2005 to just 19 today.”

@entrench: if something such as power, a custom, or an idea is entrenched, it is firmly established 

China, which considers itself a special friend of Africa’s, was evidently stung by Clinton’s remarks. The
allegation that China has been extracting Africa’s wealth for itself is “utterly wide of the mark,” declared Xinhua, the state press agency. It said the “U.S. plot to sow discord” between China and Africa “is doomed to fail.”

@allegation: a statement saying that someone has done something wrong

Xinhua published an article headlined “Clinton visit won’t affect China-Africa relations: expert.” It quoted a South African academic, Sabelo Ndlovu Gatsheni, as saying that China stands a better chance in Africa than the United States.

"The advantage of China is that its aid to Africa has no strings attached and most African countries tend to prefer Chinese aid because it does not come with conditions on human rights, democracy as well attempting to influence the culture of the country like the West," Professor Gatsheni of the University of South Africa reportedly said. 

While this may well be true, it is also common practice for China to cite foreign authorities in support of its position. Gatsheni was also quoted as saying, “It seems the United States does not want to let China occupy its previous place of dominance on the African continent."

The online edition of the official People’s Daily newspaper asked rhetorically, “Is China an irresponsible friend of Africa?” It answered its own question by saying, “China’s investment in Africa is based on respecting the will of Africa, listening to the voice of Africa and caring about the concerns of Africa, thus earning the trust of most African countries.”
It said that Clinton’s words “showed her anxiety about China’s rising influence in Africa on the one hand and on the other hand she hoped to make up for the United States’ neglect of Africa before and readjust its economic interests in Africa.”
The official English-language China Daily newspaper quoted Cheng Tao, an expert on African studies with the China Foundation for International Studies: “China respects African countries’ sovereignty and never intervenes in their internal affairs, which forms a sharp contrast with the colonialism that has been practiced by western countries.” 


The Global Times, a newspaper
affiliated with the People’s Daily, discerned another possible motivation for Clinton’s actions, saying that the emphasis on Africa “may be aimed at wooing African-American voters for the upcoming election.”

@affiliate: form a close connection with the larger organization

For years, the United States has been saying that China’s advances in Africa do not pose a threat to American interests. However, as a rising power, China inevitably bumps against American interests in all parts of the world. China’s replacement of the United States as Africa’s main trading partner three years ago underlined Beijing’s progress. 
It is certainly good for Africa to be
wooed simultaneously by both China and the United States. It is also good for China and the United States to be challenged by one another, thus keeping both on their toes, with each knowing that the world is watching what they are doing in Africa.

@woo: try to encourage people to help you

?

  1. Hogeon's English Presentation - 2012.11.12.

    의욕 가득했던 2012년ㅋㅋㅋ 추억 돋네... 5년 전의 나 그리고 지금의 나 지난 5년 간 나는 나의 꿈을 향해 몇 발자국이나 내딛었는가?
    Date2017.02.01 CategoryEnglish Views5866
    Read More
  2. No Image

    When Capitalists Cared

    When Capitalists Cared By HEDRICK SMITH Published: September 2, 2012 IN the rancorous debate over how to get the sluggish economy moving, we have forgotten the wisdom of Henry Ford. In 1914, not long after the Ford Motor Company came out with the Mode...
    Date2012.09.04 CategoryArticles Views184850
    Read More
  3. No Image

    Unified system of Romanization

    Unified system of Romanization By Robert J. Fouser Quietly, ever so quietly, displeasure with the current Romanization system of Korean is seeping into the news. The issue stands with Chinese characters as the most contested Korean-language issue of ...
    Date2012.09.04 CategoryArticles Views135466
    Read More
  4. No Image

    August 23, 2012 - How Much Food Do We Throw Out?; West Nile Virus Outbreak

    How Much Food Do We Throw Out?; West Nile Virus Outbreak Aired August 23, 2012 - 04:00:00 ET CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Some of this food can end up on your plate, but how much of it could eventually end up in the trash? The answer might surprise you. I`m...
    Date2012.08.24 CategoryCNN Students News Views58610
    Read More
  5. No Image

    No sea change for East Sea

    No sea change for East Sea By Andrew Salmon Talk about news of earth-shaking international importance. In Monaco last week, the International Hydrographic Organization ― the body that sets official geographic place names for maps ― rejected Korea’s de...
    Date2012.08.24 CategoryArticles Views69031
    Read More
  6. No Image

    Full-Time Work Means Better Health for Mothers

    Full-Time Work Means Better Health for Mothers By KJ DELL'ANTONIA “This is not about advice for women,” the University of Akron sociologist Adrianne M. Frech said of her latest research, which showed that women who work steadily full-time after the bi...
    Date2012.08.24 CategoryArticles Views24402
    Read More
  7. No Image

    Drop the Pasta, Dad, and No One Gets Hurt

    Drop the Pasta, Dad, and No One Gets Hurt By MATT RICHTEL Published: August 21, 2012 They sit there, five little pasta shells, nestled in a shallow bath of melted butter and Parmesan: the remains of dinner for my toddler son and daughter. I cannot hel...
    Date2012.08.24 CategoryArticles Views34399
    Read More
  8. No Image

    US-China rivalry over Africa

    US-China rivalry over Africa Frank Ching Africa has become a major theater in the global rivalry between China and the United States. This was evident during Hillary Clinton’s visit to the continent, during which she spread the message of democracy an...
    Date2012.08.24 CategoryArticles Views163471
    Read More
  9. No Image

    Pyongyang blowback

    Pyongyang blowback By Andrew Salmon In 2001, following the 9/11 terrorist attack, a term used by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency entered common currency. Throughout the 1980s, the Mujahideen, that loose conglomeration of Afghan tribal forces and ...
    Date2012.08.23 CategoryArticles Views85514
    Read More
  10. No Image

    Wet Dogs Shake Dry in Milliseconds

    Wet Dogs Shake Dry in Milliseconds If you’ve ever bathed a dog, you know firsthand how quickly a drenched pup can shake water off. Now researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found that furry mammals can shake themselves 70 percent dry...
    Date2012.08.23 CategoryArticles Views31853
    Read More
  11. No Image

    August 20, 2012 - Strike in South African Mine Turns Deadly; The One-Square-Meter House

    Strike in South African Mine Turns Deadly; The One-Square-Meter House Aired August 20, 2012 - 04:00:00 ET CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Whether you are starting a new week or a new school year, we welcome you to CNN STUDENT NEWS. Hello, I`m Carl Azuz. Today,...
    Date2012.08.22 CategoryCNN Students News Views28272
    Read More
  12. No Image

    Falling off a high cliff?

    Falling off a high cliff? By Robert Klemkosky # US govn’t doesn’t concern their fiscal problem, they are not likely to talk about it for re-election. Falling off a cliff may be harmful to one’s health or even life if the cliff is high enough. In the U...
    Date2012.08.22 CategoryArticles Views33684
    Read More
Board Pagination Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next
/ 7