Nairobi, Kenya -- Chinese archeologists are busy here in Kenya. They are working in the waters surrounding the Lamu archipelago on Kenya's north coast. Their goal is to find evidence of Chinese trade with Africa in the 1400s. Demonstrating such a link would show the world that China was here as a commercial and military power before the Europeans arrived. The fact that the 15th Century Chinese missions were conducted by Admiral Zheng's formidable "Treasure Fleet" is all the more important to the Chinese. As it seeks to rule the seas once again, China desires tangible symbols of its past as a naval power. Finding a sunken Chinese ship or coins in Kenyan waters would be powerful in this regard.
While the well-funded Chinese archeologists dive for sunken Chinese treasure off the coast of Kenya, Chinese sailors and soldiers on its largest surface ship, the LPD Kunlan Shan, are patrolling the Somalia Coast ostensibly to protect Chinese ships from pirates. By interacting with NATO vessels on EU anti-piracy duty, the Chinese are gaining valuable insights in to Western naval doctrine. Their current naval mission in the region is laying the foundation for a Chinese permanent presence in the Gulf of Aden where Admiral Yin Zhuo stated China may build a base.
Back in downtown Nairobi, China continues its multi-year road works project to repave Kenyan streets and build good will in this strategic capital. To the south, it is laying fiber optic cables in rural Rwanda. Chinese businessmen and tourists crowd the local hotels. A Kenyan taxi driver complained, however, about other Chinese initiatives in the continent that are less positive -- the markets are flooded with Chinese counterfeit goods, China generously underwrites some of the continent's worst dictators and often treats the locals shabbily.
Nowhere outside of Southeast Asia is China's rise as a global power more visible than in Africa. Africa's growing population, huge mineral and oil reserves and vast agricultural lands promise an important future for the continent notwithstanding its troubled recent past. China understands this potential and is planning to stay longer this time and leave a bigger mark than Admiral Zheng did some 500 years ago.
Robert C. O'Brien is the managing partner of Arent Fox Los Angeles. He served as a US Representative to the United Nations. He can be followed on Twitter @robertcobrien.
Claudine
http://www.TheChinaBusinessGuide.com
The countries should be demanding more jobs for the local populations though. The Chinese export workers all over the world instead of drawing upon local workforces. This is not helping to really prop up these countries to make themselves more self sufficient. Especially in Africa, jobs and education is needed above all else.
Now it is China's turn. In just a decade of serious infrastructure building, China is already jumpstarting the economies wherever it is active. This time around, the projects actually get built on time and on budget, and the Africans are given a real chance. No more just handouts as from Westerners. A real chance to be treated as equals. A real chance to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, using as example the Chinese work ethic.
All the the Africans want is a fighting chance, something they never had under Westerners' thumbs.
However, it is sad to see that, yet again, the history is being twisted to support future exploitation of Africa, for if China ever did have a strong presence in Africa, it has long since vanished and left narry a trace behind.
It is not surprising when you look at what happened. White men came and built themselves air conditioned cabins where they hide all day long. They hire locals who don't know the first thing about infrastructure building. Nothing gets done and the contractors don't care, since the change orders and increased costs simply means that the Western contractors made out like bandits, as the host African country incurred huge additional backbreaking debt.
China arrived on the scene, and everything changed. The Chinese actually did fixed price contracts, on the condition that they can use experienced Chinese workers. And worked the did - 3 shifts, with managers and engineers working in the hot African sun, also 3 shifts. Projects get done on time and on budget.
So there you go, you can have locals working, or you can have projects built on time and on budget so there was no backbreaking debt. Most African host governments chose the latter.
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
The West made the mistake in giving Africa aid but not teaching them the skills to build a stable economy. China is doing exactly the same but making even less of an effort to teach the locals. Africa will never develop until people are employed and learning skills, if it takes longer to get things done its a small price to pay for future sustainability in those countries. Having a bunch of infrastructure but no ability to maintain it is useless, as it is now we have a recipe for major future conflicts.
Debt can be wiped out and has been wiped out numerous times in Africa but skills last a lifetime.
With all due respect, but as long as "Made in China" means "Not Made to Last" they will not get a foothold for a very long time.
According to the IMF and World Bank statistics, the Chinese building teams were literally the ONLY ones in the world who actually built 3rd world projects on time and on budget.
With the newly gained high speed train expertise, the trend is only accelerating. In another generation, Chinese infrastructure teams will be doing close to half of the projects worldwide, relying on the reputation of good quality work delivered on time and on budget.
What other nation can you name that has workers willing to work 3 shifts, and have the expertise and capacity to build major projects modularly (and just ship and assemble on site)?