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16: China in Africa: Dislocating Cultures, Re-examining the Role of the Nation-State, and the China Model in the Process of Development
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN China in Africa Dislocating Cultures, Re-examining the Role of the Nation-State, and the China Model in the Process of Development SETH N. ASUMAH Introduction In an ironic twist, China has done particularly well by taking advantage of the West’s refusal to deal with “rogue states.” In the Middle East and Africa, for example, China has openly refused to condition trade on compliance with international human rights treaties, have the European Union and the United States, giving China greater access to valuable resources in countries like Angola, Burma, Congo, and Libya. While many protest the U.S. government’s inadequate peacekeeping and humanitarian response in Darfur, China has happily established itself as the largest investor in Sudan’s massive oil fields. —Amy Chua, Day of Empire A Chinese official in Africa argued that “economic rights” are the main priority of developing nations and take precedence over personal, individual rights as conceptualized in the West. Indeed, the view among some senior Chinese officials is that “multi-party politics fuels social turmoil, ethnic conflicts and civil wars.” China also sees human rights discourse as a tool of Western neo-imperialism. This is a particularly attractive philosophy for incumbent African political elites, and is helped by its plausibility. —Padraig R. Carmody and Francis Y. Owusu, Taking Sides, Clashing Views on African Issues 327 328 Seth N. Asumah The tragedy is that the CCP’s drive to survive has forged a brutal mercantilist policy that seduces impoverished, resourcesrich regimes with low or no interest loans and the promise of non-interference in internal affairs in return for long-term lease of energy and mineral resources. Unlike the IMF and the World Bank, China’s financial package comes without requiring government reforms, respect for human rights, transparency, anti-corruption measures or environmental improvements. —Stephan Halper, The Beijing Consensus From Angola to Zimbabwe, and from bicycle factories in Accra to soccer stadiums in Zanzibar, the Chinese presence in Africa is irrepressible , and China’s investments on the continent are increasing at galloping rates. Recent economic downturns in the United States, Europe, and China’s trade relations and economic development projects in Africa have Sino-Optimists, Sino-Pessimists, and Sino-Cautionists reassessing the “China Model” in Africa, and what has become the role of the African nation-state in development. The foreign policy elites of China have not by any means hidden China’s political agendas in Africa. They are proud to announce that China has a strategic partnership with Africa. This partnership places emphasis on political equality, mutual trust, win-win development projects, and exchanges based on cultural relativism. Yet, the advent of the Chinese in Africa in the post-Colonial era has called to question the place of African cultures and the role of the nation-state in the process of development and modernization . China’s development activities in Africa and the China Model for development are raising new questions about China’s neobenevolent cultural imperialism, disregard for African cultures, and the relevance of the authority of African nation-states in dealing with China’s hegemony and development approaches. African cultural studies and development research must, therefore, consider crosscultural dynamics, and structural and systemic variables that contribute to sustainable development. Furthermore, in the processes of modernization and development, the convergence theory maintains that once African traditional cultures and nation-states are exposed to the forces of modernization, Chinanization and development, the marginal propensity of abandoning African cultures in the interest of Chinese ones is very high. In this chapter, I argue that the Chinese approach to development and the forces of modernization and development are contributing to the bastardization of the role of the nation-state in nation building, and Sino-Africanization is gradually [44.221.43.88] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 14:06 GMT) 329 China in Africa causing the extinction of African traditional cultures. Unless Africans are able to navigate the dynamics of cultural imperialism, Chinanization and the hegemonic development approaches from China to become true development partners with the People’s Republic of China, African development problems will continue to be irrepressible and insurmountable. It is not unusual that the United States Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) continues to accuse China of protecting “rogue states” and vampire regimes in Africa through economic and business partnerships. The interlocutors of Sino-Africa relations have even more complex issues to examine as African people in recent times have shown their desire to embrace their own cultures, improve human rights conditions...