Policy Research Group - Strategic Insight: Resentment in Africa over Chinese shenanigans Resentment in Africa over Chinese shenanigans ================================================================================ . on 20 April, 2010 04:45:00 China’s emerging economic power status and its expanding economic interaction with Africa attracted international limelight, but simmering discontent of its ways of functioning in African countries, which found mention in local and regional papers, has largely gone unnoticed. A study of local African papers highlihghts popular grievance against China propping up unpopular dictators through questionable financial help and treating local workers as slaves. Early April (2010), papers in Niger carried reports of Chinese businesses imposing ‘unbearable’ conditions on local workers. They termed Chinese mining business in Niger as ‘colonies’ and compared the working conditions in these colonies to that in the infamous ‘Guantanamo Bay’. The Chinese Ambassador to Niger, Xia Huang, has denied the reports saying that it was a campaign of slander. But the charge refuses to go. The Niger media has been speculating about the role of the Chinese in the recent coup. Even the diplomatic circles are also a buzz with such reports. Many people blame China for the unstable political situation in the country and for ‘supporting’ the military to oust President Mamadou Tandja. Significantly, soon after coming to power, the new Junta has struck a US$ 5 billion oil contract with Chinese State owned CNPC and a US$ 300 million Uranium mining project with another Chinese State enterprise, Sino-U. China also displaced French Energy Group ‘Areva’ to gain monopoly in Niger's uranium sector. Variations of the Niger story are found in several African countries. Opposition politicians in Zambia blame Chinese mining companies of creating ‘slave labour’ conditions in the country. Earlier this year, more than 50 Zambian workers were arrested and charged with sabotage of a Chinese owned mine over a wage dispute. Five Zambians were shot by Chinese managers in a pay protest at Chambishi Copper Mine. In Zimbabwe, the Chinese are involved in carms supplies to President Mugabe government, which is universally held guilty of human rights violations and suprression of opposition campaign against campaign against ther regime. The Chinese Embassy held a formal birthday party for President Mugabe on Feb. 21. This is seen as a rare sign of foreign support for a leader who is derided by many Zimbabweans and criticised by the US and Europe. It was for the first time that Mugabe had visited a foreign Embassy since Zimbabwean independence in 1980. Not surprisingly, many lucrative mining rights were awarded to Chinese companies. Despite close economic relations with South Africa, the country’s trade unions objected to granting visas to more than 50 Chinese construction workers. The National Union of Mine Workers has lodged a written complaint with the Department of Labour against the plan. The Chinese Embassy, however, contended that these construction workers were on official visa for building new premises for Chinese consulate in Cape Town. There has been growing resentment against hiring of unskilled Chinese workers in various industries. In Tanzania too, there is growing resentment against import of Chinese labour. The protests have become louder after China's Beijing Songshanheli Mining Investment Co Ltd acquired a nickel mine and started importing labour and machinery from home. Local mining companies are upin arms saying that much of the equipment needed for the nickel mine is available in Tanzania itself; both industry, workers and political class contend that the Tanzanian youth can be trained for various mining works and they would be less expensive than imported Chinese workers. It is this tendency of Chinese to bring in men and machinery from home that makes people accuse China of following the footsteps of European colonisers who had subjugated the Asian and African countries during the 18th and 19th centuries.