Chinese business not immune to African turmoil

By Pang Zhongying

Global Times, April 21, 2011

They pick foreign partners without a full and informed knowledge of how business is done.

They look for "stable" regimes, but fail to consider that imposed stability often overlies fermenting unhappiness and disorder beneath.

The West often slams Chinese investment in Africa, but not always in a negative spirit. Sometimes Western critics speak from their greater experience and knowledge.

For instance, several foreign experts on Sino-Africa relations have repeatedly pointed out that China could not avoid facing challenges in Africa just because it is a developing nation with a different diplomatic strategy to the Western world.

Chinese enterprises will also suffer setback and frustrations, as the West has done in Africa. It's no easy job for foreign nations to find a footing in the African continent.

China started to establish relations with African nations about 50 years ago. Enthusiastic about promoting South-South cooperation after World War II during a wave of decolonization, China swiftly developed its ties with African countries, many of which were socialist regimes at that time.

However, the West has a much longer memory with African business, a history of trade, slavery, colonization, decolonization and development aid with Africa.

No matter what diplomatic policies and principles China takes to Africa, including backing developing nations to follow their own choices rather than a forced route, 50 years' of contact is not enough for both cultures to understand one another well.

China still needs to learn from Europeans and Americans about how to get along well with Africans.

Only by turning to both past wisdom from China and past experience from the West can China successfully "go global."

The author is a professor at the School of International Studies, the Renmin University of China. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn