And what’s the real deal behind the unrelenting bad press for Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe? (Not that we are Mugabe fans here, but anyone who gets trashed regularly in the mainline…sorry…stream media invites lively curiosity, if not outright solicitousness from us). Well, here’s what:
“In April 2007 the chairman of China’s top political advisory body, Jia Qinglin, head of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples’ Political Consultative Conference, flew to Harare to meet with Mugabe. It was a follow-up to the 2006 Beijing China-Africa Cooperation Summit where the Chinese government invited the heads of more than 40 African states to discuss relations. Africa has become a diplomatic and economic priority for China and its economy.
At that time, Beijing got an open invitation to help develop dormant mines in the country. The deputy speaker of Zimbabwe’s parliament called for more Chinese investment in the country’s mining sector, according to China’s Xinhua news agency. Zimbabwe’s mining laws were changed to allow the government to reallocate mining claims that were not being exploited.
Mining generates half of Zimbabwe’s export revenue. It is the only sector in the country that still has foreign investors after the collapse of the main agricultural sector. Western companies with mining claims in Zimbabwe were not exploiting them. “We would appeal to the Chinese government to come in full force to exploit these minerals,” Zimbabwean Deputy Parliamentary Speaker, Kumbirai Kangai said to the official Xinhua.
Kangai assured potential Chinese investors that they would not expose themselves to legal action if they took over claims held by Western companies.
A few months after, in December 2007, Chinese company, Sinosteel Corporation, acquired 67 percent stake in Zimbabwe’s leading ferrochrome producer and exporter Zimasco Holdings.Zimasco Holdings is the fifth largest high carbonated ferrochrome producer in the world. It used to produce 210,000 tons of high-carbon ferrochrome per year, nearly all of it along the mineral-rich Great Dyke, accounting for 4 percent of global ferrochrome production.
Zimasco has also the world’s second largest reserves of chrome, after South Africa. It was formerly owned by Union Carbide Corporation, now part of Dow Chemicals Corp.
Oh, oh! Alarm bells went ringing in London and in Washington at that news….”
More by the straight-talking Bill Engdahl.
Two points here. Criticisms of Mugabe seem less based on Chinese involvement that the simple fact that Zimbabwe has the most screwed up economy on planet Earth. China really isn’t doing Mugabe much good since the economy continues its descent into the abyss of hyperinflation. According to an undercover BBC report, prices are rising there at a rate of 70% a DAY. We’re talking millions of percent per year. This puts it on par with Weimar.
Second, when all is said and done, I have no problem with US operatives scheming to play some geopolitical chess with the Chinese. I have no desire to have Chinese totalitarian collectivism dictate terms for the 21st century and remake the world in its image. Lefties like Engdahl seem to think the Chinese or the Russians don’t have their own secret govt agencies advancing their own interests at the same chess game. Wake up — it’s a world run by worst side of human nature.
OK….I’m alright with that.
But some background is needed here. The Chinese are trying to find a haven for their savings in dollars and are buying investments where they can find them…there’s no law which says the earth and its resources are by fiat western.
Re – the inflationary spiral
Why should anyone…Americans or Chinese… dictate terms to the whole world? I actually don’t think anyone can. If you can persuade with arguments, or culture or cash..fine; dictate to the world. But no need to dictate with weapons I think.
Besides which, libertarians (I think Engdahl is a libertarian more than he is anything else) don’t confuse the Chinese or Americans with their governments…
All governments have agendas. If we must have government, let’s have multiple governments that act as a restraint on each other. Checks and balances. I think you’re overlooking the almost ludicrous overweighting in favor of the US military versus most other militaries.
A multipolar world is a whole lot better than Pax Americana or Pax Sinensis (??) Not sure if I got that right!
Lila
Here are Engdahl’s credentials:
Bill Engdahl is a leading researcher, economist and analyst of the New World Order who’s written on issues of energy, politics and economics for over 30 years. He contributes regularly to publications like Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Foresight magazine, Grant’s Investor.com, European Banker and Business Banker International. He’s also a frequent speaker at geopolitical, economic and energy related international conferences and is a distinguished Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization where he’s a regular contributor.
I doubt that Grant’s would be taking commentary from some flaky “leftist” – whatever that might mean.