Black, red and rising
January 26, 2010 by Jules
China business in Africa
(with apologies to a large European bank for the unintentional use of one of their pre-2008 advertising slogans in Asia).
China's investment in Africa is a fascinating subject.
Much like Japan did in the 60's, developing countries were seen by China in the mid 80's and 90's as a trial ground for bigger things in sophisticated markets.
Unlike Japan which was tied to the Washington consensus and already an industrial nation before WW2, China as a developing country came to evolve its own very efficient political and financial view of developing markets and nations.
Investigative journalism doesn't come much better than the 2009 book "China safari" (ISBN 978-1-56858-606-9) first published in French in 2008 under the title "La Chinafrique". France used to be the second biggest trading partner of Africa due to its former colonial ties with the North and West of the continent, hence its sensitivity to the matter.
This is a must read. It is even available at the friendship censored English (arrange the 3 previous words as you please) newsstand at HongQiao Airport, Shanghai.
The take: the Chinese in Africa viewed by the West, as approved and promoted by the communist party of China.
In: Market News