CHINA’S “WIN-WIN” POLICY ON AFRICA IS A FAKE

On the diplomatic platform China tells the world that its foreign policy towards Africa is branded “Win-win”. However on the ground the realities are different. Here are some Zambian examples.

1. It’s almost impossible for a Zambian company to run a business in China, yet the Chinese own over 90% of government construction contracts and is registering new business every day. Even a US company has to partner with a Chinese to operate in China. Even, Facebook has failed to penetrate that market for both political and business reasons.

2. China is not keen on setting up processing industries in Zambia, they would rather get raw materials and keep their factories in China running while they dump finished products on our market.

3. No Zambian owned business can be named “Zambia Hardware” in China yet we have a lot of Chinese owned business using the name “China” and branded in mandarin. By 2030, Kafue road will look like a street in Shanghai.

4. A Zambian offender in China is quickly prosecuted and jailed by one of the swiftest justice systems in the world yet 31 illegal Chinese miners in Zambia were pardon after one diplomatic complaint from Beijing.

5. Some Chinese were almost recruited as police reserves in Zambia, a move that can’t happen in their communist country.

6. A Zambian can’t own land in China, yet in Zambia we even process papers on their behalf through ZDA and give them massive hectares. Latest information is that they have even started selling land. Shame!

7. A Zambia caught selling counterfeit Chinese products in China can get up to 10 years in a Chinese prison yet in Zambia a Chinese selling fake Bata shoes was only fined K1,800.

8. A Chinese company can obtain licences and patents in Zambia within a week yet in China even Donald Trump only managed to get one patent after he became president due to their strigent rules bent on protecting chinese products.

9. In China a Zambian can get lengthy sentences for corrupt practices yet in Zambia the Chinese have institutionalized their corruption that has gotten most PF Ministers filthy rich as they continue to side line Zambian companies from most of the infrastructure projects, even sidelining the competent Zambia National Service.

10. In China, a Zambian company or any other foreign company will undergo massive restrictions to penetrate the 1.6 billion market yet in Zambia they come with their own bank of china lending at 0%, underpay workers, use and dump cheap raw materials from China and basically put Zambia companies out of business.

11. For a Zambian to get employment in China outside diplomatic service he or she will be heavily vetted using strict immigration rules, yet Zambia accepts Chinese prisoners who can’t even utter a single word in English to work as crane drivers and welders. We even witnessed footage of how a young chinese immigrant was openly rude towards a senior immigration official.

This is how flawed the so called ”win-win” policy which Zambia and other African countries have been duped over and have embraced is. China is now controlling Zambia though huge debts and joint ventures were they are having a controlling stake. The next phase we are entering is a situation where a significant amount of our GDP will be attributable to Chinese companies. It’s just a matter of time before Zambia becomes a de factor Chinese protectorate. A protectorate being a territory that is allowed to be independent in internal affairs but is controlled by another bigger state. The strategy by China was exposed through the Topstar Joint Venture. They will mostly use the same the same structures to control commercial operations of KKIA, Ndola Airport, Kafue Gorge Hydro Power and many other facilities in the pretext of managing the debts. We could be a de –facto protectorate if we allow PF to trade-off our sovereignty by losing control of state enterprises and national budget. From debts at 53% of GDP, the World Bank predicts Zambia reaching 69% in 2019.

Richard W.

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