China and Africa – a series

As the Olympics approach, I share some entries on the growing relationship between China and Africa. The Asian Dragon (as it is known) is increasingly becoming a key player in the continent. While the US was focused on looking for terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, China has been quietly increasing its influence in many countries in Africa. Driven by an insatiable thirst for natural resources and unconcerned by human right records, the Chinese have been slowly seducing African leaders into giving them unhindered access to the continent’s most precious resources.

Some have suggested that Sudan’s continuing precarious situation where a government bluntly kills its people has much to do with China’s hesitation to speak against it (For more information on the Sudan issue click here) The world is changing the West (read: US, Europe and Japan) is not as influential as it used to be. In the next entries, I will be exploring the effects of China’s growing influence in Africa considering the good, the bad and the ugly.