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I didn’t realize my earlier reblog of photos from the abandoned, uncompleted “Wonderland” amusement park outside of Beijing didn’t link back to a source. As it turns out, they’re from a wonderful, eerie, surreal set of photographs by David Gray of Reuters, carried by a number of news organizations and blogs late last year. Click through to see a more complete set of these pictures via The Atlantic.
![b-sama:
Q: So you think that criticism of China on both scores—cheating, so to speak, economically and being too comfortable with dictators politically—is often unfair and wrong?
A: Cheating is one thing, meddling in the markets is a whole other thing. Virtually all governments meddle in the commodities markets. Western governments are particularly egregious in this respect. The United States paid US$6 billion in commodity subsidies in 2010. OECD countries spend a total of US$226 billion on agricultural subsidies yearly. And in the EU, the Common Agricultural Policy sees some 40 billion euros spent on direct farm subsidies. So if meddling in the market is “cheating,” China has a lot of company. And the West has never had much of a problem dealing with despots and dictators if there is a benefit to be gained.
Q: For Third World nations, dealing with China rather than the West is often more attractive, you point out, not just for governments, but for the broad public. Why?
A: I think the reasons are quite clear. China pursues strictly business, symbiotic relationships, trading access to commodities for infrastructure, employment and other economic benefits. Take employment. The construction of the Imboulou Dam in [the Republic of the] Congo in 2010 employed 2,000 locals (compared to 400 Chinese). Survey results indicate that Africans much prefer to deal with the Chinese than with Westerners. In Ivory Coast, Mali, and Kenya, more than 90 per cent of respondents see China’s economic growth as “a good thing.” In Tanzania, 78 per cent agree, but only 36 per cent feel the same way about American influence. The difference is stark. Across the developing world, people want jobs, infrastructure and investment and the Chinese engagement does exactly that. Contrary to the assertions you commonly find in the Western media, I have seen no evidence that the Chinese are exploiting the countries they make deals with. In this sense these are old wives’ tales. To my mind, China’s strategy depends on mutually beneficial relationships—at least it has thus far.
(Read the entire interview here)](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5716ez8Ah1qd7grco1_500.jpg)
Q: So you think that criticism of China on both scores—cheating, so to speak, economically and being too comfortable with dictators politically—is often unfair and wrong?
A: Cheating is one thing, meddling in the markets is a whole other thing. Virtually all governments meddle in the commodities markets. Western governments are particularly egregious in this respect. The United States paid US$6 billion in commodity subsidies in 2010. OECD countries spend a total of US$226 billion on agricultural subsidies yearly. And in the EU, the Common Agricultural Policy sees some 40 billion euros spent on direct farm subsidies. So if meddling in the market is “cheating,” China has a lot of company. And the West has never had much of a problem dealing with despots and dictators if there is a benefit to be gained.
Q: For Third World nations, dealing with China rather than the West is often more attractive, you point out, not just for governments, but for the broad public. Why?
A: I think the reasons are quite clear. China pursues strictly business, symbiotic relationships, trading access to commodities for infrastructure, employment and other economic benefits. Take employment. The construction of the Imboulou Dam in [the Republic of the] Congo in 2010 employed 2,000 locals (compared to 400 Chinese). Survey results indicate that Africans much prefer to deal with the Chinese than with Westerners. In Ivory Coast, Mali, and Kenya, more than 90 per cent of respondents see China’s economic growth as “a good thing.” In Tanzania, 78 per cent agree, but only 36 per cent feel the same way about American influence. The difference is stark. Across the developing world, people want jobs, infrastructure and investment and the Chinese engagement does exactly that. Contrary to the assertions you commonly find in the Western media, I have seen no evidence that the Chinese are exploiting the countries they make deals with. In this sense these are old wives’ tales. To my mind, China’s strategy depends on mutually beneficial relationships—at least it has thus far.
West undermines Africa to thwart Chinese influence, says Thabo Mbeki →
THE West has a fear of China and that explains why it continues to undermine Africa’s independence, former South African president Thabo Mbeki said during a panel discussion on the challenges facing Africa. The event, on Thursday night, was part of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation’s commemoration of Africa Day. Mr Mbeki repeated his criticism of the West’s involvement in Libya, which led to the death of Muammar Gaddafi.
His concern was that the West was worried China would secure Africa’s resources for its own use and throw its weight around on the continent.
The intervention in the Libyan conflict was seen to have increased the West’s capacity to block China’s influence. Mr Mbeki said: “The West consulted the Arab League, but did not consult the African Union. I believe the problems in Libya could have been solved without the death of Africans. There was a determined offensive by western countries to undermine African independence. It seems to be driven by a phobia about China.”
Really? Libya was a tactic to thwart China’s influence in Africa? What in idiot.
China in Africa from Edward Bishop on Vimeo
A new mini-video by Edward Bishop: 6 minutes of fascinating Ghanaian-Chinese engagement with one European-American talking head (Deborah Brautigam) commenting
So much weirdness.
Photos of the day
A crowd of tourists run away as a tidal bore breaks through the dam by the Qiangtang River in Haining, China, Aug. 31, 2011. (AFP/Getty Images)
Ai Weiwei finds China’s capital is a prison where people go mad.
(Photo credit: Reuters/David Gray)
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500px / Photo “MG_7415 Spectrum” by David Orias
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