On 16 Jul, 17:23, nada <dwalters...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Jul 16, 8:52 am, John Holmes <jhol...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Tue, 15 Jul 2008, nada wrote:
> > > On Jul 15, 12:20 pm, John Holmes <jhol...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > >> On Tue, 15 Jul 2008, nada wrote:
> > >>> Chinese state capitalism in action...wannabe imperialists:
>
> > >>> China steps up investment in Congo as war in east continues
> > >>> By John Farmer and Ann Talbot
> > >>> 15 July 2008
>
> > >>> The Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the process of
receiving=
$9
> > >>> billion of Chinese investment in what has been dubbed Congo=92s
> > >>> =93Marshall Aid Plan,=94 a reference to American refinancing of
Eur=
ope at
> > >>> the end of the World War II.
>
> > >>> The Chinese are not concerned with rebuilding the economy in Congo
> > >>> after the destruction of the 1998-2003 war, in which more than
five
> > >>> million people died, mainly from disease and starvation. The
accord
> > >>> between China and DRC signed on January 28 is meant to provide
Chin=
a
> > >>> the much needed cheap resources for its booming economy=97and the
C=
ongo
> > >>> elite greater op****tunities to enrich themselves.
>
> > >>> China=92s Ex****t Im****t Bank, Exim, pledged finance for major road
=
and
> > >>> rail construction projects and for the rehabilitation of its
mining
> > >>> sector, badly damaged by years of war, corruption and neglect.
> > >>> According to re****ts, China has already dispatched 5,000
containers
> > >>> holding mining equipment to renovate mines involved in Katanga
> > >>> province. Oliver Kamatu, DRC planning minister, said $3 billion
wil=
l
> > >>> go towards bringing mining back into operation and $6 billion on
> > >>> infrastructure projects.
>
> > >>> Full:http://wsws.org/articles/2008/jul2008/cong-j15.shtml
>
> > >> Weird posting, David.
>
> > >> This is *much* better than one would have expected from the Chinese
> > >> Stalinists.
>
> > >> After the US-sponsored war which killed some 4 million people, the
> > >> Chinese are rebuilding, clearing the mines, doing all the things
tha=
t
> > >> the USA should be doing and isn't and never would.
>
> > >> A Marshall Plan for the Congo. Cool!
>
> > >> The source says they aren't really concerned with the people of the
> > >> Congo so much as China's needs? Well, what do you expect? They are
> > >> Stalinists, after all.
>
> > >> -jh-
>
> > > These investments help nobody but the Chinese companies involved. As
> > > is well known, Chinese companies work on a profit and loss system,
> > > just like US or French companies do. They are known as ruthless
> > > exploiters of their workforces, again, no different than imperialist
> > > ones. They are akin to Taiwanese and Korean companies who are
> > > *notorious* for violence against their workers, anti-unionism and
par=
t
> > > time work.
>
> > > The Chinese are *practicing* at being imperialists. And doing a good
> > > job, I might add.
>
> > > David
>
> > Hasty reading on my part. I thought they were clearing minefields, not
> > just clearing out mines. But still, nine billion in investment and
> > rebuilding of infrastructure seems likely to help the Congolese
> > economy a lot, and therefore the people of the Congo. The assertion by
> > the Northites that this "Marshall Plan" is "not concerned with
> > rebuilding the economy" seems based only on their political
> > prejudices, not any facts in the posting.
>
> > The Chinese companies investing in Africa are, my impression is,
> > privately owned, and therefore wannabe Chinese imperialists, and have
> > been known to ruthlessly exploit workforces, not least in China itself
> > of course. I recall we had a posting here on apst a few months ago in
> > which a Chinese embassador to one on the African countries gave 'em a
> > public slap on the wrist for giving China a bad name.
>
> > But that nine billion in investment surely mostly was from the
> > government, not from the companies, and must be largely in the form of
> > aid or low-interest loans, as the Congo is far too broke to be able to
> > get that much aid any other way.
>
> > -jh-
>
> But John, all imperialist investment does the *exact same thing*.
> Certainly you are not for *imperialist* investment that contorts local
> economies around ex****t capitalism are you? What *difference* is there
> between Chinese investments and Imperialist ones, pray tell? Does the
> local victims, the working class and farmers, see a difference?
>
> Davide
The major difference between Chinese investments and imperialist ones
is that the imperialists would want to bomb the place first with
'shock and awe' tactics, remove the government and set up a puppet one
and kill a large ****tion of the civilian population before it
invested. Those who resisted these policies would be branded
'terrorists' and shot.
Roger
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