This link has been bookmarked by 2 people . It was first bookmarked on 19 Jun 2008, by Dripa B.
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19 Jun 08
Dripa BChinese investment in African countries comes with few strings attached – which is exactly what concerns civil society organisations
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First of all, loans offered by China are not transparent and neither do they come with conditions on how the money should be spent. This could fuel corruption, as African governments are free to use the money as they wish. This could have negative results.
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You can’t just hand over a blank cheque to the minister of finance and assume everything will be okay. We the people need to know how the money will be spent. And China, or any other donor, needs to hold the recipient authorities accountable for that.
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Another point of concern among African civil society is the influx of Chinese labourers in Africa, a continent where millions of people are unemployed.
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‘‘Last year, operations at a Chinese-owned coal mine in the south of Zambia were suspended due to unsafe working conditions. Most labourers were half naked and didn’t have protective clothing, dust masks, hard hats or shoes.’’
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‘‘When a cabinet minister attempted to visit to the mine, Chinese managers prevented her from doing so. They said it was ‘their mine’. In the end the minister was given a tour. According to the minister’s report, the labourers were treated like animals. The mine was closed for a short while but then opened again.’’
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16 Jun 08
Bill BrydonCAPE TOWN, Jun 16 (IPS) - Chinese investment in African countries comes with few strings attached – which is exactly what concerns civil society organisations. During the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) held last week various mem
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