As usual, 'The Speccie' comes up with a fascinating sideways look at something we mostly do not know and even if we did we would mostly ignore. This time, however, enlightenment comes, not from one of their distinguished essayists but from a reader - and no, not me! It is Mr. Geoff Neden from Shropshire - lucky bugger, it's a beautiful county! Sorry I can't reprint it because they do not show the letters page on their site, so you will just have to go out and buy a copy!
Mr. Neden takes exception to last week's leading article which complained that "It is unrealistic to expect that we can achieve what China has in Africa over the past decade". He actually breathes a sigh of relief because he believes that what the Chinese have done in Africa over recent decades amounts to economic rape and pillage! He specifies some examples, beginning with the (in)famous 'TanZam' railway which was financed not by a grant from China but by a loan - and you can guess who nicked the cream off that! All the designs, engineers, machinery, materials - and the labour(!) were Chinese. When the 600+km railway was finished, it was found that the lines had been laid too high and the Botswana government (= the people) had to relay every level crossing at its own expense. Needless to say, the governments concerned remain in debt to the Chinese government.
Time to change Virgil's old saying to "Beware the Chinese bearing gifts"!
You can also say nobody exploits blacks like other blacks too.
Posted by: Whitewall | Friday, 07 September 2018 at 17:26