4mo ago

China, Tanzania and Zambia sign initial agreement on key railway project - CNA

www.channelnewsasia.com China, Tanzania and Zambia sign initial agreement on key railway project

BEIJING: China, Tanzania and Zambia signed an initial agreement on a railway project aimed at improving the rail-sea intermodal transportation network in East Africa, Chinese state media said on Wednesday (Sep 4). President Xi Jinping witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding on a Tan...

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/41400491

World News @lemmy.ml

China, Tanzania and Zambia sign initial agreement on key railway project - CNA

www.channelnewsasia.com /east-asia/china-tanzania-zambia-agreement-railway-project-transport-route-4585271

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They're not going to like it when China tells them it's payback time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt-trap_diplomacy
- West: exploits countries, gives nothing back
  China: exploits countries, gives public transport and jobs at high price
  Western citizens: Hah! Look at those dumb countries!
  
  Why don't you look into how much of Ethiopia's GDP goes to paying back China.
  
  Why don't you look into how much of Africa's resources exit the continent for Western use at a fraction of the actual price?
  Who do you think put African countries in the precarious positions they are in where they feel nearly obliged to look at seemingly better deals?
  
  Ethiopia isn't giving over 10% of their GDP to Western countries.
  I know, I know, "West bad, China good." Believe it or not, this isn't some sort of balancing act. Both the U.S. and China can have imperialist intentions in Africa. You don't have to defend one to condemn the other.
  
  You didn't grasp what I wrote. Let me spell it out for you: Bad west make Africa poor. Poor Africa want better option. Poor Africa make better deal (still bad though) with bad China. Better not always mean good.
  Do you understand now?
  
  Okay. Sure. The better of two terrible options. Sort of like the least smelly turd.
  
  Yep, but who's going to give them a better option? Western citizens would have to vote for governments that don't consider exploitation a "necessary evil" and for politicians that want enforcement of a fair trade supply chain. A prosperous Africa would mean more legal and most importantly highly skilled immigration.
  But western citizens aren't willing to accept higher prices for goods as a result, so they don't vote that way. Instead it's easier to consume indiscriminately and whine when the people living in squalor dare look for a better life abroad.
- https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/02/china-debt-trap-diplomacy/617953/
  
  Thanks for the paywalled op ed.
  
  Here's an archive link lmao
  
  Strangely, an archive link doesn't make it not an opinion article.
  
  Strangely, I'm not surprised at all that a LW user can't read
  
  You are violating our civility rule. Please do not do so again.

21 comments