What does China get out of helping Zimbabwe?

[james_tigerwoods]

BBC News said:

China has agreed to give Zimbabwe a loan of $950m (£573m) to help it revive its battered economy, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said.

Mr Tsvangirai had been criticised by supporters of President Robert Mugabe for failing to get more support during his recent trip to the West.

Mr Tsvangirai and Mr Mugabe formed a power-sharing government in February.

The government says it needs some $8bn (£4.8bn) to rebuild the country following years of collapse.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8126555.stm

As the title, what will china get out of this - Just a foothold in Africa?

And - how much will the country (as opposed to the likes of Mugabe) actually get?

[Eric Mc]

Kudos amongst other African nations.

It's what superpowers do - play around in different parts of the world trying to "win friends and influence people".

[Puggit]

China is quietly taking control of vast parts of Africa via economic means. For instance they own a huge chunk of Standard Bank, which is one of South Africa's big banks. It has presence across Sub-saharan Africa.

What do they get? Raw materials...

[james_tigerwoods]

Eric Mc said:

Kudos amongst other African nations.

Ah - The obvious answer that I'd forgotten about....

[vteclimey]

control and resources plus the chance to turn whole parts of africa anti-american / anti-europe.

[loltolhurst]

ha always wondered why big companies dont just buy huge bits of africa and turn them into solar energy farms for the world - is the tech not here yet?

[AndrewW-G]

As others have said it's all down to Africa’s untapped resources. Pre Mugabe Zimbabwe / Southern Rhodesia was one of the success stories in Africa, managing to not only feed it's people but also to earn substantial income from exporting the surplus, a good economy brought down by a dictator with a chip on his shoulder.............. Very similar to winky (bob of course has WON an election or two though)

[JMGS4]

diamonds, copper, pyrethrum, beef and slave lobour to grow or mine it.

[Jezza30]

Resources and mineral wealth - plus an unlimited supply of cheap labour when their people start having Western aspirations

[FourWheelDrift]

loltolhurst said:

ha always wondered why big companies dont just buy huge bits of africa and turn them into solar energy farms for the world - is the tech not here yet?

It is, but they are still driven by oil. Until that runs out they won't do anything worth the effort. Then there will no doubt be the amazing synthetic oil suddenly discovered just as fossil fuel oil starts to run out that comes before it as well.

[vteclimey]

Jezza30 said:

Resources and mineral wealth - plus an unlimited supply of cheap labour when their people start having Western aspirations

So far the chinese have been very bad at utilising local labour and have preferred shipping in chinese nationals to do the work, even low skill labour.

[james_tigerwoods]

I was going ask why China are getting involved in a democracy - then, a nanosecond later, thinking "duh!"

[Jimbeaux]

Puggit said:

China is quietly taking control of vast parts of Africa via economic means. For instance they own a huge chunk of Standard Bank, which is one of South Africa's big banks. It has presence across Sub-saharan Africa.

What do they get? Raw materials...

They will subjegate the natives next; it is their turn.

[Puggit]

Jimbeaux said:

Puggit said:

China is quietly taking control of vast parts of Africa via economic means. For instance they own a huge chunk of Standard Bank, which is one of South Africa's big banks. It has presence across Sub-saharan Africa.

What do they get? Raw materials...

They will subjegate the natives next; it is their turn.

In their own way, yes. Not quite the same style as colonialism. Unless of course they feel powerful enough...

[JakeR]

When (not if) Mugabe's crew dont pay the loan back, China will annex. Who would step in?

:wheresmytinfoilhat:

[james_tigerwoods]

JakeR said:

When (not if) Mugabe's crew dont pay the loan back, China will annex. Who would step in?

:wheresmytinfoilhat:

The African Nations will rise up and ..... I can't actually type that without laughing to myself....

[Jimbeaux]

Puggit said:

Jimbeaux said:

Puggit said:

China is quietly taking control of vast parts of Africa via economic means. For instance they own a huge chunk of Standard Bank, which is one of South Africa's big banks. It has presence across Sub-saharan Africa.

What do they get? Raw materials...

They will subjegate the natives next; it is their turn.

In their own way, yes. Not quite the same style as colonialism. Unless of course they feel powerful enough...

Probably through sweatshop labor practices. They will pay the local government well to turn a blind eye to it, the same way dominant tribes sold other tribesmen to the the slave traders back in the day. Most Chinese see non-Chinese people as barbarians anyway; therefore, they will have no moral objections to this.

[vteclimey]

JakeR said:

When (not if) Mugabe's crew dont pay the loan back, China will annex. Who would step in?

:wheresmytinfoilhat:

no need to step in, just keep taking payment in resources. the country will be in their pocket by then anyway and the local population will be too poor to be able to do anything about it. so long as the ruling party are looked after, no one will care.

[james_tigerwoods]

vteclimey said:

JakeR said:

When (not if) Mugabe's crew dont pay the loan back, China will annex. Who would step in?

:wheresmytinfoilhat:

no need to step in, just keep taking payment in resources. the country will be in their pocket by then anyway and the local population will be too poor to be able to do anything about it. so long as the ruling party are looked after, no one will care.

The "West" will care - they will hand-wring the situation to death....

[eldar]

james_tigerwoods said:

vteclimey said:

JakeR said:

When (not if) Mugabe's crew dont pay the loan back, China will annex. Who would step in?

:wheresmytinfoilhat:

no need to step in, just keep taking payment in resources. the country will be in their pocket by then anyway and the local population will be too poor to be able to do anything about it. so long as the ruling party are looked after, no one will care.

The "West" will care - they will hand-wring the situation to death....

Then buy the minerals & metals from the chinese....