China not neocolonialist
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Mutual benefits and respect distinguish China's presence in Africa from Western colonialists and profiteers.
Recently, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Jean Ping, mentioned in his new book, Africa Will Shine Brighter than a Thousand Flames, that Africa is in danger of "being colonized again" by the West in the post-Cold War period, and many African countries fear that their former exploiters are coming back.
This reminds us of a word very popular in the Western media - neocolonialism. It's a word usually used in connection with China.
Chinese people and most Africans will never accept that China is neocolonialist. They think it absurd. Why then are some Western media so anxious to put the neocolonialist label on China?
There are two reasons. On the one hand, the West, up to now, still enjoys worldwide media dominance. On the other hand, it seems that China's rebuttals and clarifications are not eloquent enough. It has now become a serious issue that affects the country's image and a nation's reputation.
When accusing China of being neocolonialist, Westerners usually say that China is "plundering Africa's resources" and "dumping goods in Africa" and that Chinese enterprises evade social responsibility in Africa. However, this is not only misleading, it's wrong.
The fact is that China's practice in Africa is fundamentally different from that of the Western colonialists. For decades, the development of Sino-African relations in every field has been firmly based on equality, mutual benefit and reciprocity.
China has never defrauded Africa of one inch of land, and has never forcibly acquired even a small amount of resources in Africa. This is a world of difference from the centuries of Western colonialism, which rampantly plundered Africa.
Take energy and resources for example. Each barrel of oil China buys from African countries is priced through equal agreement and in accordance with the international market price.
China's energy cooperation with Angola and Sudan has made the two war-torn countries acquire a completely different outlook, especially the significant improvements in infrastructure.
Meanwhile, we can see that, even today, the pricing power of Africa's most profitable mineral resources is still firmly held by Western multinational corporations, and as a result, African countries have benefited little from the exploitation of their resources. This is why African countries universally welcome China's involvement and insist on cooperation with China.
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