The price of Chinese oil
on January 11, 2006
Category: Corporate Watch, China, Conflict Mining/Resources, Human Rights, Niger Delta, Nigeria, Africa
Ethan of My Heart’s in Accra recently posted a piece on China asking "Chinese trade with Africa - good or bad news?
"I’m a firm believer that a positive transformation of the African continent will come from increased trade, both between African nations and with other continents. But it’s hard not to have mixed feelings about the news that trade between China and Africa has increased 39% over the last year."
As Ethan points out African countries like to trade with China as unlike with the West there are no conditions, no questions, just trade which especially suits repressive regimes like those in Zimbabwe and Sudan.
China’s latest move is a $2.27 billion deal to buy a 45 percent stake in a substantial offshore oil field in Nigeria
China needs oil, and China is working everywhere" said Shen Dingli, an international relations expert at Fudan University in Shanghai.
And what will be their approach towards the Niger Delta, it’s ecology and people? Will they continue the abusive bully boy tactics of the Western multinationals such as Chevron and Shell destroying the environment and people’s livelihoods? Or will they use a more inclusive and respective approach negotiating directly with local communities? Judging by China’s track record of human rights and respect of the environment in China and their record in Sudan, I suspect that little will change for the people of the Niger Delta and may in fact become worse.
Tags: China Niger Delta Nigeria Oil
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3 Comments so far
1. imnakoya
January 11th, 2006 at 5:51 am
Absolutely, little will change in the Niger-Delta. However, I hope now that there is democracy in Nigeria that its not all about the money- Nigeria also needs to acquire modern technology without sacrificing its environment and people.
2. Orikinla Osinachi
January 14th, 2006 at 1:26 pm
CNOOC will have no choice but to learn from the mistakes and failures of the Western oil majors in the Niger Delta of Nigeria or the Chinese will lose every cent of their billion dollar investment.
The future is greater and the future belongs to us.
3. Black River Eagle
January 21st, 2006 at 4:43 pm
The Dragon (PR China government & business interests) not only has an unquenchable thirst for cheap oil and gas but it has a thirst for blood as well. In Sudan we can already see that “it” can give a rat’s rear-end for the plight of the people in Darfur and/or in southern Sudan. The same is true in countries i.e. the D.R. Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, all over sub-Saharan Africa. In their own backyard (Asia) they are even worse (Myanmar-Burma, N. Korea, Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, etc. etc.).
Now Beijinx has come up with a new white paper titled “China’s African Policy” and their Foreign Minister is running around with his new China/Africa Win-Win initiative. Both strategy documents are about as empty on details as a dry well out on the Western Sahel. Read the documents yourself, they’re online and in English.
All the “new deals” China is making across the African continent right now are 100% contigent upon the African nation breaking diplomatic ties with Taiwan. And yet China claims it doesn’t mix business and politics in Africa and elsewhere. Right.
I’m gonna stay all over Beijing & Co.’s crooked rear-end on this one, all across Africa. Enter the Dragon: Meet the Dragonslayers. Whack!!