CHINA AND OPPRESSIVE GOVERNMENTS IN AFRICA

What I have tried to establish here is that the Chinese, as much as they proffer friendship for Africans, they are just as manipulative as their western counterparts: they are only interested in the natural resources of Africa.  They know exactly what the arms they were shipping to Zimbabwe would be used for, but why would they bother about the fact that thousands of Africans might die from the 3 million rounnds of ammunition, 1500 rocket propelled grenades and 3000 mortar bombs and rocket launchers.  African lives are meaningless.  They would rather maintain a cordial relation with an oppressive government than worry about such mundane things as thousands of lives being obliterated.

On Saturday, April 19, a Chinese ship carrying arms and ammunitions destined for Zimbabwe left the ports at Durban, South Africa, after the Durban High Court ordered that its cargo could not be transported to the crisis-ridden Zimbabwe.  The Court had responded to an application made by two South African human rights organizations on behalf of other civil society groups concerned that the arms would be used to target innocent civilians in Zimbabwe.

The cargo that the Chinese ship, An Yue Jiang, was carrying included three million rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 1500 rocket propelled grenades and more than 3000 mortar bombs and rocket launchers.
Even before the High Court’s ruling, the South Africa dock workers had refused to unload the cargo, from where it would have been transported by road to Zimbabwe.  The Zimbabwe military had ordered the arms during the March 29 election, ostensibly to use it in intimidating the opposition and its supporters.  However, according to the South African Defence Secretary, the shipment had been approved by the South African National Conventional Arms Control Committee.  He said that “this is a normal transaction between two sovereign states and we don’t have to interfere.”

But a spokesperson for the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) reacted angrily, and said “We do not believe it will be in the interest of the Zimbabwean people in general if South Africa is seen to be a conduit of arms and ammunition into Zimbabwe at a time when the situation could be described as quite volatile.”

Reacting to the controversy surrounding the shipment, a Chinese Ministry spokeswoman Jian Yu defended the shipment, and hoped that there wouldn’t be any attempt at politicizing the arms cargo.  “This is normal trade in military products between the two countries.  The relevant contract was signed last year and has nothing to do with the situation in Zimbabwe,” she said to reporters in Beijing.

“As Zimbabwe could not receive the cargo as scheduled, China Ocean Shipping Corp, (China’s state-owned shipping company), had to give up the Durban port and is now considering carrying back this cargo,” she said. 

From Zimbabwe, the Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, representing the ruling ZANU-PF party, defended the arms import.  “It’s our sovereign right to defend ourselves, it’s our sovereign right to buy weapons from any legitimate source worldwide and we don’t need clearance from anyone.”
After the ship left Durban, it was rumored that it would be going to Angola, where its President is very friendly with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.  But when we contacted the Angolan officials in New York, they assured us that their government had refused the ship authorization to dock in Angolan waters.
Due to world pressure, China has now decided to recall the ship back to China.
The arms shipment to Zimbabwe by the Chinese at this crisis-ridden period in the country, calls into question the relationship between the Chinese and Africa, how they view us as pawns in their chess-board of international manipulation.  The Chinese are arguing that the contract for the shipment was concluded last year, but it decided to effect the shipment at this time without pausing to think what those arms would be used for, taking into consideration the volatile situation in Zimbabwe.

The Chinese cannot pretend that they are not aware of what the situation is in Zimbabwe.  Election was held on March 29, 2008, on what I must acknowledge was a fairly free and fair election.  The opposition won a majority of seats to the parliament, winning 107 seats in the 210 seats house, denying Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF any further control of legislative process.

Unfortunately, since then, the presidential election result is yet to be announced, although from all evidence it is apparent that President Mugabe lost the election.  How do I come to this conclusion.  Well, let’s just recount what has been going on .  Immediately after the election, the ZANU-PF held an emergency meeting, in which it decided that the party would participate in a run-off.  This is before the vote for the presidency was announced.  During the 28th year independence celebration, Mugabe dusted off the old nemesis, Britain, as the culprit of what ails Zimbabwe.  As much as I would agree that Britain is culpable in a lot of ways in what went on in Zimbabwe, after 28 years of independence, should we continue to accept the old tired cliche.  On Wednesday, April 23, an article in the government-controlled newspaper, the Herald, called for a coalition government, but a coalition government headed by the incumbent president, since as it implied, none of the contestants had won outright, i.e. more than 50% of the presidential vote.

Obviously, given these facts, the government apparati must know the results of the presidential election, otherwise why would they be making these suggestions?

What I have tried to establish here is that the Chinese, as much as they proffer friendship for Africans, they are just as manipulative as their western counterparts: they are only interested in the natural resources of Africa.  They know exactly what the arms they were shipping to Zimbabwe would be used for, but why would they bother about the fact that thousands of Africans might die from the 3 million rounnds of ammunition, 1500 rocket propelled grenades and 3000 mortar bombs and rocket launchers.  African lives are meaningless.  They would rather maintain a cordial relation with an oppressive government than worry about such mundane things as thousands of lives being obliterated.

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