afrol News, 14 December - At a time African governments are rushing to China for stimulate their countries' economic development, the South African President warned that the continent must be wary of sinking into a "colonial relationship" with China.

Addressing students at a congress in Cape Town, South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki said Africa must not reduce itself to a mere supplier of raw materials in exchange for China's manufactured goods because there is a danger of entrenching such an unequal relationship.

"The potential danger in the relationship between Africa and China is that it is possible to build ... an unequal relationship, the kind that has developed between African countries as colonies - including this one - and the colonial powers."

"In terms of this, the African continent exported more material and imported goods, condemning it to underdevelopment, being only a supplier of raw materials. I am saying that this is a potential danger in terms of the relationship that could be constructed between China and the African continent," he said.

During the recent China-Africa summit, Chinese officials said their relations with Africa would be of interest to both and a large number of African countries signed million dollar trade and development deals with China.

Beijing has also forged strong relations with Pretoria and even supported Mr Mbeki's ruling African National Congress (ANC) to do-away with apartheid. President Mbeki himself was part of the African leaders that attended the last summit.

Mr Mbeki nevertheless said China must not be allowed come to Africa and dig for raw materials and thus go on selling its cheap manufactured goods to the continent.

Perhaps, most African heads of state have not seen the reason why China is scrambling for Africa but President Mbeki said it is mainly because the giant country needs raw materials, which includes oil and gas.

South Africa is also one of very few African countries that is directly threatened by China's booming manufacture industry, which relies on cheaper labour, more efficiency and more research funds than South Africa's emerging industry. South African products also stand at risk from being outmanoeuvred by Chinese industrials only shortly after it managed to enter the all-African market.

But in addition to South Africa, many other African countries have seen their first industries - in particular within the textile sector - threatened or outmanoeuvred by China's giant mass production. Countries from poor Lesotho to middle-income Mauritius already have seen Chinese competition impossible to meet - spelling danger for Africa's current efforts to industrialise.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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