被误解的中非关系

    “众叛亲离者的靠山”

    其中一个面孔是专制政权的靠山。中国政府素以支持西方不会接触的专制政府而闻名。中方提倡“不干涉”政策，以此表明自己和非洲国家的内部事务毫无瓜葛。不干涉言不符实——虽然可以宣称中立，但投资总是支持和保护精英阶层，同时让他们变得富有。

    西方国家也应谨慎，以免采用双重标准。正如非政府组织人权观察（Human Rights Watch）在其文件中指出的那样，作为专制的一党制国家，埃塞俄比亚不仅得到了西方援助，还把这些援助当做统治工具——不同政见者和党外人士都不会获得援助。

    就算世界银行（World Bank）和IMF等西方出资人把“善政善治”作为贷款条件，来自西方的贸易和投资依然我行我素。除非有官方制裁，否则欧美商业银行就会向有利可图的领域提供贷款，这些贷款可不会和借款人的良好行为挂钩。

    “贫困无助的非洲人”

    非洲人并没有任人宰割。很多情况下，他们的角色是经验丰富的经纪人，在和中国政府打交道的过程中获利匪浅。只要有机会，他们就会精明地让其他人相互争斗。举例来说，安哥拉资源丰富，那里的国际竞争很激烈。安哥拉总统就曾对中国领导人说过这样一句名言：“你们并不是我们唯一的朋友。”

    有时，非洲国家可能也会处于劣势——但更多情况下它们似乎只是被新生意的规模给镇住了。正如《经济学人》（the Economist）杂志最近指出的那样，非洲国家的法规也许能保护劳动者和环境，但它们的政府往往过于弱小，因而无法落实这些法规。毫无疑问，一些中国经营者利用了这一点，而这样的行为有时会引发暴力冲突，就像去年的加纳非法采矿事件那样。

    虽然有人担心中国政府会惹恼当地人，但并没有数据表明非洲人正越来越敌视外国人。中国公司不招收非洲员工的报道看来毫无根据。虽然不经常进行大规模民意调查，但美国民调机构皮尤研究中心（Pew Center Research）在2007年进行的调查表明，一系列非洲国家，包括科特迪瓦、马里、肯尼亚、塞内加尔、尼日利亚、坦桑尼亚和埃塞俄比亚，都对中国政府态度友善，持这种观点的受访者所占的比例从67%到92%不等。

    非洲：准备腾飞

    非洲腾飞不是神话。许多机构、包括世界银行最近的研究结果也都认为，非洲在经济增长方面就要有令人瞩目的表现。过去几十年中，非洲一直处于健康水平低下，普遍欠发达和政治动荡状态，现在这块大陆也许终于为参与全球经济做好了准备。人们应该为此欢庆。无论美国在非洲崛起的过程中发挥怎样的作用，有一点我们可以确定，那就是中国绝不会只当观众。(财富中文网)

    译者：Charlie

"Patron of pariah states"

    One of those faces: patron of authoritarian regimes. Beijing has a reputation for supporting tyrants much of the West wouldn't touch. For its part, Beijing invokes a "non-interference" policy to excuse itself from domestic entanglements. Non-interference is a fiction -- while one may claim neutrality, investment always props up, insulates, and enriches the elites.

    Yet the West should be careful of invoking a double standard. As documented by the Human Rights Watch, Ethiopia -- an autocratic, one-party state -- has not only been supported by Western aid, but used that aid as a tool of oppression: by withholding it from dissenters and non-party members.

    Even where Western donors, like the World Bank or IMF, make loans conditional on good governance, Western trade and investment actors are more freewheeling. Unless official sanctions prevent them from doing so, American and European commercial banks extend loans where they see an opportunity for profit. Such loans do not hinge on good behavior.

"Those poor, helpless Africans"

    Africans are not passive victims. Often they are savvy brokers and, in their dealings with Beijing, secure good deals. When they can, they shrewdly play outsiders against one another. For example, there is abundant international competition in resource-rich Angola, whose president famously warned his Chinese counterpart, "You are not our only friends."

    Occasionally, perhaps, African states get the short end of the stick -- yet more often it seems they are simply overwhelmed by the volume of new business. As the Economist recently reported, rules in African countries may exist to protect workers and the environment, but institutions are often too weak to enforce them. Undoubtedly, some Chinese entrepreneurs take advantage, and occasionally that results in violent flare-ups, as it did last year over illegal mining in Ghana.

    Yet despite concerns that Beijing antagonizes locals, there is no data to suggest xenophobia in Africa is on the rise. Reports that Chinese firms don't hire African workers appear to be unfounded. And while extensive polls are not regularly conducted, a 2007 Pew Center Research survey found that in a range of African countries -- Ivory Coast, Mali, Kenya, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ethiopia -- between 67% and 92% of respondents held a favorable view of Beijing.

Africa: Prepped for Takeoff

    This one isn't a myth. By many estimates, including a recent study by the World Bank, Africa is primed for impressive economic growth. After decades of poor health, epidemic underdevelopment, and political instability, the continent may finally be positioned to join the global economy. This would be cause for celebration. And regardless of the U.S.'s role in Africa's rise, we can surmise this: Beijing is committed to be more than a spectator.