Africans marvel, fret at China's hard workers

So, you finally started noticing.

by the way:

1) The chinese dont always work hard, there's buddhist monks as well. And a couple of milleniums tradition of becoming a hermit and painting, or writing poetry.

2) At least the europeans employed Africans as maids and cooks, the Chinese dont usually do that.

3) On Average, a Mainland chinese is probably the most racist person in the world, since the Chinese classify everybody by ethnicity, not country.

4) The Chinese, (and Vietnamese from French Indo china at the time) have been in Africa from about 200 years onwards. They were imported as bonded labourers after the slave trade was abolished, along with Indians. And because at the time it was thought that European workers were more prone to tropical diseases, so they moved "natives" around the empires. (which is why there are historical mentions of vietnamese in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea a hundred years ago.)

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5891

Do try to catch up with your history, please.

This is in response to the previous comment:

I fail to see the point in the poster's comment, nevertheless:

"1) The chinese dont always work hard, there's buddhist monks as well. And a couple of milleniums tradition of becoming a hermit and painting, or writing poetry."

This is rather offensive (and I'm not even Chinese) because of the level of ignorance in this statement. Completely forgetting that the Chinese have produced some of the most important inventions in history (paper, gunpowder, printing and the like), since when has it been a Chinese "tradition" to become a hermit, paint or write poetry? I think somebody needs a little more exposure to different cultures. On the whole, the Chinese are known for a good work ethic, although people will be people and certain individuals will either be lazy or hard-working. Generalising is thus a bad idea in general (except for this generalisation).

"2) At least the europeans employed Africans as maids and cooks, the Chinese dont usually do that."

Perhaps that indicates that the Chinese do their own chores? Besides, they employ Africans in their mines and other investments. Chinese people are assumedly coming to Africa in their droves because there needs to be some expertise in existence which is something that is lacking in Africa in many cases.

"3) On Average, a Mainland chinese is probably the most racist person in the world, since the Chinese classify everybody by ethnicity, not country."

And yet, you classified whole groups of people yourself in your comment. Also, generalising is a no-no. Also, you're talking crap in general.

"4) The Chinese, (and Vietnamese from French Indo china at the time) have been in Africa from about 200 years onwards. They were imported as bonded labourers after the slave trade was abolished, along with Indians. And because at the time it was thought that European workers were more prone to tropical diseases, so they moved "natives" around the empires. (which is why there are historical mentions of vietnamese in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea a hundred years ago.)"

Not sure of the truth value of this statement, but I fail to see the point here?

"Do try to catch up with your history, please."

Ditto.

Why do Africans have to wait for Chinese or European to start business for them and get hired by immigrants? Those people come with their brains and hands and Africans have them too. We have colleges that offer all kind of degrees, we have banks, we borrow money from IMF, World Bank... We get loans... Why do we have to be spectators and watch what those so called hard workers do in our countries? What is the African elite doing?

What is the African elite doing? Shopping - and not in Chinese shops. But why does it have to be the elite that does something about the economy? In Taiwan (which was a poor country 40 years ago) the ordinary people rely on money that they make themselves, often in their own businesses. In South Africa many immigrants make a living this way.

I think the main difference between Chinese entrepreneurship and western business is that they target local consumers needs to a greater degree. Western companies often limit their engagement in Africa to extractive industries and if a road or a railway is built it is built to take those resources out. China on the other hand sees a road or a railway as an opportunity not only to take resources at low prices but also to do more business for that country by building it, maintaining it and using it to sell their consumer products. Both rely on heavily corrupting government officials.

But the danger to the African engagement with China is that the west never sent millions of its people to Africa. China on the other hand with its labor problem looks to Africa to solve that problem by flying in hundreds of thousands of their workers for even the most mundane work. I have been on planes from China to Africa and they are packed with the kind of people you could find in the typical African village. These people work hard not because they are innately hard workers but because the conditions under which they work is almost akin to slavery. They are kept apart from the African people so that their employers can control them completely and so that the labor does not develop legs (literally). The host nation does not know the kind of labor being brought in nor the ridiculously low amounts of money these people are paid.

China is succeeding in an Africa that is full of ignorance and lazy government officials. I hope Africans will start to demand much more from China than becoming a dumping ground for their low-wage labor and excess population. With unemployment well over 20% in many countries, Africa does not need a Chinese friendship that flashes money with one hand and takes most of it back through their companies and workforce.