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TV docu: this Africa that hurts China

captivating story * that of Roméo Langlois, Nicolas Germain and Yi Song in the heart of Chinafrique through his Zambia window. This East African country of 17 million inhabitants, of which 55% of the population is rural, is the one where Chinese foreign direct investments were the most important on the continent in 2020: 440 million dollars. In addition, it is home to the first Chinese economic cooperation zone in Africa following a decision taken in 2006 at the Economic Forum organized by the Middle Kingdom. Located in Chambishi on 11.58 square kilometers 70 kilometers from the Congolese border, the ZCCZ site is a multifunctional investment zone where “we do not talk about politics” and where the largest copper smelter in Africa is located. which at the same time is the largest Chinese foundry in the world. To date, it has attracted $ 2.7 billion in investment. It has 74 companies that have created some 10,000 jobs. These data should satisfy the Zambian and Chinese sides. Over the course of the report, we see that it is far from obvious. Approached at the height of men and women, the Chinese presence in Zambia mentioned in this documentary reveals the gap between the perception of the Chinese and that observed by the Zambians.

Chinese in conquest and enterprising

The citizens of the Middle Kingdom, attached to the public structure that is the ZCCZ or to a private, industrial or agricultural company, seem visibly satisfied with the environment offered to them by the Zambian government: purchase of land and rich soil , access to cheap labor, pleasant living environment, less stress compared to China, investment opportunities, multifunction platform, etc. Beyond that, on the strength of their capital, they built a police station, a residence for their staff, but also farms and factories, which were all the easier to make profitable as they responded to the demands of the local, regional and even international market. “This country is underdeveloped,” says a Chinese entrepreneur. “If you have the money to invest, there are a lot of opportunities,” he continues, explaining his background before being at the head of the company he currently runs in the country chaired by Edgar. Lungu since 2015.

To the question of whether China is not taking on too much importance in Africa, the answer is quite found for the boss of the ZCCZ and representative of the Chinese state at the head of the platform: “We are here to integrate ourselves. , to create jobs, contribute to the country’s fiscal resources, create value, ”he explains. And to conclude aware of the innuendo of rivalry with Western countries contained in the question: “It’s a win-win situation at the heart of a general network. In the wake of this senior official, one of the entrepreneurs, present in Zambia for 10 years and who was able to bring his parents, indicates that the cultural gap is narrowing between Chinese and Zambians. “I prefer to live here”, he explains before concluding: “If I had to go back to China, it would be difficult. ”

Zambians on the defensive, even hostile

Opposite, the testimony of the Zambians interviewed has another tone. Whether they are in state structures, trade unions or civil society, they express their doubt or hostility towards those who appear to them as the new bosses of the country. Directly or allusively, several themes come up: the opacity of transactions, the lack of transparency, the culture of secrecy, corruption, broken promises, deceptions, etc. Thus, an economic adviser to the Zambian president admits face camera that the country does not have the exact export figures of Chinese companies. “Transparency agreements exist,” he says, “but the lack of oversight makes it easier to lie”.

Another grievance on the part of the Zambian side: the low salaries of employees, the strong constraints linked to the pandemic, such as the inability to leave the quarantine area, the issue of safety and hygiene at work with this sequence where the same tip is presented to all workers at the entrance to a factory to check their blood alcohol level. President of the Zambian miners’ union, Joseph Chewe denounces the harshness of the Chinese in the negotiations relating to the length of working time. He invokes the difference in the relationship to death and concludes: “The Chinese are Chinese. ”

A phrase that says a lot about a real gap that the musician PilAto describes in his song “King’s Speech – Yama Chinese”. It is about the loss of sovereignty of the Zambians over their economy, their political and social system. The country’s leaders are castigated and called “stupid”. “Zambia belongs to the Chinese, starting with the roads”, sings PilAto who continues: “Even our tears belong to them. “And denounce a certain spirit that borders on lack of respect and a kind of Chinese” I don’t care. ” “They act without hiding, without restraint. They violate the Labor Code, engage in illicit transactions in an environment of impunity which makes them untouchable, ”he comments in the documentary.

China on a ridge line

Be that as it may, the dive offered by this documentary into the world of Chinafrique is interesting in that it shows that the all-out voluntarism of the Middle Kingdom, including in particular infrastructural and vaccine diplomacy, n has not swallowed up the critical retreat of certain Africans who are more and more distrustful of him. Nothing is therefore entirely won for China today in Africa. The Middle Empire has certainly become the great economic and geopolitical rival of Western countries, including the former imperial powers of France and Great Britain, but it has a sizeable challenge to take up: reassure about what is perceived on the continent as a hegemonic will. Proclaiming itself as a win-win partner, China feeds the fear among Africans of a recolonization that does not speak its name. In this regard, the way in which it will manage its African claims will be particularly scrutinized. No doubt, both in relation to governments and in the face of African public opinion, China is on a crest line.

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