China's Balancing Act in Africa

Passion of the Present cites a long opinion piece by Paul Mooney entitled "Beijing's delicate balancing act in Africa" that appeared in the 17 January edition of International Herald Tribune. Here's a short snip.

Many African nations are pleased that no political strings are attached to China's friendship, with the obvious exception that they must not recognize Taiwan and must affirm the "one China" policy.

He Wenping, director of the African Studies Section at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, says that China and Africa share the view that countries should not meddle in each other's affairs. "We don't believe that human rights should stand above sovereignty," He says. "We have a different view on this, and African countries share our view."