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29th Mar 2024

China's policies with 'oppressive' African states knocked by MEPs

MEPs have criticised China for its "trade only, no politics'" approach to Africa, which sees it collaborate with some of the African continent's most oppressive regimes in its quest for raw materials.

"China's ‘no-conditions' investments in those African countries misgoverned by oppressive regimes contribute to perpetuating human-rights abuses,'' reads a resolution passed by 618 MEPs to 16 in the parliament on Wednesday (23 April).

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The text also calls on the EU to uphold its arms embargo on China, so long as Beijing "continues to export arms to armed forces and armed groups in countries, many of them in Africa, that fuel and perpetuate conflicts and perpetrate gross violations of human rights."

The Chinese ask-no-questions policy has been most widely criticised due to China's dealings with Sudan. It has been found to have supplied arms to the country that since 2003 has been wracked by violent conflict between the Arabic-speaking Islamist government and the mostly Christian and animist black rebels in its Darfur region.

In addition, Beijing has in the past proved an effective diplomatic ally for Khartoum within the United Nations Security Council.

The parliament's criticism is certain to be ignored, as China is being driven by an ever greater need for oil and gas. In 2003, it became the second-largest oil consumer and its demand is expected to double by 2025.

Some 30% of China's crude oil imports now come from Africa, and oil accounts for 50 percent of Africa's exports to China.

More specifically, CNPC (a Chinese state-owned oil company) is estimated to control between 60 and 70 percent of Sudanese oil production while Angola was China's largest oil supplier in 2006, and 28 percent of the Asian giant's oil and gas comes from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Undermining Europe's approach

The EU, which is the biggest donor to Africa, has woken up relatively late both to the extent of China's influence in the continent and the potential for African countries to supply raw materials of which the 27-nation bloc also has need.

The resolution says that Beijing's approach is undermining Europe's quid pro quo approach, which ties aid to certain reforms.

"China's emergence as a further alternative aid donor is challenging the EU's conditional approach towards African governments with a view to securing political reforms," it says.

MEPs stressed the "need to strengthen the impact of EU policies in Africa" and urged the "EU to develop a coherent strategy to respond to the new challenges raised by emerging donors in Africa, such as China."

The EU's most recent meeting with African states in December was not a showcase for coherency. At the bilateral summit, the first in seven years, which had been billed as a meeting of equals, there were clashes over human rights issues and how to deal with Beijing's involvement in the continent.

But the EU has in the past said it believes Africa's relations with China will change.

"This idyllic relationship between Africa and China is inevitably going to end," EU development commissioner Louis Michel said earlier this year.

The EU criticism of Beijing's Africa policy comes at a time when international criticism of Beijing and its policies are widespread.

Activists have taken advantage of the spotlight on China ahead of the Olympics in August to protest its recent crackdown on Tibet.

Individual EU leaders' reactions to the Tibet situation have been disparate, reflecting a fear of upsetting China, which could possibly lead to unwanted economic and trade repercussions.

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