南非總統警告西方勿對非洲說教應反思投資戰略
英國《金融時報》3月4日刊發題為《南非總統警告西方勿對非洲說教》的文章,祖馬告誡西方,不要反對非洲國家與中國往來,而是要反思自己的投資戰略。主要內容如下:
南非總統雅各布·祖馬(Jacob Zuma)警告西方企業,它們必須改變對非洲的“殖民主義”老方式,否則就將在中國和其它大型發展中國家不斷加速的競爭麵前失去更多。
祖馬在接受采訪時對英國《金融時報》表示,西方國家的企業和政府存在一個“心理上的問題”,仍傾向於對非洲進行說教。他建議西方不要警告非洲國家提防中國的擁抱,同時反思西方本身的投資戰略。
“我曾對西方國家的私營部門人士說:‘瞧。如果你們希望重新得到非洲,你們就必須改變自己與非洲打交道的方式。如果你想把非洲當作一個前殖民地來對待……那麽人們就會轉向以不同方式對待自己的新夥伴,”他表示。
他特別提到礦業企業作為例子,指控這些企業仍隻對采掘礦石感興趣,無意在東道國培育配套產業。
祖馬發出對中國和其它發展中國家的友好信息之際,正值南非將在本月首次主辦金磚國家(Brics)峰會。去年,南非加入巴西、俄羅斯、印度和中國的行列,成為金磚國家集團一員,即便其經濟規模僅相當於另外4個國家的一小部分。
祖馬也發出一些肯定西方的言論,強調歐洲仍是“老大”,包括非洲的“一些最大商業和貿易夥伴”。他也重提自己在去年發出的針對中國的告誡言論,強調非洲了解受中國支配的各種風險。“非洲不想再次被外人主宰。”
過去10年裏,中國在撒哈拉以南的非洲各國擴大了外交和商業聯係,讓西方措手不及。在對大宗商品巨大需求的推動下,中國提供廉價基建貸款,以獲取各種大宗商品,尤其是石油。從2000年至2011年,中非雙邊貿易從大約110億美元一路猛增至1600億美元,但非洲對華出口以石油為主。經濟學家們表示,這一不足是需要應對的。
南非執政黨非洲國民大會(ANC)堅稱中非關係是一件好事,辯稱南非擁有相關法律和外交實力,足以捍衛本國利益。(亞曆克·羅素譯者/和風)
Zuma warns west's 'colonial' corporates
https://www.ft.com/content/7824cc28-83ed-11e2-b700-00144feabdc0
By Alec Russell in Cape Town
Zuma warns west's 'colonial' corporates on linkedin (opens in a new window) Save current progress 0% Alec Russell in Cape Town MARCH 3 2013
Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s president, has warned western companies they must change their old “colonial” approach to Africa or risk losing out even more to the accelerating competition from China and other developing powers.
Western businesses and governments have a “psychological problem” and are still prone to lecturing Africa, Mr Zuma said in an interview with the Financial Times. He advised them to resist warning against the embrace of China and rethink their own investment strategies.
“I’ve said it to the private sector from the western countries: ‘Look. You have got to change the way you do business with Africa if you want to regain Africa. If you want to treat Africa as a former colony …then people will go to new partners who are going to treat them differently’,” he said.
In particular he cited mining companies that he accused of still being interested only in extracting ore and not in fostering support industries, such as diamond-polishing, in the host nations.
Mr Zuma’s warm message to China and other developing nations comes ahead of South Africa hosting its first Brics summit this month. The country was incorporated into the bloc of Brazil, Russia, India and China last year even though its economy is a fraction of the size of the other four.
Mr Zuma tempered his argument by highlighting that Europe was still the “big one” including Africa’s “biggest partners in business and trade”. He also echoed his cautionary comments of last year about Beijing, stressing that Africa was aware of the risks of being bossed around by China. “Africa does not want to be dominated again.”
In the past decade China has wrong-footed the west as it has expanded diplomatic and commercial ties across sub-Saharan Africa. Driven by its hunger for commodities, it has offered cheap infrastructure loans in exchange in particular for access to oil. Between 2000 and 2011 bilateral trade rose from around $11bn to $160bn, but mainly in oil exports to China, a deficit economists say needs addressing.
Human rights groups and western officials have criticised China’s readiness to strike deals with oppressive governments. But South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, which admires China’s state-led capitalism, has promoted the relationship arguing South Africa has the laws and diplomatic clout to defend its interests.
“China is doing business in a particular way and we think we can see the benefits, but we are very, very careful,” he said, citing Africa’s experience of colonialism. Such a relationship must “benefit both. And this is what we and China have been agreeing.”
He said financial institutions had “squeezed Africa”. “Instead of saying: ‘Let us help you’, they come and they say: ‘Change your economic structure. Don’t do this. Do that.’
“Now we are dealing with a new partner who is not putting all these strings attached.”
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