SA rejects US criticism on China

CAPE TOWN – The United States should review the investments of its own companies before criticising African countries for accepting inflows from China, South Africa’s trade minister said on Friday.

“I haven’t heard a call for American investors to pull back investments (in China),” Mandisi Mpahlwa told reporters at a US-Africa investment summit. “In which instances do these issues of human rights apply? Do they only apply when Chinese investors invest in Africa.”Mpahlwa was responding to concerns raised by US officials and delegates about the sharp rise in Chinese investment into the continent, and an apparent lack of scrutiny of China’s human rights record.China’s share of growing investment in Africa has grown rapidly over the past three years, with it offering billions of dollars in loans and for projects, largely to win resources to help feed its booming economy.The increase has outpaced that of the US, which primarily trades and invests in oil, while China is expanding its interests to other sectors, including banking.The issue has been the major focus of the conference.Mpahlwa said industrialised nations like the United States and those in Europe had a long association with Africa, but this had failed to advance the productive capacity of the continent.The US still focused primarily on its need for oil, and its policies did not go far enough to stimulate trade in other sectors.Companies from the US had also invested heavily in China to take advantage of fast economic growth there, despite concerns over human rights.”What happens to the questions about human rights when US companies and European companies invest to a great degree in China?” he asked.”You have these huge flows of investment into China and the questions are only beginning to be raised when China is investing into Africa.”Mpahlwa said Africa needed all the investment it could attract and it was up to its people to decide how to leverage that interest to its advantage.Earlier, Joseph Grandmaison, a director of the US’s Import-Export Bank earlier slated African government’s for not tackling Chinese investors on human rights.Nampa-Reuters”In which instances do these issues of human rights apply? Do they only apply when Chinese investors invest in Africa.”Mpahlwa was responding to concerns raised by US officials and delegates about the sharp rise in Chinese investment into the continent, and an apparent lack of scrutiny of China’s human rights record.China’s share of growing investment in Africa has grown rapidly over the past three years, with it offering billions of dollars in loans and for projects, largely to win resources to help feed its booming economy.The increase has outpaced that of the US, which primarily trades and invests in oil, while China is expanding its interests to other sectors, including banking.The issue has been the major focus of the conference.Mpahlwa said industrialised nations like the United States and those in Europe had a long association with Africa, but this had failed to advance the productive capacity of the continent.The US still focused primarily on its need for oil, and its policies did not go far enough to stimulate trade in other sectors.Companies from the US had also invested heavily in China to take advantage of fast economic growth there, despite concerns over human rights.”What happens to the questions about human rights when US companies and European companies invest to a great degree in China?” he asked.”You have these huge flows of investment into China and the questions are only beginning to be raised when China is investing into Africa.”Mpahlwa said Africa needed all the investment it could attract and it was up to its people to decide how to leverage that interest to its advantage.Earlier, Joseph Grandmaison, a director of the US’s Import-Export Bank earlier slated African government’s for not tackling Chinese investors on human rights.Nampa-Reuters