I can add nothing to this article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1063198/PETER-HITCHENS-How-China-created-new-slave-empire-Africa.html

Don't worry Steven... this commenter can..and does .. he has this amazaing ability to turn the story you provided into a great example of 'Critical Terrorism' study as follows:

"American greed caused this. The Chinese must have copper and other natural resources due to corporations such as Wal Mart and many others moving millions of American jobs overseas to improve profit margins."(- Chris Gill, Washington, D.C., USA, 28/9/2008 05:37)

Notice how even dictatorial Chinese exploitation of and cruelty to African workers is.. STILL 'our fault'!

It just shows how absurd is the growing Western politically correct mind-set which cannot see anyone at fault other than us.

The obvious response to all this is 'CRITICIZE' the Chinese....

but this blokes response? "confess it's really our fault"

Of course the ultimate absurdity of all this..is that within microseconds, there will be Spikey Bronwyn and CJ... elucidating about how it IS our fault..simply because "I" have taken the opposing view.

Pericles is usually more independantly minded on these kinds of issues. His counselling need is mainly in the area of understanding religions.

I agree with you Polycarp.

I have to ask myself, how is it that Africa remains the basket-continent, despite all the aid and assistance it has consumed in the past few decades?

Zambia was a copper rich nation when it became independent.

Zimbabwe was a wealthy nation when Mugabe came to power.

The Nigerians have more oil than they know what to do with.

YEt the civil wars which seem to spring up, often tribal based, see hundreds of thoasands murdered and millions displaced from the Horn of Africa to Niger and to the Congo.

Little has been done to improve things since European de-colonisation

and alot has been done to make things worse than they were.

Here is a view of Peter Hitchens, the author of the article I linked in my original post.

http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/2008/09/peter-hitchens-ridiculous-brit.html

Of course, both the critique of Hitchens and Hitchens' description of the conditions under which African miners live and work could BOTH be true.

Just as you said about the original article - I say the same about the Hyphen link....I can add nothing to it. It contains many of exactly the same arguments I had framed in response.

Point taken Romany, but I think it is worthwhile to quote from the second link Stephen provided:

"Hitchens' article is representative of Anglo (and American) whining over the fact that African and Middle Eastern nations are increasingly choosing to trade their natural resources with China rather than with the Anglo West. There are several reasons why this article peeves me. Those who follow economic history know that the Western IMF and World Bank have kept nations around the world, especially those on the African and South American continents, in perpetual economic servitude by providing high-interest loans deliberately designed to be impossible for these poor countries to ever pay back. Peter Hitchens needs to be reminded that 500 years of colonialism, slavery, apartheid, and discrimination by Western civilization, including the British, have not uplifted the continent of Africa. Over the past 15 years China has given African nations interest-free loans, built up their roads and civilian infrastructure, and created a system of trade with the Africans, rather than the Western model of exploitation.

It must kill Hitchens and those like him that African nations are finally lifting themselves out of poverty and economic servitude, without the help of 'White Knight' institutions who have failed to do so for centuries. It is interesting that in Hitchens' biased article he fails to mention any instances of the rampant violence upon destitute Chinese migrant workers in Africa. I suppose it would negate his intent to demonize the Chinese.

Additionally, Hitchens fails to note that China's need for natural resources is a result of the huge appetite and demand by Western nations for Chinese products."