Intelligence² will be discussing China’s involvement in Africa at our forthcoming debate “Beware of the dragon: Africa should not look to China”, here are a few of the more interesting aspects of this increasingly influential relationship:

• The Standard Bank Group Ltd has projected that China’s investment in Africa will increase by 70% to $50 billion by 2015.
• Worries about the treatment of African workers have been raised after at least 11 miners were allegedly shot by two Chinese managers during a protest about poor conditions in Zambia during October 2010.
•  A recent UN report has warned that over-reliance on foreign investment could stifle home-grown entrepreneurship leading to a generation of unemployed young people.
• Chinese military involvement in Africa has increased as Chinese soldiers are deployed to guard Southern-Sudanese oil wells and Sudan accounts for 7% of their arms sales. 
• The environmental impact of China’s mass-extraction of natural resources is of concern as mining, logging and oil drilling grow exponentially with worries about insufficient regulatory checks. 
• Having said that, China is now the world’s largest investor in renewable energy and has publicly pledged to support Africa in its green energy growth. 
• The level of Chinese interest in Africa can be gauged by the efforts they went to to establish links with the newest African nation, South Sudan, within days of its independence.

These issues and more will be discussed at “Beware of the dragon: Africa should not look to China” on November 28th 2011 with George Ayittey and Ana Maria Gomes MEP speaking for the motion and Deborah Brautigam and Professor Stephen Chan against.