USA
The emergence of China as an economic power is a big credit to the hardworking people of the Peoples Republic of China; it is a culmination of efforts by the communist government to showcase its prudence in management of economic affairs in. There is no doubt that the Chinese deserve to be recognized and applauded for this rare achievement.
Thirty years ago, the economy of China was in tatters, the army poorly equipped with old fashioned hardware, poorly planned cities and bad infrastructure. Today the story is different; China has emerged as a world player with a lot of influence especially in the minerals rich Africa.
African leaders shunned by the west for undemocratic leadership have found solace in China. This emerging power had flooded the continent with no strings attached aid which has provided a lifeline to regimes which would have collapsed a case in point being the unpopular government of Zimbabwe led by Robert Mugabe who is known for his characteristic style of bashing the west at every opportunity.
A stable and economic stable China is a good thing not only for the world’s most populous nation but for the whole world as a whole. Problem comes in when this wealth is used to subvert democracy and propelling dictatorial regimes. It is no coincidence that China has continually associated itself with rogue governments like Sudan, Angola, Zimbabwe, Iran, North Korea and Myanmar. Looking at this list one will note that these are governments which have been associated with gross violation of human rights.
While western countries have for long attached demands to any aid they have provided to third world countries, China has virtually been providing them with blank checks with no demands for accountability in terms of democratic practices. This style has been hailed as a good gesture of not interfering with another country’s internal affairs but what those who hail this style have failed to notice is the fact that for the most part, these funds are used to suppress opposition and fatten the bank accounts of the ruling class.
Governments come and go but the citizens remain, it is only fair that any funds advanced to any government be used to uplift the standards of living for the citizens of the land. China has not been a good advocate of this cause and as such it has indirectly contributed to undemocratic practices around the world.
Unfortunately, the leadership of Communist China does not seem to be keen in changing this policy. They seem to be more interested in resources than governance and this is setting a bad trend around the world. In the twenty first century, the world should be getting rid of dictators but with a fat wallet, China seems to be dialing the clock backwards, reducing any gains in terms of democratic principles.
Corrupt regimes will always think they have a chance to survive as long as they know China will bail them out when shunned by the west. A world leader should lead by example and China is not living to this standard.
