United Press International,
BEIJING: A big part of China's efforts to put its affairs in order before lunar new year celebrations is focused on energy security issues with other developing nations.
Two events Thursday illustrated Beijing's ambitions: collaboration with Africa and managing a potential rivalry with India on securing energy resources.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued policy paper on Africa in the run-up to minister Li Zhaoxing starting a five-nation tour of the continent. The paper states the government will “adopt more effective measures to facilitate African commodities' access to the Chinese market.”
It also said China will support “competent enterprises to cooperate with African nations in various ways on the basis of the principle of mutual benefit and common development, to develop and exploit rationally their resources, with a view to helping African countries to translate their advantages in resources to competitive strength, and realize sustainable development in their own countries and the continent as a whole.”
The paper addressed other economic issues, including infrastructure development, debt reduction, finance and possible aid, all of which were incentives China used in the 1950s and 1960s when Mao Zedong ruled the country with the strategic ambition of spreading Communist revolution.
Markets, not Maoist Marxism, fuel the revolution in China today. Energy deals will be high on Li's agenda, which takes him to Senegal, Cape Verde, Liberia, Mali and Nigeria. Earlier this week, China National Offshore Oil Corp. signed a $2 billion dollar deal to take a 45 percent stake in the Nigerian offshore Apko oil and gas field after the Indian government decided not to go ahead with its bid.
There are substantial financial risks in China's willingness to secure African energy resources. In its annual report issued last October, Transparency International, a coalition monitoring government corruption worldwide, said while Nigeria had made progress between 2004 and 2005, it still ranked as the sixth most corrupt government on the planet.
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