While Chinese President Hu Jintao is on a 12-day tour of Africa, the Pentagon has announced the formation of a new command structure focusing on that continent. Trade between China and Africa has more than quadrupled in the last 4 years. Angola has overtaken Saudi Arabia as China's largest source of oil. Yesterday, in South Africa, Hu said his country will not do anything harmful to the interests of Africa and its people, but he hasn't spoken out forcefully for human rights during his trip. Should the US be worried about China's influence in the region? Is China trying to become the new colonial power on the continent or just a helpful partner in economic development? Guest host Lawrence O'Donnell weighs the benefits and dangers of China's growing influence.
China in Africa
Credits
Guests:
- Scott Baldauf - Africa Bureau Chief, Christian Science Monitor
- Harry Broadman - economic advisor at the World Bank
- Henning Melber - former member of SWAPO
- Ernest J. Wilson, III - former senior staffer on the National Security Council