Introduction
China has one of the fastest growing economies. Since the last half of the 20th century, the China’s government has undertaken various strategic decisions that have improved the economy of the country significantly. China is currently the second largest economy. China has a huge influence on Africa. Trade ties between Africa and China have increased significantly. China has overtaken the U.S., France, and the U.K. in trading with African countries.
Diplomatic relations of China with Africa have also improved. Time will tell whether China will have a positive or negative influence on Africa. On the other hand, the Spanish colonized Latin America during the end of the 15th century. The Spanish and Portuguese have had a great impact on the culture of Latin Americans. There are several differences and similarities between the Spanish conquest of Latin America and China’s venture into Africa.
China’s Strategy in Africa
One might think that economic relations between China and Africa began recently. However, the economic relations started many centuries ago. Currently, China is targeting Africa since Africa is rich in minerals. It is a fact that Africa is one of the continents that have the largest amount of minerals.
Many areas are unexploited. Therefore, China targets areas that are rich in oil, timber, minerals, and cotton. These countries include South Africa, Nigeria, Angola, and Sudan. China also targets areas that have prospects of finding valuable minerals and oil (Rotberg 39). Discovery of oil in Kenya and Uganda has increased China’s interest in East Africa. China strives to form trade and diplomatic ties with these countries.
China undertakes large-scale structural projects in various African countries. It offers the countries soft loans to undertake the projects. One of the conditions of the soft loans is that the countries should ensure that Chinese contractors would undertake the projects. These projects include construction of roads, dams, airports, and railway lines. These projects facilitate the movement of the natural resources of these countries to China (Shinn and Eisenman 153). In addition, the projects provide China with exploitation and drilling rights.
Africa has a population of slightly more than 1 billion people. This provides China with a large market for its products. China uses a low-cost approach to venture into the African market. The country offers various products at very low prices. This increases the competitiveness of products from China.
Since African countries are low-income countries, cheap manufactured goods from China are in high demand in these countries. The economies of most African countries are developing very fast. Therefore, in the future, Africa countries would provide a large market for various high-end products from china.
Africa exports minerals and raw materials to China. On the other hand, it imports various finished goods from the country. African countries can manufacture some of the products that they import from China. Therefore, importation of finished products from China limits the development of the production capabilities of these countries.
In addition, exporting raw materials and minerals does not add value to the products. This practice makes Africa lose billions of dollars annually. In countries where China undertakes large infrastructural projects, it imports labor and equipment from China. In addition, it does not transfer skills to the local communities. Therefore, the relationship between Africa and China only benefits China. It hinders the development of most African countries.
China’s government has a policy of not interfering with the local politics of African countries with which it has trade relations. This may be detrimental to the development of the countries. China’s government may provide loans to dictators in various African countries (Chan, Cheung and Ku 34). In addition, failure to interfere with local politics may make soft loans that the country provides various African countries be beneficial to a few elite politicians.
China has the largest market of ivory. In places where China is undertaking various projects, poaching is usually rampant. In fact, police in various African countries have apprehended Chinese citizens in various airports trying to smuggle ivory and other game products (Gooch 141). Poaching poses a major threat to tourism, which is one of the major economic activities of most African countries.
Spanish Conquest of Latin America
The arrival of Christopher Columbus in America in 1492 marked the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Columbus undertook several voyages in search of new lands. Latin America was rich in gold and silver. Therefore, the Spanish conquered the land in an effort to acquire the precious minerals (Saunders 107).
In addition, Latin America was a source of slaves. After returning to Spain from various voyages, Columbus usually carried slaves. He usually sold the slaves in Spain. Latin America had rich agricultural land. The Spanish created slave establishments. They forced the slaves to work on the agricultural land with little or no pay. Several natives refused to work in the farms. They created rebellions that led to guerilla warfare.
One of the major characteristics of European colonization is Christianity. The Spanish strived to convert the natives of Latin America to Christianity. Several Spaniards claimed that they went to Latin America to preach to the natives. The natives usually welcomed people who came to preach in their lands.
The Aztec empire was one of the major empires in Latin America. Spaniards who went to preach to the Aztecs conspired to bring down the empire while pretending to spread the Gospel (Farhadian 154). The effect of the early Spaniards who conquered Latin America is visible up to date. Christianity is the major religion in Latin America.
Differences and Similarities between Spanish and Chinese Colonialism
The search for mineral was the major driving force that made both countries venture into new lands. The Spanish desired to acquire the gold and silver treasures that were in Latin America. On the other hand, the Chinese want oil, minerals, and other raw materials that are abundant in Africa.
The Spanish used force to conquer Latin America. Their weapons were more efficient that the weapons of the natives. Therefore, they conquered them easily. However, the Chinese did not use force to venture into Africa. China uses various means to entice African countries. It gives soft loans to these countries. In addition, it does not interfere with the local politics of these countries. This makes the countries prefer to deal with China instead of Western countries, which usually interfere with the local politics of African countries.
Religion played a major part in the Spanish conquest of Latin America. Spaniards converted Latin Americans to Christianity. On the other hand, China did not use religion to venture into Africa. This has reduced the resistance that China faces in various African countries.
Conclusion
Colonialism has shaped various cultures. Colonialism shaped the Latin American culture. Currently, China is striving to influence various African countries. Time will tell whether China will have a negative or positive impact on these countries.
Works Cited
Chan, Kwok Bun, Tak-Sing Cheung, Agnes S. M. Ku. Chinese capitalisms, Leiden: BRILL, 2007. Print.
Farhadian, Charles E. Introducing world Christianity, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.
Gooch, Frederick. Shoot on sight, Bloomington, IN: Xlibris Corporation, 2011. Print.
Rotberg, Robert I. China into Africa: Trade, aid, and influence, Baltimore, MD: Brookings Institution Press, 2009. Print.
Saunders, Nicholas J. The peoples of the Caribbean: An encyclopedia of Caribbean archeology and traditional culture, Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Print.
Shinn, David H. and Joshua Eisenman. China and Africa: A century of engagement, Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012. Print