PRC policy in Africa

["Chris, London" <100423.2040@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ian raises an interesting question from Hong Kong. Good to be able also
to read the summary of Bettleheim's postion on China in 1977/8.

I feel I ought to know more about China's foreign policy towards Africa
than I do. But in the absence of hoards of responders on this aspect
I will attempt a few points.

I am not aware that the PRC adopted a particularly high profile
in relation to the struggle against apartheid. In that sense the picture
might look broadly pragmatic, rather than necessarily fitting Ian's
strategic model.

The most prominent act of China, during Mao's time was to support the
front line states by helping to build the Tanzania-Zambia railway to
give an alternative to all transport routes going down to South Africa.

There will be an issue of the extent they wished to keep contacts with the
PAC as well as the ANC, and the extent of their secret aid to the liberation
struggle. Also the extent of their interference.

Taiwan had a very aggressive policy of using South Africa as a base for
its own capitalist expansion, and as I recall invested in a car plant.
I do not recall public fireworks, but it will have been a major concern of
the PRC to defeat a Two China policy. I do not know how they are dealing
with this at present.

In Angola unfortunately they backed Savimbi's movement and saw this as an
independent alternative to the MPLA government with its closer links with the
Soviet Union, and with Cuban soldiers, whom the PRC saw as surrogates for
Soviet backed military expansion in the 70's when the Afghan war gave some
credence to it. The resilience of Unita, despite Savimbi's leadership.
suggests that it had some skill in fighting a people's war among some of the
main language groups, separate from any South African intervention.

In terms of Ian's hypothesis it sounds a bit too general and schematic.
A capitalist owning class in China is a matter of internal analysis of
course.

As for a supposed alliance with the national bourgeoisie in Africa,
since the Chinese under Mao were cautious about supporting anything like
a socialist campaign against the national bourgeoisie in a third world
country, and were all too ready, many would think, to support a bourgeois
government, I doubt it would be easy to demonstrate a change since Mao's
death along the lines indicated.

I do understand however there was a substantial drop in aid.

I have seen a recent Chinese claim that they share with other third world
countries a different conception of human rights, to that which
the west is trying to impose, and which many on this list would
probably support.

You are presumably doing an academic study. I imagine that as a permanent
if rather cautious member of the UN Security Council, China's voting
record on African issues will be one souce of data.

It would be good if, Ian, you can feed back to the list, any points which you
are able to clarify.

Regards,

Chris B
London.

Do you know other places where serious progressive work on China is
being done?


___________________

From: Taylor Ian Christopher <ictaylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1996 17:57:03 +0800 (HKT)
Subject: Marxist analysis of the PRC

Dear readers,

I am (attempting!) to construct a Marxian critique of PRC foreign policy
towards the Third World using southern Africa as a case study. Well,
someone's got to do it.....   :)

Basically, my thesis is that under Deng's "socialist modernisation" [sic]
(or restoration of capitalism - you chose), PRC policy has essentially
been an alliance between a capital-accumulating class in China and the
national bourgeoisie in Africa. Gone are the days of aid and altruistic
services under Mao (this of course would be qualified).

My question is this: can anyone recommend any books/articles that look at
the PRC through a Marxian lens i.e explain post-Mao (or even during Mao)
China using class as an analytical tool? Bettelheim's letter of
resignation from the Franco-China Friendship Society is one of the few
class-based critiques of post-Mao China. I would therefore be
grateful for any suggestions (and where to find such books if possible).

Cheers,

Ian.



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