Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A768-W488

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号： A768-W488

Release Date: July 2, 2013

发布日：2013年7月2日

Topic: Analysts See Opening for US to Challenge China in Africa (by Natalie Liu of VOA)

标题：观察人士看美中在非洲的竞争（美国之音燕青报道）

Original Language Version: English/Chinese (Chinese version at the end)

此号以英/中文为准（英文在前，中文在后）

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http://www.weijingsheng.org/report/report2013/report2013-07/USchallengesChinainAfrica130702VOAreportA768-W488.htm　which contains identical information.

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Analysts See Opening for US to Challenge China in Africa

-- by Natalie Liu, Voice of America

July 1, 2013

President Obama is on the last leg of his three-nation tour of Africa, aimed at promoting U.S. trade with the continent. As Washington turns a fresh eye toward a continent that Obama describes as about to "take off," U.S. government officials and investors alike will find that geopolitical rival China has already made huge strides there.

China's footprint in Africa is huge. The 20-story African Union tower (in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia) which Beijing donated to the continental group is a testament to the size of Beijing's ambition.

"Every country, as it achieves global greatness, seeks to leave behind major landmarks that become evidence of its ascendance into global power," said Wole Soboyejo.

Winston Wole Soboyejo spoke to VOA via Skype. He is a professor at Princeton University.

"We must make sure that we combine these monuments with the development of people, because ultimately, it is people-centered development that really matters," he said.

China has long described its relationship with Africa as a relationship between "brothers" in the "anti-colonialist struggle." Beijing's recent rise as a commercial power interested in Africa's rich natural resources has aroused a degree of concern on the continent.

Longtime Chinese activist Wei Jingsheng says Chinese investment in Africa often is tainted with corruption, a trait that travels abroad with Chinese state-owned or private enterprises which have become all too used to it at home.

"These people - they're used to doing business in a corrupt manner inside China, they take it with them to Africa - it inevitably causes resentment and resistance from ordinary people in Africa," said Jingsheng.

Wei says U.S. and European corporations have been slow to invest in Africa because of the high risks involved, leaving an open door for China.

"Now both U.S. and European countries realize this approach is problematic, that Africa has almost been turned into China's backyard; Americans and Europeans now are rushing to find ways to change the situation. I'm not sure what they'll do," he said.

Professor Soboyejo, a native of Nigeria, says many Africans would welcome a greater U.S. involvement on the continent.

"Many people view and appreciate many things in the U.S. - for example, they admire the U.S. educational institutions, they admire many things about the U.S.'s ability to manage its environment, they admire the quality of certain things that come out of the U.S. such as its movie industry, its ingenuity in IT," he said.

He also says the United States can win new friends and build opportunities for investment in Africa by stressing its commitment to free expression and its tradition of welcoming immigrants from many different backgrounds.

"I think with those kinds of investments by the U.S., with those kinds of connections by the U.S., you will see that Africa will become an increasingly vital trade partner in ways that will benefit both sides," said Soboyejo.

President Obama seems to agree that the time is right. In a speech this weekend in South Africa, he said Washington is ready to up its game with new trade and investment and the possible renewal of AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act), the act that removed tarrifs for many exports from the continent.

Original link of this report:

http://www.voanews.com/content/analysts-see-opening-for-us-to-challenge-china-in-africa/1693232.html

Original link of this report in Chinese:

http://www.voachinese.com/content/africa-china-us-20130702/1693816.html

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中文版

Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A768-W488

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号： A768-W488

Release Date: July 2, 2013

发布日：2013年7月2日

Topic: Analysts See Opening for US to Challenge China in Africa (by Natalie Liu of VOA)

标题：观察人士看美中在非洲的竞争（美国之音燕青报道）

Original Language Version: English/Chinese (Chinese version at the end)

此号以英/中文为准（英文在前，中文在后）

如有中文乱码问题，请与我们联系或访问:

http://www.weijingsheng.org/report/report2013/report2013-07/USchallengesChinainAfrica130702VOAreportA768-W488.htm

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观察人士看美中在非洲的竞争

-- 美国之音记者燕青

2013年7月2日

华盛顿 - 美国总统奥巴马刚刚结束了对非洲的访问。这是他以总统的身份，第二次去到非洲。奥巴马此行，强调了美国要加大对非洲大陆的投资，并且说要鼓励非洲各国社会的发展，包括民主体制的建设。正如很多媒体报导已经指出的，无论是美国政府官员还是投资人，去到非洲，可能都会意识到一点，那就是：中国的足迹在非洲颇为纵深，是美方不能够忽视的。

中国的足迹几乎可以说是遍布非洲大陆，耸立在埃赛俄比亚首都亚的斯亚贝巴的这栋非洲联盟(简称非盟)总部大厦，可以说是中国在非洲影响之纵深的一个见证。

"每个国家，在它成为世界一流大国的过程中，都希望以某些具体的'大手笔'工程，来作为这一国家崛起的'见证'。"

索伯耶卓(Winston Wole Soboyejo)是普林斯顿大学的教授。他通过Skype接受了美国之音的采访。

"我们一定要保证的一点，就是这些(来自外国的)纪念性工程和非洲大陆民众的发展要结合起来，因为最终，只有以民众为核心的发展，才是真正意义上的发展和进步。"

中国过去几十年来，一直称和非洲之间的关系是"兄弟般"的友谊，同属于第三世界，都是发展中国家。但是，随着中国"身份"的变化，非洲国家或许也在以不同的目光看待中国，包括中方在那里的投资。

长期关注中国和国际社会发展的魏京生表示："中国去非洲投资的这些资本家 -- 不管是国营企业，还是私营企业，他们毕竟都是资本家 -- 他们会把中国的腐败带到非洲去。非洲这些国家，虽然并不全是民主国家，但是对腐败问题，每个国家的老百姓都是不高兴的。(中国这些官员和资本家)他们在中国从事的腐败是明目张胆的，无所顾忌的，几乎是公开的。他们在非洲这么做 -- 把腐败带到非洲 -- 必然会引起非洲社会(普通民众)的反对、排斥和抵制，这样就导致了他们和非洲民众不断地发生矛盾，就像最近很多新闻报导所显示的。"

在魏京生看来，美国和欧洲的企业过去没有大力着眼于非洲，很大原因是因为非洲长期处于贫穷状态，担心在那里投资不会有收获。

"但是现在，美国和欧洲发现这一方式方法有问题了，非洲已经几乎慢慢变成中国的后院了，欧洲人和美国人现在都很着急；我不知道他们会采取什么方法(来改变这种局面)。"

目前在普林斯顿大学任教的索伯耶卓，出生于尼日利亚。在他看来，非洲的很多民众，都会乐见美国加深和非洲之间的往来。

"非洲很多民众都是以积极的眼光看待美国的；比如说，在他们看来，美国的教育体制很不错，在环保方面也做得颇有成绩，还有美国出产的电影、它在信息产业等领域的创新，等等。"

这位教授还提到，非洲民众很看重的一点，还有美国的言论自由等民主机制，以及美国欢迎不同国家、种族的人到这里来。但是他说，目前美国在非洲的投资还远远不够。

"美国一旦加大投资的话，再加上其他领域的来往，我想大家会看到，非洲是一个非常重要的贸易伙伴，而且整个交往过程，对双方都有益。"

刚刚结束了非洲之行的奥巴马总统说，美中两国同时着眼于非洲，并不必是所谓的"零和"，而是都有发展的空间；从美方来讲，确实有必要加大与非洲之间往来、

报道的原始网址：

http://www.voachinese.com/content/africa-china-us-20130702/1693816.html