German official blames China for Somalia's famine

[Project 627]

With east Africa in the grip of famine after its worst drought in 60 years, Germany's Africa policy coordinator has fingered an unlikely culprit: China. Agence France-Presse reports:

Guenter Nooke told the daily Frankfurter Rundschau it was clear that "this catastrophe is also man-made".

"In the case of Ethiopia there is a suspicion that the large-scale land purchases by foreign companies, or states such as China which want to carry out industrial agriculture there, are very attractive for a small (African) elite," he said.

"It would be of more use to the broader population if the government focused its efforts on building up its own farming system."

He said that the Chinese investments were focused on farming for export which he said can lead to "major social conflicts in Africa when small farmers have their land und thus their livelihoods taken away."

Today, a written statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry vehemently denied the allegations. "China has never had plans to buy land overseas, and China has never purchased land in Africa," the statement said, adding that Nooke's claims stemmed from "ulterior motives." The Foreign Ministry also announced today that it would provide $14 million in emergency food assistance to the Horn of Africa.

Beijing's protestations aside, Chinese investment in African farmland has ratcheted up significantly in recent years, as the government seeks to quell concerns about long-term food security. One estimate puts the number of Chinese farm workers in Africa at 1 million. Meanwhile, the Atlantic quotes a June 2009 report in the Chinese weekly Economic Observer that describes how Beijing "was planning to rent and buy land abroad" to deal with "increasing pressure on food security."

That said, it's worth noting that China is far from the only foreign investor with major land holdings in Africa today. Private and public investors from India, the United States, and the petrostates of the Middle East, to name a few, have taken their piece of the African land grab, which brought 15 to 20 million hectares of the continent under foreign investment between 2006 and mid-2009. By way of comparison, that's equal to the size of all the farmland in France. If Nooke is right about the connection between foreign investment and famine, seems like there's plenty of blame to go around.



German official blames China for Somalia



Note, I'am not China bashing here, I just think its a interesting development and would like to here Chinese opinion about it

 

[twocents]

Guess what. China ought to be responsible for that Norwegian nut's killing spree as well.

 

[LetsGetRowdy]

The entire African continent has been exploited by EUROPEANS/AMERICANS for centuries! Is the condition of Africa today really a mystery?

This German douche bag probably also blames Nazi war crimes on China.

 

[Oldman1]

The entire African continent has been exploited by EUROPEANS/AMERICANS for centuries! Is the condition of Africa today really a mystery?

This German douche bag probably also blames Nazi war crimes on China.

China is repeating what the Europeans are doing.

 

[Pakchina]

The famine hitting Somalia is blame on the bad weather condition-drought and civil war. But what the UN and western powers do not mention is that the US and EU have a large part to play in this tragedy. The US and EU are using subsidies in agriculture and they are blocking the WTO negotiation to liberalize agriculture. By subsidizing their agricultural producers, the US and EU are indirectly destroying the agricultural sector of more vulnerable countries in Africa. Agricultural producers in the US and EU are being funded by their Governments thus they can export and produce in excess in the world market despite having no comparative advantage in agricultural production. Thus producers from Africa cannot export their products and use technology and mechanization in their production and marketing. Not to mention protectionism and technical barriers to trade imposed by the EU and the US on agricultural products from Africa. For instance Africa is supposed to be a major producer of cotton because having comparative advantage in this sector but due to massive use of subsidies, the US has monopolized this market just like for other agricultural products. Now the US is producing in excess and it is donating this excess to Somalia to alleviate the famine. This is really hypocrisy. The US and EU are enriching a small handful of their producers thereby indirectly reducing to famine millions of African agricultural producers. The African producers cannot produce, market and export due to depressed prices while producers from the EU and US are being funded by their government thus they could massively produce in excess and even export to Africa. Aid donation form the Western powers are just hypocrisies they know that the only solution is to liberalize the agricutural sector, open their market and stop subsidizing their handful of producers.

The Western powers are responsible for all the famines hitting Africa since independence of African countries. Not only the West has exploited all the resources for centuries but also responsible for slavery. This German nazi better stops talking bullshit and tries to seek explanation from WTO experts on why African agricutural producers cannot produce and export. It is not through aid which will permit the countries to develop but through agricutural trade liberalization. The use of subsidies in agriculture by the EU and the US has indirectly destroyed the agricultural development of Africa.

Western politicians have the tendency to blame everything on China while the root cause of most problems affecting this world are caused by the west and also to hide their own incompetencies. China is the easy target and scapegoat. Just watch the French TF1 recently, the fruit producers of France are destroying all fruit imports form foreign countries including Spain coz they are blaming foreign products for the low prices while Africans are starving. These handful of western producers would have never existed without the billions of subsidies offfered by their governmnets. Meanwhile the EU has been able to collect 120 Billions of Euro for Greece and this for the second time in less than two years under the generous sponsorship of the IMF while the EU is refusing to find money for the African horn countries. The only way for African countries to develop is through economic development and trade, something which the EU and US are preventing through trade protectionsim, barriers to trade, use of subsidies etc.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Guess what. China ought to be responsible for that Norwegian nut's killing spree as well.

Are you suggesting Chinese are nuts and have proved an inspiration to that Norwegian nut?

 

[Zabaniyah]

Are you suggesting Chinese are nuts and have proved an inspiration to that Norwegian nut?

He was being sarcastic.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

If a country has to make farming an industry in foreign lands, it is necessary that the terms are equitable so that these type of catastrophe is catered for so that it is avoided.

It is not China alone who are in the ball game. All countries which are should be attuned to also cater for the local requirements.

 

[r3alist]

as a european he should be ashamed to come up with such nonsense on the state of africa, look to yourself first is my advice.

 

[IndoCarib]

China making a 2nd Darfur in Somalia

Trinicenter.com - The Ugly China in Africa

 

[somebozo]

The German is only speaking out of bigotry because they were pushed aside in investment competition by China.

With thousand and thousands of arable land in Africa, hardly 2 or 3 % is being cultivated.

China can never buy all the land in Africa to implicit a man made drought. China hardly owns 0.1 or 0.2 % of arable land in Africa.

Looks like these days being anti-china is in fashion and anyone can get a cheap shot of popularity by connecting China with something as ridiculous as it may be.

The one and only culprit of famine in Africa today are corrupt greedy colonials and by extension the today's European countries. What Europe and America is heartily wishing is to bring the world against China even of that is with baseless accusation.

If China is causing famine in Africa, let me ask what is Germany doing to help the situation with all the world technology at hand?? Other than sending some token aid? How many farming projects has Germany setup on humanitarian grounds?

Its like how back in the days, soviet union was responsible even if a pigeon dropped a turd on passerby.

 

[Chow chow]

Guess what. China ought to be responsible for that Norwegian nut's killing spree as well.

oops!! I did not intend to thank your comment..don't get flattered

 

[KKNDmx]

Just read another thread, and I think the OP should change to this title
"If Anti-CHINA Propaganda Becomes Too Ridiculous Will Nobody Believe it?"

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

The German is only speaking out of bigotry because they were pushed aside in investment competition by China.

With thousand and thousands of arable land in Africa, hardly 2 or 3 % is being cultivated.

China can never buy all the land in Africa to implicit a man made drought. China hardly owns 0.1 or 0.2 % of arable land in Africa.

Looks like these days being anti-china is in fashion and anyone can get a cheap shot of popularity by connecting China with something as ridiculous as it may be.

The one and only culprit of famine in Africa today are corrupt greedy colonials and by extension the today's European countries. What Europe and America is heartily wishing is to bring the world against China even of that is with baseless accusation.

If China is causing famine in Africa, let me ask what is Germany doing to help the situation with all the world technology at hand?? Other than sending some token aid? How many farming projects has Germany setup on humanitarian grounds?

Its like how back in the days, soviet union was responsible even if a pigeon dropped a turd on passerby.

You have not understood the mechanics of off shore farming.

The contracts are not equitable and the produce does not cater for the locals.

The African leaders are corrupt and they are bought off to give arable land to these companies or countries who are going to do offshore farming.

Most of the non arable land is with the Africans, who are laid back. The result is that the combination of their laid back attitude with non arable land causes these types of catastrophe.

 

[KKNDmx]

You have not understood the mechanics of off shore farming.

The contracts are not equitable and the produce does not cater for the locals.

That is a huge assumption based on that every piece of land actually produce anything, what if there is a huge natural disaster and the company actually produce nothing that year?

The African leaders are corrupt and they are bought off to give arable land to these companies or countries who are going to do offshore farming.

Giving away "arable land"?? many of those so called "arable" land are "non-arable" and was never developed by the locals, if not for the companies, all those lands will always be dirt and not worth a penny.

Most of the non arable land is with the Africans, who are laid back. The result is that the combination of their laid back attitude with non arable land causes these types of catastrophe.

Just like you said here, "they are laid back", there are plenty of famine before the companies came here and now they have someone to blame for it.