> but are you stating that building rail and road infrastructure is morally worse than European actions on that continent
No, and that's why I said "long game". For now, of course, African countries selling themselves out to China will profit - but the countries are, basically, binding their future on the goodwill of China. Just imagine the countries decide one day that they're done with cheap low quality China crap, that they want to incentivize local production or that they want to show solidarity with Tibet or Taiwan... say goodbye to your traffic infrastructure, that will be the Chinese response.
The West made Africa totally dependent on mitumba (cheap second-hand clothing that all but destroyed local textile industry) and other foreign aid (after all, Africa is a nice dumping ground for overproduced European milk and other food - do "something good" and keep European prices high at the same time), and the Chinese are doing the same with their money. Colonialism at its finest.
No, and that's why I said "long game". For now, of course, African countries selling themselves out to China will profit - but the countries are, basically, binding their future on the goodwill of China. Just imagine the countries decide one day that they're done with cheap low quality China crap, that they want to incentivize local production or that they want to show solidarity with Tibet or Taiwan... say goodbye to your traffic infrastructure, that will be the Chinese response.
The West made Africa totally dependent on mitumba (cheap second-hand clothing that all but destroyed local textile industry) and other foreign aid (after all, Africa is a nice dumping ground for overproduced European milk and other food - do "something good" and keep European prices high at the same time), and the Chinese are doing the same with their money. Colonialism at its finest.