Translation Tuesday: Great love engraved on a blue helmet: Peace-keeping Hero Jiang Hangang

By Zander Rounds

Author: Feng Chunmei
Translator: Zander Rounds
Published on: 12/3/10
Source: China Daily
Original text (in Chinese): http://military.people.com.cn/GB/1076/84133/13385548.html

Jiang Hangang (third from left) with leadership team
members inspecting equipment (Zhu Min, Xinhua) 

In a country of peace and prosperity, why does the hero embark on journeys? To uphold peace.

On April 18, 2008, Jiang Hangang, Party Secretary, Military Engineer Platoon Captain of China’s seventh dispatch of peacekeepers to Liberia, and Regiment commander of Beijing Collective Military Engineering Corps, was in charge of 274 soldiers preparing to set off.

Translation Tuesday: The Wedding of a Post-90’s Pair of Workers in Africa

By Zander Rounds

Author: Sun Rui, Bo She
Translator: Zander Rounds
Published on: 5/4/15
Source: Xinhua
Original text (in Chinese): http://news.xinhuanet.com/photo/2015-05/04/c_127760578.htm

On May 2, near the eighth section of Nairobi, Kenya’s Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, workers dressed in the clothing of the Masai people delivered their blessings to Post-90’s newlyweds Mu Xuqiang and Li Zhiyuan.

That same day, those in the China Luqiao Engineering LLC Mombasa-Nairobi’s Project Eight camp bore witness as a pair of worker based in central Kenya became happily united in matrimony. Mu Xuqiang, the groom, is inherited the family business. In 2012, the Beijing youngster took root in Africa. Li Zhiyuan, the bride, formerly studied abroad in England. In 2014, the Inner Mongolian girl rushed to Africa. They met and got to know each other while working on the construction of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, eventually deciding to enter into marriage. At the wedding ceremony, two Kenyan girls wearing white dresses stood behind the beautiful bride, lifting the massive wedding dress tail with small hands and revealing pure smiles. The local male workers were draped in red-checkered cloth and grasped long sticks, evoking the spirit of Masai warriors. Female workers wore short, exquisite red dresses and earrings, as if characters from a painting

Translation Tuesday: Benguela Railway: The Glory of “Made in China”

By Christian Straube

Authors: Zhu Jianhong, Zhang Baojun and Long Jiamin
Translator: Christian Straube
Published on: 15/05/04
Source: People’s Daily
Original text (in Chinese): http://finance.people.com.cn/n/2015/0504/c1004-26941139.html

The Benguela Railway was officially inaugurated on February 2015 after rehabilitation by the China Railway 20 Bureau Group Corporation. Initially a colonial project by the Portuguese at the end of the 19th century, it integrated with the Katanga Railway, and now connects the African Copperbelt with the harbor of Lobito on the Atlantic Ocean.
---- Christian Straube

The Benguela Railway, which has been built by Chinese in the African country of Angola, is the longest railway built by a Chinese company overseas in the 21st century.

It is a railway filled with glory. When it was opened on February 14, the presidents of Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Zambia took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. They also interacted with the meritorious people representing the construction: Liu Feng, Chen Lei, and Ma Junfeng of the China Railway 20 Bureau Group Corporation (CR20).

It is a railway full of blood and sweat. Over a period of more than ten years, more than ten thousand of CR20's staff helped with the construction. They suffered from land mines, malaria, a shortage of materials, and worsening security conditions. They had to overcome language, traffic, and communication difficulties as well as the discomforting climate. Several workers sacrificed their lives.

Translation Tuesday: A Guangzhou Enterprise Receives a 100 million RMB Injection from CAD

By Zander Rounds

Author: N/A
Translator: Zander Rounds
Published on: 4/15/15
Source: Nanfang Daily
Original text (in Chinese): http://epaper.southcn.com/nfdaily/html/2015-04/15/content_7418313.htm

A recent multi-million dollar cooperative agreement between the China Africa Development Fund and Choice Investment LLC makes Choice the “first private enterprise in Guangzhou to receive support from a national foundation”, demonstrating the diverse and dynamic landscape of Chinese economic engagement with African countries.

Translation Tuesday: A Chinese Farmer’s Story of Wasteland Reclamation in Africa

By Laiyin Yuan

Author: Xu Wenting, Wang Bo
Translator: Laiyin Yuan
Published on: 05/03/2015
Source: Xinhua News
Original text (in Chinese): http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2015-05/03/c_1115160424.htm

As the saying goes “Chinese people will never change their Chinese stomach”. Chinese people in Africa are always looking for better Chinese culinary ingredients, and Chinese farmers are lookign to tap into that market.
----Laiyin Yuan (Translator)

For Cao Huizhong, a Chinese vegetable grower living in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC], the first thing after getting up every morning is to take a look at his Chinese cabbages in the field. Row upon row of green leaves growing on the land, his cabbages are slightly different from their Chinese relatives: bigger leaves but thinner bodies. This is his tenth crop of experimental Chinese cabbages.

“It is not ideal, but they finally look like Chinese cabbages. We should keep improving the process,” he said.

Translation Tuesday: China Nonferrous Metals News: China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group goes off the beaten path

By Christian Straube

Author: Wang Changming
Translator: Christian Straube
Published on: 04/09/2015
Source: Zambia-China Economic & Trade Cooperation Zone
Original text (in Chinese): http://zccz.cnmc.com.cn/detailtem.jsp?column_no=070402&article_millseconds=1425629687000

 China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group Corporation's leadership

In March of 2015, China held the famous "two meetings." [the annual plenary sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - Winslow] On March 5, the third meeting of the Twelfth National People's Congress was held in Beijing and, in the morning, Premier Li Keqiang delivered an exciting government work report. Luo Tao, general manager of China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group Corporation [CNMC Group] and member of the NPC was impressed by the report, as the focus on state-owned enterprise reform has highly raised expectations. Like him, the non-ferrous industry is being guided and inspired by a mission: to perform duties conscientiously; to build the non-ferrous industry; and to share wisdom in order to promote the healthy development of the nation's economic power! 

"All people work together, going to the same direction." Achieving a better "China Dream" is a glorious and career goal; building the non-ferrous metals industry is a long way to go on in that direction. Dream in front of the road. Only one non-ferrous industry leader has cultivated more maturity, more power, more flexibility, more ability in order to better promote the construction of non-ferrous industrial world power step by step into a brilliant reality. In fact, the non-ferrous industry in recent years has been actively responding to major national development initiatives, deepening reform, improving quality and efficiency, strengthening management, greater efforts interpretation of adversity and strong one after another glorious chapter, the emergence of a large number of outstanding Enterprise Group. Among these, the CNMC Group's development is particularly significant. The Group successfully entered into the Fortune 500. Behind the rapid growth of CNMC is a road of transformation, innovation, and strong culture and technology. 

Let us analyze the China Nonferrous Metals Group, to understand how this thriving enterprise has operated in recent years, which blazes a path for the future development of the non-ferrous metals industry, and provides valuable experience for the reform of state-owned state-owned enterprises.
---- Original Chinese editor's note

On 29 January 2015, Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China member and Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang addressed China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group Corporation with an important remark. He encouraged the CNMC Group “to continue focussing on core business, strengthening management, attaching importance to effectiveness, and constantly raising the level of competitiveness when ‘going out’ in order to further increase China’s natural resource security.” It was the third consecutive year that Premier Li Keqiang gave important instructions to the group. This reflects the importance that the Central Committee and the State Council attach to and what they expect of China’s non-ferrous metals industry and the CNMC Group in particular.

As a matter of fact, the CNMC Group received the attention of Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Gaoli, Li Yuanchao, Hu Chunhua, Qiangba Puncog, Chang Wanquan, Wang Yong, Ma Peihua, and other party and state leaders in 2014. Since 2015, Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan, Zhang Gaoli, Wang Yang, Wen Jiabao, Chang Wanquan, Guo Shengkun, Wang Yong, and other party and state leaders, as well as Xu Shaoshi, Zhang Yi and more than 20 provincial leaders, have made important comments regarding the CNMC Group. They have high expectations for the group’s development.

The group’s general manager Luo Tao, delegate to the 12th National People’s Congress, said: “This caring encourages new vitality. The CNMC Group always bears in mind with what it was entrusted and what is expected of it by the party and the country. It takes on the mission of state-owned enterprises and stands firm on its pathway to grow better and stronger. Right now, the group strides forward towards the dream of becoming a mining enterprise of international standing.”

Translation Tuesday: Despite considerable Chinese aid, why do not Africans appreciate China?

By Laiyin Yuan

Author: Shang Xi
Translator: Laiyin Yuan
Published on: 04/03/2015
Source: Southern Metropolis Daily (SMD)
Original text (in Chinese): http://epaper.oeeee.com/epaper/A/html/2015-04/03/node_2748.htm

This article is a trenchant diagnosis of the underlying problems in Sino-Africa economic relations. During the recent Third Africa-China Young Leaders Forum, the Deputy Secretary General of the China Foundation for Peace and Development suggested that the Chinese government and companies should rethink how they do business in Africa. More local efforts should also be encouraged in order to enhance people-to-people exchanges between both sides. It is a useful introspection for the Chinese to find a way to “clear its name” in African countries.
---- Laiyin Yuan (translator)

China has been providing aid for thousands of projects in Africa. In addition to famous ones such as Ethiopia’s African Union Conference Center, Tanzania’s Nyerere Conference Center, and Mozambique’s National Stadium, there are also a large amount of highways, railways, airports, hospitals, schools, etc.

However, with more and more Chinese people moving to Africa, conflicts between them and locals are intensifying. On the eve of the Third Africa-China Young Leaders Forum, a Chinese restaurant in Kenya provoked widespread condemnation because it barred local Kenyans from entering after 5:00 pm (read more here - Laiyin).

During this forum, the China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD) held a dialogue focusing on “People-to-People Exchange and Sino-African Relations.” Ji Ping, CFPD’s Deputy Secretary General, created a new word “Afrina” combining “Africa” and “China” in his speech, hoping the two sides can truly understand each other on a non-governmental level.

“Now the most important thing in Sino-African relations is people-to-people exchange, and everyone has responsibility in it,” said Ji Ping during an exclusive interview with our reporter after the forum. China’s aid in Africa should “break the whole into parts” and penetrate into the African grassroots.

Translation Tuesday: No Africans allowed? Suspicions about Chinese restaurant discrimination in Kenya provoke widespread anger

By Zander Rounds

Author: Yingying
Translator: Zander Rounds
Published on: 3/25/15
Source: Sohu News
Original text (in Chinese): http://star.news.sohu.com/20150325/n410267717.shtml?qq-pf-to=pcqq.group

A recent scandal involving a Chinese restaurant in Kenya that barred locals after dark made international headlines, revealing tensions surrounding Chinese businesses practices in Africa. Yingying, a Chinese entrepreneur working in the continent, draws on a large survey of ethnic Chinese opinions in Africa to illuminate why the restaurant did what it did, wrong as it was.
---- Zander Rounds

On March 23, the most influential newspaper in Nairobi, Kenya published on its front page a story titled, “Restaurant: Sorry, No Africans, we don’t trust them after dark.” This attracted the attention of ethnic Chinese from all walks of life within Kenyan, and even those in other African countries.

Also on March 23, the author’s Quan Fei Gou [全非购] media platform published an article called, “The lead story in Kenya’s biggest newspaper reports on an incident where some Chinese restaurants bar locals at night; Chinese people, what do you think,” and conducted a survey. Based on the 312 received results, ethnic Chinese in Africa think, first of all, that this practice is painfully embarrassing, and subsequently, that this incident could have been a little more tactfully mediated. They also think that locals should be allowed to dine at night. To resolve public security concerns, restaurants can strengthen security practices. At the same time, the respondents commonly considered Kenyan’s commentary and media coverage of the incident too extreme.

Translation Tuesday: China's Peacekeepers in Mali: Bringing the “Lei Feng Spirit” to West Africa

By Laiyin Yuan

Author: Bai Yuntian, Li Xianghui
Translator: Laiyin Yuan
Published on: 03/04/2015
Source: China National Radio (CNR) Military
Original text (in Chinese): http://military.cnr.cn/zgjq/20150304/t20150304_517879269.html

Lei Feng, an ordinary Chinese soldier in the People's Liberation Army, was the Chinese model of altruism and modesty due to his good deeds and selfless contribution to the people. Now, Chinese soldiers are bringing the "spirit of Lei Feng" to West Africa.
---- Laiyin Yuan (Translator)

Photo 1: China’s second batch of peacekeeping troops in Mali are showing the locals how to read the blueprints of prefabricated homes/Photo: Bai Yuntian

“We are able to live in these cozy prefabricated homes thanks to your generous help,” said Ayette (transliteration from Chinese – Laiyin), a Malian, to the Chinese peacekeepers lending a helping hand in Gao Super Camp on the morning of March 4. Recently, the soldiers of China’s second peacekeeping troops were "learning from Lei Feng, to help people, to sow friendship," and to promote the Lei Feng spirit widely in West Africa.

Shortly after Spring Festival, the peacekeepers were dispatched to Gao Super Camp for prefab house construction without any “post-holiday recovery.”

Orlando, the United Nations’ Mali Mission officer who supervised the Super Camp, introduced that “the process of prefab house construction by 17 Malian employees on this site has been very slow due to the limitations in technology and skills. It has been more than a half month since they stationed in the Super Camp, but they are still living in thatched huts now.”

Translation Tuesday: Gansu Television Program Daguo Wenhua Demonstrates the “International Style” of an African Brother

By Zander Rounds

Author: N/A

Translator: Zander Rounds
Published on: 3/2/15
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Original text (in Chinese): http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2015-03/12/c_127573948.htm

It might not be so uncommon to see a foreigner that speaks Mandarin fluently. But its not every day that you see a foreigner who comfortably “plays” with Chinese national culture! Just a few days ago, the Gansu television program Daguo Wenhua [The Culture of a Great Nation] invited an African brother who is well-versed in Chinese national culture. As soon as Jiege, a Cameroonian, entered the stage during the last program, he attracted the attention of the entire audience. While his dark skin and authentic Mandarin was enough to stun Internet users, his self-introduction – delivered in Chinese opera form – even inspired Old Gu’s repeated praise.

Translation Tuesday: Chinese in South Africa Gradually Entering the Local Mainstream Sectors

By Laiyin Yuan

Author: Song Fangcan
Translator: Laiyin Yuan
Published on: 03/05/2015
Source: Chinese News Service (CNS)
Original text (in Chinese): http://www.chinanews.com/m/gj/2015/03-05/7101911.shtml

The new generation of Chinese immigrants in South Africa is quite different from their predecessors. With better education, more ambition, and international vision, they are breaking the old stereotypes of overseas Chinese as ill-mannered or cheap laborers. This new generation is laying a solid foundation for their future as well as the future of other overseas Chinese.
---- Laiyin Yuan (Translator)

Having no knowledge of English; preferring to carry cash; loving abalone, ivory, and rhinoceros horn; and only spending time with their own small social circles… these are all stereotypes that some South Africans have for the local Chinese population. However, with the arrival of many new immigrants from mainland China and the rise of local Chinese South Africans, more and more Chinese are integrating into South African society and entering major industries in the.

“Today will be the beginning of your brand new life as an attorney,” said to He Hai (Jacky), a Shanghai-born Chinese, by Judge Ismael [transliteration from Chinese – Laiyin] of the South Africa Supreme Court on March 3. On this very day, He Hai successfully passed the South African attorney bar examination and took an oath to become an attorney. He is also believed to be the first mainland-born Chinese to pass the bar in South Africa.

Translation Tuesday: The Chinese in Africa long to “celebrate New Year like migratory birds”

By Zander Rounds

Author: Song Fangcan

Translator: Zander Rounds
Published on: 2/24/15
Source: China News Service
Original text (in Chinese): http://www.chinanews.com/hr/2015/02-24/7075435.shtml

What is it like for the Chinese living and working in Africa? This article about China’s “migratory birds” – the people that return home from abroad every holiday season – provides some insight into what it is like being abroad during the holidays.
---- Zander Rounds (Translator) 

During a skit from the Year of the Goat Spring Festival Gala that took place on New Year’s Eve, a lonely father (Played by Pan Changjiang) morosely passes the time in an empty car. After a “serendipitous meeting” at a train station he receives a call from his son saying that he has already returned from Africa to celebrate the New Year. Viewers are moved as this previously unattainable dream of reunion becomes a happy reality. Although this is only an art piece, now returning to China has undeniably become a common practice for Africa’s Chinese people.

“The most remote distance in the world is when you are in China but I am in Africa.” Someone posted this sorrowful message. However, along with developments in communication technology and as transportation methods become more convenient and individual purchasing power increases, more and more overseas Chinese in Africa return to China (their ancestral home) to celebrate the New Year. This is no longer an unattainable dream. During this traditional festival more and more people embark on this homeward-bound, “migratory bird-like” journey to celebrate the holiday.

Translation Tuesday: Chinese Medical Personnel in Africa: Unceasing Fights against Ebola during the Spring Festival

By Laiyin Yuan

Author: Shao Siyi
Translator: Laiyin Yuan
Published on: 02/19/2015
Source: Chinese News Service (CNS)
Original text (in Chinese): http://www.chinanews.com/sh/2015/02-19/7073406.shtml

Do not forget those who who are working hard while we enjoyed ourselves celebrating Chinese New Year. A prosperous and auspicious Year of Sheep to Chinese medical personnel working in Africa!

---- Laiyin Yuan (Translator) 

On February 19 at 3:00 am, when China had already greeted the first day of the Lunar Year of Sheep, Sierra Leone, which is eight hours behind China, was still waiting for the Chinese New Year. After a busy day, Chinese medical team members finally had the chance to celebrate the New Year with some rest, dumplings, and parties. During this all-too-limited leisure time, Xu Feng, the Deputy Director of the Infectious Diseases Department of the Zhejiang University Second Affiliated Hospital (ZUSAH), had a WeChat video call with his family to send his New Year greetings.

Translation Tuesday: When stones strike the People’s Liberation Army in Mali until blood flows, they brandish bayonets in a show of force

By Zander Rounds

Author: Qi Zhongxi, Fan Xi, Liu Shiping, Su Xiaozhou, Chu Xiaoliang, Yang Jian, Wu Hao

Translator: Zander Rounds
Published on: 2/2/15
Source: Huanqiu.com
Original text (in Chinese): http://mil.huanqiu.com/china/2015-02/5569330.html

“It is our great honor to be able to receive your protection” – They bear the brunt as danger approaches

As far as guard unit soldier Wang Zhangjun can recall, “5/19” marks the single most thrilling day of the entire peacekeeping period.

The 170 soldiers that constitute the “guard” unit are the first security unit that China dispatched for the United Nations peacekeeping mission. Their primary responsibility was the defense of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)’s East Warzone Headquarters and peacekeeper barracks. When danger approached, they bore the brunt from the frontline.

Translation Tuesday: Africa: You Probably Have a Number of Misconceptions about It

By Zander Rounds

Author: Kong Shuyao
Translator: Zander Rounds
Published on: 12/21/2014

Source: Chengdu Business News
Original Text (in Chinese): http://e.chengdu.cn/page/1/2014-12/21/09/2014122109_pdf.pdf

Addressing common misconceptions about Africa, Kong Shuyao draws on personal experience living in Lagos and engaging with locals, adding depth and nuance to conversations about Africa. While this piece was written for a Chinese audience, it may be equally applicable to other parts of the world. 
----Zander Rounds (Translator)

“Look West, Look East” [a regular section for Chengdu Business News] authors have written about many places around the world. One day Kong Shuyao, someone who works in Africa, suddenly raised the question: where is Lagos? Where is Nigeria? We quickly got on the Internet to look it up. We had not considered that, as Kong Shuyao bluntly stated, no matter if you are using Google or Baidu, the information that you get when you search is either biased or outdated.

Lagos is Africa’s biggest city—that's right, surpassing Egypt’s Cairo and South Africa’s Johannesburg. Think for a second: Nigeria’s Lagos is equivalent to America’s New York, Europe’s Paris, Asia’s Tokyo. However, except for soccer and the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus, we seem to be not familiar with it at all.

Translation Tuesday: Op-Ed: Don’t Forget Africa in Anti-Terrorism

By Laiyin Yuan

Author: Chen Junxia
Translator: Laiyin Yuan
Published on: 01/14/2015
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Original text (in Chinese): http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2015-01/14/c_1113996130.htm

This op-ed points out the potential negative outcome of imbalanced media coverage regarding Africa’s anti-terrorism, but it seems to blame only developed countries without interrogating the responsibilities of other stakeholders.
---- Laiyin Yuan (Translator)

In the beginning of the New Year, the terrorist attacks in Paris, France caught major attention from Western media, which not only allowed the world to sympathize and ruminate on this tragedy, but also left an extraordinary impression of the reporting capabilities of Western media.

Translation Tuesday: Soft Power: Chinese Family Dramas across Africa

By Joseph Webster

Author: Jing Ya
Translator: Joe Webster
Published on: 12/07/2014
Source: Sina Weibo Entertainment
Original text (in Chinese): http://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2015-01-05/doc-iavxeafr9649321.shtml

The ability to attract and persuade, or what the political scientist Joseph Nye terms “soft power”, is a vital instrument of national power. The People’s Republic of China has an increasingly large commercial and trade presence in Africa, but it remains to be seen whether or not the PRC can overcome linguistic barriers and increase its political and cultural influence on the continent. Television dramas are one element of cultural power. As the article notes, some elements of Chinese culture, such as an emphasis on the family unit, have special appeal to Africans. There is a tension, however, between PRC soft power promotion and the Chinese state's overall attitude to international entertainment.
----Joe Webster (Translator)

Chinese Family Ethics television shows receive warm reception

In recent years, many Chinese TV exports to Africa have been welcomed by African people. Shows such as "Let's Get Married,” "Endeavor,” "Beijing Youth," and "A Beautiful Daughter-in-Law Era” have become hit series in Africa.

In 2011, the Swahaili-language version of "A Beautiful Daughter-in-Law Era" has, after its successful introduction to Tanzania, led to more Chinese TV series being aired in Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, Senegal, Zambia, and other African countries. More and more Africans, through watching contemporary Chinese television program, are coming to understand Chinese society. In the second half of 2014, "Beijing Television African Broadcaster" aired in Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, and other African countries. Along with "Let's Get Married," "Endeavoring," and "Beijing Youth," six other TV series were broadcast to African audiences.

According to reports, Chinese television dramas are in-demand by African audiences because their storylines feature strong family ties. Some of the characters feel familiar to African audiences, so much so that African audiences deal with family and social contradictions through watching Chinese television dramas.

The Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania stated in an interview with media that China's family ethics dramas are the most sought-after television shows in Tanzania. Moreover, because the themes easily resonate, aspirational dramas are also most popular among young people.

About Sina Weibo Entertainment (http://ent.sina.com.cn/)
Sina is a Chinese microblogging site that is roughly equivalent to a combination of Facebook and Twitter. It is one of the most popular sites amongst Chinese internet users, and it offers specialty sites to its diverse audience. The Entertainment site focuses on news affecting Chinese entertainment.

Translation Tuesday: Guangzhou’s Public Security Bureau: Issues of Africans in Guangzhou are made to be bigger than they actually are; the crime rate of foreigners is not in fact high

By Zander Rounds

The following article is an attempt to mediate some of misunderstandings about Africans among many of the Chinese people, probably to alleviate some of the tensions that have arisen as a result. The timing of this article is notable, as it was released back when the police in Guangzhou were beginning to crack down on foreigners.
----Zander Rounds (Translator)

Africans are fond of living together; their number is not as many as imagined

There are 118,000 foreigners in Guangzhou, of which 16,000 are Africans. The crime rate of foreigners is not actually as high as city residents imagined… A few days ago, during an exclusive interview with Yangcheng Evening Paper, the Public Security of Exit-Entry Administrative Service Bureau of Guangzhou revealed the following information:

Translation Tuesday: Chinese Civil Airport Construction Accelerating in Africa

By Laiyin Yuan

Author: Qian Chunxian
Translator: Laiyin Yuan
Published on: 12/07/2014
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Original text (in Chinese): http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2014-12/07/c_1113550648.htm

There is a Chinese saying: “if you want to get rich, build roads first.” Now, roads can also refer to airways, which are becoming increasingly important in the overall economic development of African countries. Chinese companies are undertaking many oversea airport construction projects, which will hopefully bring result in a true "win-win" outcome.
----Laiyin Yuan (Translator)

With the New Year looming, China's large-scale civil infrastructure construction strategy is focusing strong development initiatives through the idea of “stabilizing growth with airport construction.” On November 28, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced the approval notices for four infrastructure construction projects, including three new railway projects, such as the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway's Badaling section, as well as the second phase of Lanzhou Airport expansion project. These projects' total investment  reached 51.01 billion yuan ($8.29 billion dollars).

Li Jiaxiang, the Director of the China Civil Aviation Administration, stated that the civil aviation industry could be rapidly incorporated into the regional economic and social development strategy, because it requires fewer investments but has quicker effects and better ability to drive overall development. According to World Trade Organization (WTO) statistics, civil aviation currently accounts for about 15% of total global transportation, but its added value can account for nearly 50% of the global total.

Translation Tuesday: Is China’s ideological influence in Africa good?

By Zander Rounds

Translator: Zander Rounds
Published on: 11/21/2014

Author: Tang Xiaoyang
Source: Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy
Original event: http://carnegietsinghua.org/2014/11/21/china-africa-economic-cooperation-in-global-context/hu5w

The following Mandarin-language exchange between Tang Xiaoyang, a scholar of Africa-China economic relations, and an African audience member, occurred during the question and answer segment of "China-Africa Economic Cooperation in a Global Context," which hosted by the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing. Substantively, Tang’s response to this question about China’s ideological influence in Africa is quite interesting. Note, for instance, that while the audience member frames his question in terms of the role of China as an influential external actor, Tang responds by shifting the focus entirely to the critical role of locals in “accepting” different ways of thinking. Also interesting are the strong liberal undertones of his advice for how nations should respond to globalization.
--- Zander Rounds (Translator)

Audience member:

Speaking as an African person, previously we had African ideas and then, due to the issue of colonialism, Western ideas came over and influenced us. Now, Chinese people are doing a lot for us, and as they do they also bring Chinese ideas. For example, when a Chinese leader says “its like this” then its just “like this” [meaning, he or she is not questioned]. Africa already has problems with democracy. And as a result of a number of important factors, our development has lagged behind. 

Do you think China’s ideological influence on Africa is positive? What are the benefits and harms that Chinese ways of thinking present for Africa’s development?

Tang Xiaoyang:

Do Chinese ways of thinking have a positive or negative influence in Africa? In fact, I think the ways of thinking that can actually be accepted are all those that Africans [already] can understand; and as such, the ways of thinking that produce results are all actually African’s own ways of thinking.