China throwing a party for its new empire

[TankGirl]

From Guardian Unlimited:

The savannah comes to Beijing as China hosts its new empire

The most lavish party that China has thrown in more than 50 years got under way last night with high-pitched Peking opera, rhythmic African drumming and a gravity-defying display of acrobatics in the Great Hall of the People.

This was a display of power as much as entertainment - the unique spectacle of a nation hosting a continent. The guest list for the opening banquet included almost every head of state in Africa, representing a quarter of the votes in the UN, a sizeable chunk of the world’s natural resources and, combined with the hosts, a third of the planet’s people.

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Formerly reticent about appearing on the world stage, Beijing has gone into diplomatic overdrive this year and appears to be outmanoeuvring a US administration distracted and discredited by Iraq. In June Shanghai hosted leaders of countries representing more than half the world’s population. Last month Chinese emissaries played a crucial role in forcing North Korea back to negotiations after its nuclear test.

But it has never attempted anything on the scale of the African cooperation forum. Perhaps no nation has. Wenran Jiang, a political scientist at the University of Alberta, said the event signalled a shift in the global balance of power.

“Which major power could pull something off on this scale? The UK has influence in the Commonwealth, but this is far different. We are talking about an emerging world power that has the mobilising power to gather 48 out of the 53 heads of state in Africa. I don’t see any parallel in history. The US never did this, nor did Russia. Symbolically this is a very, very big event.”

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But it is hard cash rather than soft soap that brings 40 heads of state, eight political leaders and hundreds of business people to Beijing for the three-day China-Africa forum. Dipping into the world’s largest foreign currency reserve of $1 trillion, China is expected to display its largesse with offers of so much aid and trade that it will soon eclipse the US and Europe as the dominant foreign economy in Africa.

Deals in oil, copper, telecommunications, transport and possibly nuclear power will be discussed around the periphery of the summit, which includes a trade fair and meetings by 1,500 business executives.

Everyone agrees the potential is huge. China’s trade with Africa has increased fivefold since 2000 to $50bn. The figure is expected to double again by 2010, by which time China will have far surpassed the US and France as the major player in the region. But this super-summit is about more than a single continent. It marks a new stage in China’s re-emergence as a superpower.