Opinion
Exchange the Role of Guest for that of Host: When the Maid Takes Over the Master’s House
By Ryan Elcock
“Defeat the enemy from within by infiltrating the enemy’s camp under the guise of cooperation, surrender, or peace treaties. In this way you can discover his weakness and then, when the enemy’s guard is relaxed, strike directly at the source of his strength.”
– Thirty- Six Strategies of Ancient China –Strategy 30: Exchange the Role of Guest for that of Host
If Africa does not want to fall into the cycle of colonialism, she must be willing to dictate the terms of her own success. She cannot permit others to come into her house and take over while she sits idly by. After all, if it is a sad day when the maid takes over the master’s house and the master can do nothing about it. Such is the case of China’s investment in Africa’s infrastructure.
You see, China has become Africa’s biggest trading partner and source of capital investment, as of late, and many have hailed this as a great opportunity and viable option to the oppressive monetary policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. Coupled with China’s seeming hands off approach to African affairs, African leaders have really begun to view China as a better investment partner.
Furthermore, China has also decided to align itself as a partner in helping develop Africa’s underdeveloped infrastructure, as this is critical in ensuring the continued growth of Africa’s economy. As stated in Ma Shukun’s article – China Investment Corp. Willing to Invest more in Africa’s Infrastructure, China sees the development of Africa’s infrastructure as a long term investment for economic returns. After all, China’s investment in Africa’s infrastructure ensures that it gains access to much of Africa’s natural resources.
As promising as this relationship between Africa and China sounds, I believe that Africa’s leaders have to pause and view China’s offering of aid like that of the priest of Laocoon, the Trojan Priest who made the famous statement, in regards to the Greeks’ Trojan Horse which lead to the downfall of Troy in the Trojan War, “Beware of the Greeks bearing gifts”.
If one is a student of strategy, they would see that China’s “benevolence” is actually a power play based on Strategy No. 30 from China’s famous Thirty-Six Strategies of Ancient China: Exchange the Role of Guest for that of the Host. Therefore one can suspect that China’s investment in Africa’s infrastructure is just another ploy to make Africa continuously dependent on China even after all of Africa’s resources have been used up.
After all, China is not sharing its knowledge and know-how with Africa but rather it brings in its own people to do most of the work. Furthermore, China seems to have all the upside from all the financial investment in Africa as most of the Chinese companies are getting most of the development projects and at the same time flooding the African market with Chinese goods, as stated in my first article on China’s involvement in Africa, What a Packet of Fruit Wrinkles Taught me About China’s Involvement in Africa and the Caribbean Region.
