‘Capi-communism’ – the Chinese version of capitalism that’s plundering Papua New Guinea

I've blogged before about China because basically I take the view that over the next 20 years they will be seen as a major world power and they are already indulging in their own brand of neo-colonialism. If you want to get some insight, this month's New Internationalist is a doozy on the subject. Here's a taster: "The Memorandum of Agreement commits the Chinese to contributing an astonishingly low $731,000 to local infrastructure. While the companies say publicly they will spend $2.93 million2, this is still a pittance considering the 20-year lifespan of the project. How many schools and hospitals can be built with an amount like this? Taxing the Ramu Nickel project could have produced a firm support for infrastructure funding. But in addition to receiving a 10-year income tax holiday, the project is exempt from a range of other taxes – even the excise on fuel has been waived.6 And what will local landowners think when they read that the PNG Government – not Ramu Nickel – has signed up to build the all-important road from Basamuk to Madang? With no taxes from the mine, how will the Government fund the route?" Check it out at Chris Richards meets ‘Capi-communism’ – the Chinese version of capitalism that’s plundering Papua New Guinea. | June 2009 | New Internationalist: this is an issue no concerned world Christian can afford not to be praying and thinking about even now. And this kind of thing is happening in Africa and South America too (China's involvement in Sudan for example has already been the kind of thing that has arguably fuelled and facilitated the whole janjaweed thing).