Post by albion on May 26, 2020 2:51:56 GMT
And the leader of WHO is from where???
Written in 4/2019
By Jackie Fox
Multi-Media Journalist
Ethiopia’s capital is a work in progress. Almost 8,000 feet above sea level, the constant hustle and bustle leaves a distinct industrial taste of fumes and dust.
Addis Ababa's streets are flooded with cars, while bamboo scaffolding props up ambitious construction projects. The city is transforming, with flimsy metal shops looking up at new skyscrapers.
However, an unexpected sight is the view of Chinese banners that curtain many floors of the buildings.
The symbols are a striking feature against the backdrop of building and a constant reminder about the Asian country’s influence.
With a population of more than 100 million, Ethiopia is Africa’s second-most populous country and it has become a leading investment destination in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for China.
China is Africa's biggest trading partner, according to Padraig Carmody, Associate Professor in Geography at Trinity College Dublin.
"We’ve really seen a deepening of involvement of China on the continent particularly related to new infrastructure investment projects," he said.
In particular at the horn of the continent, Chinese investment has drastically increased over the last two decades, aiding industrialisation and broader economic development.
Along with the Chinese script engulfing floors of buildings, their companies are flourishing below. According to a major study in China-Africa relations, at current growth rates, China will be Africa’s largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) stock within the next decade.
The communist country has helped build new dams in Sudan, Ethiopia and Nigeria, railways in Kenya, Chad and Djibouti, and roads across Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique.
These Chinese projects in developing countries are part of China’s Belt and Road initiative to create major connectivity through huge rail and road infrastructure projects around the world.
The country is hosting its second Belt and Road summit this week, where almost 40 foreign leaders will attend to talk about their massive projects.
Infrastructure aside, China has also set its sights on winning over African citizens with technological advances. Chinese mobile phone maker Tecno has taken over Apple and Samsung to be one of the most popular phone brands in Ethiopia.
The company has made cheap phones that have been tailored for African customers with special software better designed to capture darker skin tones for selfies.
It was also the first major phone brand to introduce a keyboard in Ethiopia’s official language, Amharic.
The Horn of Africa has been a major beneficiary of Chinese investment. In Ethiopia, China has funded its $475m light railway system in the capital and a $86m ring road.
The country has financed other key infrastructure too, helping to add more than 50,000km of new roads since 2000.
Importantly, it has also built the 750km Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway, at a cost of $3.4bn, which opened in 2016. Around 70% of the funds were provided by China’s Exmin Bank.
Ethiopia has even appointed Chinese-speaking liaison officers to facilitate investments from the Asian country.
A McKinsley report in 2017 showed that the growth in Chinese investment has been uniformly high, at an average growth rate of more than 52% a year in Ethiopia.
The study found that there are more than 10,000 Chinese-owned firms operating in Africa, with around 90% of them privately owned.
To pay for all of these major developments, Ethiopia has taken out massive loans from China, with state policy banks extending it to more than $12.1 billion since 2000, according to the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University of the United States.
There is no escaping the level of Chinese interest and building, but there is also no ignoring the stumbling blocks that Ethiopia has hit. These opportunities have come at a high price with worries about the sustainability of the country.
Ethiopia does not have enough money or time to pay China. The African nation has racked up tens of billions of dollars of debt, with reports that about half of Ethiopia’s external debt is owed to China, with government debt standing at 59%.
Written in 4/2019
By Jackie Fox
Multi-Media Journalist
Ethiopia’s capital is a work in progress. Almost 8,000 feet above sea level, the constant hustle and bustle leaves a distinct industrial taste of fumes and dust.
Addis Ababa's streets are flooded with cars, while bamboo scaffolding props up ambitious construction projects. The city is transforming, with flimsy metal shops looking up at new skyscrapers.
However, an unexpected sight is the view of Chinese banners that curtain many floors of the buildings.
The symbols are a striking feature against the backdrop of building and a constant reminder about the Asian country’s influence.
With a population of more than 100 million, Ethiopia is Africa’s second-most populous country and it has become a leading investment destination in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for China.
China is Africa's biggest trading partner, according to Padraig Carmody, Associate Professor in Geography at Trinity College Dublin.
"We’ve really seen a deepening of involvement of China on the continent particularly related to new infrastructure investment projects," he said.
In particular at the horn of the continent, Chinese investment has drastically increased over the last two decades, aiding industrialisation and broader economic development.
Along with the Chinese script engulfing floors of buildings, their companies are flourishing below. According to a major study in China-Africa relations, at current growth rates, China will be Africa’s largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) stock within the next decade.
The communist country has helped build new dams in Sudan, Ethiopia and Nigeria, railways in Kenya, Chad and Djibouti, and roads across Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique.
These Chinese projects in developing countries are part of China’s Belt and Road initiative to create major connectivity through huge rail and road infrastructure projects around the world.
The country is hosting its second Belt and Road summit this week, where almost 40 foreign leaders will attend to talk about their massive projects.
Infrastructure aside, China has also set its sights on winning over African citizens with technological advances. Chinese mobile phone maker Tecno has taken over Apple and Samsung to be one of the most popular phone brands in Ethiopia.
The company has made cheap phones that have been tailored for African customers with special software better designed to capture darker skin tones for selfies.
It was also the first major phone brand to introduce a keyboard in Ethiopia’s official language, Amharic.
The Horn of Africa has been a major beneficiary of Chinese investment. In Ethiopia, China has funded its $475m light railway system in the capital and a $86m ring road.
The country has financed other key infrastructure too, helping to add more than 50,000km of new roads since 2000.
Importantly, it has also built the 750km Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway, at a cost of $3.4bn, which opened in 2016. Around 70% of the funds were provided by China’s Exmin Bank.
Ethiopia has even appointed Chinese-speaking liaison officers to facilitate investments from the Asian country.
A McKinsley report in 2017 showed that the growth in Chinese investment has been uniformly high, at an average growth rate of more than 52% a year in Ethiopia.
The study found that there are more than 10,000 Chinese-owned firms operating in Africa, with around 90% of them privately owned.
To pay for all of these major developments, Ethiopia has taken out massive loans from China, with state policy banks extending it to more than $12.1 billion since 2000, according to the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University of the United States.
There is no escaping the level of Chinese interest and building, but there is also no ignoring the stumbling blocks that Ethiopia has hit. These opportunities have come at a high price with worries about the sustainability of the country.
Ethiopia does not have enough money or time to pay China. The African nation has racked up tens of billions of dollars of debt, with reports that about half of Ethiopia’s external debt is owed to China, with government debt standing at 59%.
