Blog
The Chinese are coming!
5th February 2011
Two programmes on BBC2 in the next two weeks investigate the spread of Chinese influence around the planet and asks what the world will be like if (when, surely?) China overtakes America as the world’s economic superpower. The first is on Tuesday 8th at 9pm, in which Justin Rowlatt covers a journey across Southern Africa to chart the extraordinary phenomenon of Chinese migration to Africa, and the huge influence of China on the development of the continent. This looks well worth watching, for all students who are embarking on topics of globalisation and development economics.
The BBC website for the programmes says that “While many in the West view Africa as a land of poverty, to the Chinese it is seen as an almost limitless business opportunity. From Angola to Tanzania, Justin meets the fearless Chinese entrepreneurs who have travelled thousands of miles to set up businesses.” Radio 4’s “From Our Own Correspondent” today featured a fascinating report by him about Chinese farmers who have emigrated to Angola to become chicken farmers there, and met with great success but some resentment from the local farmers, who are not managing to respond to this new competition in their market. There are also two short video extracts from the programmes: Chinese sell ‘tender’ chickens in Zambia Zambian chicken farmers lose trade to chinese