Zimbabwe's Mugabe welcomes Chinese tech investment

China’s technology industry received an unexpected, and possibly unwelcome, piece of publicity on Thursday when Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe hailed the success of the “technology transfer” between the two countries. The Hitler moustache-fancying tyrant apparently thanked outgoing Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Xin …

[Anonymous Coward]

As a sweetener it comes with an extra Swiss bank account and ten comfort women.

[Lukester]

...and also...

Labour costs in some parts of Africa (for intsnce, Ethiopia) are one seventh of the cost of China. Expect a TalkTalk call centre there very soon.

[Is it me?]

Keeping their distance?

Since when did the Chinese care that much about Human Rights, surely that's their USP in Africa, "We won't criticize you, just as long as keep the business going".

[Charles Manning]

Re: Keeping their distance?

To be fair, most Western companies don't care much about Human Rights either... so long as they don't get caught.

Giving Africans pittancy jobs can be easily rationalised in the same way that Westerners rationalise using cheap Chinese labour: it gives the people a better deal than not being there at all.

Perhaps more than anything this is just sour grapes. The predominant Western attituded is that Westerners should be doing the colonisation and exploitation. Who are these upstart Chinese to do this? Don't they know their place?

[The Fuzzy Wotnot]

Does that stupid old git think he's getting it for nothing, surely the old tyrant's not going dopey in his old age? Can't wait for the Chinese to whip out the old tally book and tot up how much more it's going to cost the people of Africa in natural resources on top of what they've already got access to, to pay back all the "favours" granted them by the generous People's Republic!

[Anonymous Coward]

getting it for nothing

Detestable piece of shit he might be but stupid? don't think so. He knows full well the price of chinese aid, been getting it since the Rhodesian era. He also knows it won't be him that will be paying it.

[ravenviz]

Why doesn't Mugabe just hurry up and die? :(

[Charles Manning]

Mugabe is a symptom, not a cause.

When Mugabe dies there will be a power struggle and, most likely, his place will be filled by someone just like him.

[mhenriday]

I see that Eric Arthur Blair's (no relation to Bliar) sheep have learned a new song :

«Western» aid good ; Chinese aid bad. Why am I not surprised that Phil Muncaster is singing along ?...

Henri