China and Africa

Chinese cars in Kenya, female ethnic Chinese minister in Zimbabwe

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn, January 12, 2007 10:04 AM

Fay King Chung, Zimbabwe's Minister of Education

Two China Africa stories:

From Beijing Review:

Chinese Song of 'Chimurenga'
A Chinese descendant has grown into the first Chinese female Minister of Zimbabwe

More than a century ago, in 1904, a 17-year-old young Chinese, leaving behind his wife and new-born son, came to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to make a living, as he had no chance of getting a share of his ancestral property, being the youngest among the five boys of a peasant family in Nanpan Village near Guangzhou. After 18 years, his illiterate village wife adventured into Africa all by herself to join him, knowing there was no possibility of his return to China. The brave woman overcame all obstacles of language and location in the course of her long journey.

This is not a fictional story, but a true account of what happened to the grandparents of Fay King Chung, the first woman Chinese minister of Zimbabwe and the first Director of the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA). She worked in various capacities in the Zimbabwean Ministry of Education in the 1980s, before finally rising to the position of minister...

From Kenya Online Today blog:

Chinese Cars Make a Mark in Nairobi
Chinese vehicle models are making a strong showing on city streets. Some years back they made their grand entry in the truck market. First there was the Faw truck and Jiefang truck… mainly targeting the seven-ton truck category...

...Faw is a shiny model of a bus that has pleased the Kenyan armed forces where it is used as a commuter transport van. But Foton too is attracting positive coverage and attention. Many traders and distributors have acquired the new Foton models of pickups and light trucks. They are said to be extremely fuel efficient.

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Comments on Chinese cars in Kenya, female ethnic Chinese minister in Zimbabwe

Chinese cars had an impact on the Detroit Auto Show, which just ended. American TV had several features on them. The Chery, which has gotten the most ink, was deemed "unimpressive" but the analyst said that in 5 years or less, the quality of Chinese cars is expected to equal those of American or Japanese cars and they will sell for much less, being that the labor charge for auto manufacture in China is under $10 US. Actually,as we who've lived in China know, it is probably much less. Nonetheless, MSNBC's story's headline was "Quiet Chinese presence sends a message;
Auto industry braces for entrance of low-cost producer." Dan Bricklin, who brought the Subaru and the Hundai into the American market, is making a documentary of his frustrating and so far fruitless attempt to import the Chery, is apparently out of the picture there and Chery is talking to Chevrolet, who in the past objected to the name as it was too close to Chevy. Bricklin ran into "Chinese charactaristics" that he could not figure out how to negotiate. I've been following the Chery's progress into the U.S. market on Crackpot Chronicles for over a year now--I think it's a heads-up for the American market and a milestone for the Chinese auto biz. When I first encountered information, it indicated that a new Chery would cost$7000.00 in the U$, which would be a new low. Now, even in China, the Chery is considered a low-end vehicle, but still. It's the camel's nose under the tent, for sure and well worth watching.

Posted by: Ellen Sander | January 13, 2007 12:26 AM