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China and foreign relations
China to build and finance Guinea Bissau infrastructurePosted by Jeremy Goldkorn on Saturday, November 4, 2006 at 4:28 PM
From the website Macau Hub: The Chinese government has pledged to build a military hospital and the ‘Palace of Justice’ in Guinea Bissau’s capital, during an official visit to China by Guinean President João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira , Guinean officials said. The director-general for Cooperation of the Guinean Foreign Ministry, Artur Silva, said that China would also finance construction of the River Geba dam, some 200 kilometers south of Bissau, and provided 60 million yuan for construction of the ‘Government Palace’ in Bissau. China will also hand over 70 million yuan to support the country’s development, cereal donations to the value of 10 million yuan and 8 million for direct budget support. Silva told Portuguese news agency Lusa, that these projects had been discussed for a year with the Chinese authorities. On Wednesday China gave assurance the projects would be carried out, via a number of documents signed, on the Guinean side, by the Foreign Minister, Isaac Monteiro and, on the Chinese side, by Trade Minister, Bo Xilai. The whole article is here. |
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Comments on China to build and finance Guinea Bissau infrastructure
When China offers to build projects overseas, do they use local labour or they bring in workers from China?
I'm asking because what first seems like a great donation from China can turn out a little differently if they bring in Chinese labour.
If China decides to "donate" a building overseas and make the local people work, this contributes to the development of that country. The workers pay taxes, acquire knowledge and so forth. If China brings in Chinese labour, they the contribute almost nothing to that country. Sure, they get a shiny new building, but what did it really give to that country? What is the economic impact? Nothing much.
Dear Mr JF, infrastructure projects (if useful, properly planned and properly implemented)once completed, can help a country a big deal. That should be the number 1 benefit to a nation. In terms of labour, I think Mr JF, is not particularly familiar with what infrastructure projects are like. Infrastructure projects are BIG projects, that involve not only the people building the structure (it is not like building a condo...), but the whole community around the area where the infrastructure is going to be. Contractors (in this case the Chinese) need local sub-contractors to provide a huge range of logistical support. Materials, food etc. are bought locally or from neighboring areas. All this activity strongly stimulates and improves the local economy of a given area. So, in practice, it doesn't really matter if the Chinese are going to take along all of their labour from China. Potentially, the benefits to the site and the nation where tha infrastructure is going to be built are enormous anyway, because of the trade and jobs opportunities created all around it.