China's Emergence as a Superpower (till 2014)

[Ray]

There to bring peace or guard Chinese interests?

[davidbfpo]

There to bring peace or guard Chinese interests?

The deployment has all the appearances of a diplomatic fudge. China wants to be there to protect its interests, South Sudan wants China's help and knows the UN so far have not greatly ensured peace - largely due to their own internal feuding.

I'm not sure what Sudan's stance has been, although cozying up to China is not unknown in Africa. Other neighbours, notably Kenya and Uganda, who permit UN logistics - who knows.

Having a 'blue beret' makes this Chinese national deployment acceptable to the wider African political community, the AU I'm sure was consulted.

[AdamG]

There to bring peace or guard Chinese interests?

What do you think?

http://youtu.be/x-2VmohG_Pk

Chinese troops are being deployed in a restive, oil-rich region in a far-off continent. What could possibly go wrong?
http://theweek.com/article/index/268...uagmire-abroad

[Morgan]

Could this growing Chinese interest in Africa be the early beginnings of a potential 21st Century "Scramble for Africa" by rising Asian powers in need of cheap resources? Could borders be redrawn with emphasis on interior-to-port accessibility? If Japan does manage to reassert itself militarily (in response to perceived growth in Chinese strength), could Japan join the Chinese in African ventures to secure resources as well as accessing African consumers? Maybe the ROKs? Vietnamese? Indians? Just wild speculation on my part.

[Bill Moore]

Could this growing Chinese interest in Africa be the early beginnings of a potential 21st Century "Scramble for Africa" by rising Asian powers in need of cheap resources? Could borders be redrawn with emphasis on interior-to-port accessibility? If Japan does manage to reassert itself militarily (in response to perceived growth in Chinese strength), could Japan join the Chinese in African ventures to secure resources as well as accessing African consumers? Maybe the ROKs? Vietnamese? Indians? Just wild speculation on my part.

The Indians have been competing for influence and access to Africa with China for some time now. Not to many places in West Africa where I couldn't find a Vietnamese restaurant, but I didn't see a large Vietnamese population there. A lot of Lebanese, but then again they seem to be everywhere and relatively successful.