Nigeria 2013-2017

[JMA]

So far the Chinese approach has been to extract as much and as fast as possible with little effort to meddle in what passes for governance and no effort at all to solve any problems that aren't their own.

So far maybe, but when they get into exploiting 50-100 year lifespan mines then your theory falls on its a...

I believe you argue for the sake of it.

That may of course change, if investments are threatened.

Wow, now you are moving closer to reality.

When that happens, the Chinese may do what the Westerners have traditionally not done: weigh the value of the investment against the cost of "peace and security actions", which of course have less to do with peace or security than with securing investments, not necessarily the same thing.

Pure semantics (and a nebulous argument).

As I stated watch what happens in South Sudan - with oil - and elsewhere with other longterm investments.

For your edification peace and security are vital for an uninterupted flow of mining and the export of mined content. But then again you are just arguing for the sake of it.

Depending on the results of that assessment, they may be smart enough to write investments off and walk away, or they may choose to jump into the grinder.

Sounds good in theory but you discount the knock-on effect of the loss of the mined resources to the processing industries back in China.

If they make the latter choice, we can all sit around here and watch the Chinese mess up a small war.

Why? Just because the current and recent major powers scewed up small wars does that mean that the Chinese will be dumb enough to make the same mistakes? You are not producing a logical argument.

I am confident that they can do that every bit as well as their Western predecessors. I expect that engagement in "peace and security actions" in Africa, or elsewhere outside China, will be far more a liability than an asset to China.

So you really do think the Chinese are as dumb as the Brits, French and Americans when it comes to small wars.

An ironic prediction, given the rather intense interest of so many Chinese in learning English and establishing any pied a terre they can outside China.

You don't understand sarcasm do you? But then again if you believe that the Chinese migration is not a harbinger of more to come then I can't help you.

Given the depth and breadth of China's domestic issues, the image of the all conquering Chinese juggernaut doesn't really hold up very well. The rest of the world is as likely to face the problem of a Chinese implosion (which would be a big problem) as it is to have to manage Chinese dominance.

Is that your argument to 'do nothing'? You are very predictable ... and mostly wrong as a result.

Probably straying onto the territory of the "China's Expanding Role..." thread, but so it goes.

Glad you are not a moderator around here. Please do a liitle research and establish the level of Chinese migration is already seen by many Nigerians as problematic. Really Steve you can't continue to post such nonsense.