Latest Edition: Emerging Powers News Roundup

1. General

"A Doha Round Collapse Is a Betrayal of Poor Countries"
"It would be bad news for poor countries in Africa if the Doha Round of trade talks fails. This round was meant to rebalance the rules of world trade in favour of developing countries. We have put a lot of resources and hopes into this process and a collapse would be a big betrayal for us." This is the position of Abdoulaye Sanoko, counsellor at Mali’s mission to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva, speaking to IPS in an interview. "However, we don’t want to conclude the round at any cost, but rather to emphasise its developmental aspects. In contrast, the big stakeholders are stressing market access."
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2. China in Africa

China risks civil strife with support for foreign dams-activists
Chinese support for controversial dam-building schemes around the world risks a backlash from affected communities and even violence due to a lack of transparency and the ignoring of residents' wishes, activists said on Wednesday. Chinese companies and banks are becoming deeply involved in such projects in Africa and Asia, and despite a growing awareness they have to be more transparent and accountable, this frequently does not happen, the activists said.
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Analysts dismayed at China's Zimbabwe 'invasion'
Economic analysts in Zimbabwe have expressed dismay at the manner in which the Chinese and their Asian cousins from India have been allowed to take up major businesses in the country. Chinese companies have also entered the property sector, where they have reportedly been pushing up office and other property rentals in Harare. At it stands, Chinese companies command a significant presence in Zimbabwe's mining, retail, manufacturing, construction and other sectors of the economy, and this trend is set to continue as the embattled country continues to get shunned by western and other international investors.
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China puts its mark on Malawi
Driving through Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, it is difficult to miss the imposing building under construction in the city centre. It’s the country’s first five-star hotel, $90 million worth of well-appointed rooms, a state-of-the-art conference centre and 14 opulent presidential suites. The hotel is being built by the Shanghai Construction Company, a Chinese firm, and is one of numerous projects funded in line with a pledge of $260 million of concessionary loans, grant and aid from China to Malawi to support development, including infrastructure.
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Kenya signs 10 bilateral deals with China
Kenya and China signed on Thursday 10 agreements, including 8 billion shillings for a medical university, signalling the Asian nation's increased interest in enlarging its diplomatic and economic footprint in Africa. China said it would fund the building of a 500-bed hospital to teach medical students at the Kenyatta University.
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Mesfin Industrial to Assemble “Addis” Sedans
Mesfin Industrial Engineering Plc is set to embark on assembling sedan automobiles over the next two months with the launch of its assembly car, called “Addis,” in collaboration with Geely International Co, a China based manufacturer of Geely cars.
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China vows to increase government scholarships for African students
China announced on Wednesday to largely increase the number of government scholarships to African students, in a bid to step up youth exchanges and lay a solid foundation for future China-Africa friendly ties. The pledge was made by Li Changchun, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), while he was addressing hundreds of students and teachers at the University of Nairobi. In his keynote speech entitled "Strengthen China-Africa Friendship and Cooperation to Build a Better Tomorrow", Li said the Chinese government is to double government scholarships to Kenya, from previous 32 every year to 64 starting from this year.
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Media cooperation gives world clearer picture of China, Africa
China-Africa media cooperation has helped show the world a true picture of China and Africa in the face of some Western media's biased reports. In the latest example of strong China-Africa media cooperation, Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, held a seminar with Chinese and African journalists based in Nairobi on Thursday to seek ways to further boost China-Africa media exchanges and collaboration.
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China Gives Almost Half of Foreign Aid to African Countries
China gave 45.7 percent of its total donor aid to countries in Africa in 2009 to help construction of infrastructure projects and the development of resources including oil and mines. The nation has given out a total of 256.3 billion yuan ($39.3 billion) of cumulative foreign aid as of the end of 2009, according to a document distributed by the State Council’s Information Office. The report didn’t provide annual or country- specific aid figures.
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3. India in Africa

'India to provide EVMs to Egypt'
Expressing the desire to provide electoral assistance to Egypt, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has said India will provide EVMs to the North African nation, which is gearing up for a democratic process after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak's regime. Quraishi, accompanied by a five-member team, is on a five-day visit to Egypt to apprise top officials in the country about India's electoral system and the usage of EVMs.
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India provides soft loans to West African businesses
India has provided subsidised loans to businesses in West Africa through the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), says a top official of the 15-member regional grouping that is keen on joint investments in pharmaceuticals, technology and agriculture. Indian business interest to invest in the region increased following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Ecowas and the Indian government in 2008, Alfred Braimah, director of private sector development, Ecowas, told IANS here.
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4. In Other Emerging Powers News

China provides 256.29 billion yuan in foreign aid
China has provided a total of 256.29 billion yuan in aid to foreign countries by the end of 2009, a white paper on foreign aid says. According the white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council, the aid includes 106.2 billion yuan in grants, 76.54 billion yuan interest-free loans and 73.55 billion yuan in concessional loans.
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Textiles, leather exports to gain from Chinese policy: Montek
Seeking to change the focus of the country to manufacturing, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Thursday said textile and leather exports would be at advantage of the shift in Chinese policy towards boosting domestic consumption. “In China's XII Plan, exports do not hold the same place. Besides, the Chinese will be vacating the lower-end of the value spectrum like textiles and leather. So who will replace them? Are we going to step in or will it be Vietnam or Turkey or Indonesia,” Mr. Ahluwalia said here.
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Doha round of negotiations unlikely to be concluded this year – Davies
While the World Trade Organisation (WTO) continues to push for the conclusion of the Doha development round of negotiations in 2011, South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies does not think this is likely to happen. “I think there are basically two choices. Either [the Doha round"> doesn’t go anywhere, which I think is probably the most likely scenario or, if it does, then [South Africa is"> going to be asked to pay a packet more. That’s basically it,” said Davies.
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5. Blogs, Opinions, Presentations and Publications

Strategising on Indian Ocean
India, uniquely positioned at the centre of the Indian Ocean rim, opted for non-alignment as its foreign policy. It stood for making Indian Ocean a ‘Zone of Peace’. On the other hand India, started forging new relations with the littoral states of the Indian Ocean. Over the last 60 years, India is more engaged than ever in the region through trade, aid and financial assistance. In spite of the efforts made in this regard, a lot needs to be done and that can happen only if India encashes the needs of development-starved countries of the region.
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Locals indifferent to all-Chinese investments
Aiding African development has already become China’s principal overseas investment strategy. From January 2007 to June 2009, China reportedly signed $16.15 billion worth of contracts with Libya. Even as early as 2008, the contracted value amounted to $10 billion, more than anywhere else in Africa and the second biggest partner for investment by Chinese firms anywhere in the world. China has suffered a substantial loss in the unexpected massive Libyan chaos. Amid the turmoil, 27 Chinese construction sites were robbed and a number of Chinese workers were injured, causing considerable direct economic losses.
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