Deborah Brautigam - "The Dragon's Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa"

Is China a rogue donor, as some media pundits suggest? Or is China helping the developing world pave a pathway out of poverty, as the Chinese claim? In the last few years, China's aid program has leapt out of the shadows. Media reports about huge aid packages, support for pariah regimes, regiments of Chinese labor, and the ruthless exploitation of workers and natural resources in some of the poorest countries in the world sparked fierce debates. These debates, however, took place with very few hard facts. China's tradition of secrecy about its aid fueled rumors and speculation, making it difficult to gauge the risks and opportunities provided by China's growing embrace.
This well-timed book, by one of the world's leading experts, provides the first comprehensive account of China's aid and economic cooperation overseas. Deborah Brautigam tackles the myths and realities, explaining what the Chinese are doing, how they do it, how much aid they give, and how it all fits into their "going global" strategy. Drawing on three decades of experience in China and Africa, and hundreds of interviews in Africa, China, Europe and the U.S., Brautigam shines new light on a topic of great interest.
China has ended poverty for hundreds of millions of its own citizens. Will Chinese engagement benefit Africa? Using hard data and a series of vivid stories ranging across agriculture, industry, natural resources, and governance, Brautigam's fascinating book provides an answer. It is essential reading for anyone concerned with China's rise, and what it might mean for the challenge of ending poverty in Africa.
About the Speaker
Brautigam has been a recipient of a Fulbright Senior Regional Research Award for Africa, and a Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Grant, and has also been awarded fellowships from the Council on Foreign Relations, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the German Marshall Fund. She is the author of Chinese Aid and African Development: Exporting Green Revolution (St. Martin's Press, 1998) and Aid Dependence and Governance (Almquist & Wiksell, 2000), co-editor of Taxation and State-Building in Developing Countries: Capacity and Consent (Cambridge University Press, 2008) and some two dozen articles and book chapters on foreign aid, the political economy of development, and the politics of economic policy.

[@wallylee8470]

Thank you Deborah. The truth is always refreshing.

[@williamgarcia1909]

THE DRAGON'S GIFT, THAT IS A MOST BEAUTIFUL STORY I EVER HEARD. THANKS TO U CHARMING N WISE PROFESSOR, DEBORAH BRAUTIGAM. I M A FILIPINO. MY SINCERE ADMIRATION N RESPECT.

[@benardhall61]

China's fleet traded in east cost of Africa early 15th century.Chinese brought back a Giraff with 400 feet long boat. Shortly after Chinese left, Europeans arrived at west coast of Africa and started shipping 12 millions Africans as slaves to the new world in the next 400 years.

[@agubata1]

Every now and again a lone voice of truth echoes from the din of dishonesty and denial. Well done!

[@simonlee8889]

Nice juxtaposition, Bernard. Puts things into perspective. So many western intellectuals seem incapable of framing China's foreign policy and trade practices in any way other than as a projection of the Western capitalist model. Of course China has a desire to make trade profitable and thus applies many capitalist practices - But it also has a moral and social framework, based on socialist principles which guide policies and are much more equitable to both sides of the trading relationship. This should be acknowledged. And it is not especially new or exclusively post-revolutionary. It is how China has always operated abroad.

[@fredtan1506]

@@agubata1 It breaks my heart that it is so difficult to counter attack the US/west propaganda machine; it's so powerful. Its lies are so convincing. There are few counter propaganda from China or elsewhere and not as good.

[@chinhau8702]

Why Americans refuse to understand: _ cooperate: we build _ warring : we destroy

[@cherylww2606]

Most of western people were fooled by their media. Prof. Brautigam is one of the few who can maintain a rational mind.

[@junkscience6397]

Oh, yeah...like the Nigerians, the Kenyans and Sri Lankans who are saying ENOUGH of CHINESE IMPERIALISM! You're a fool, sucking down the Chinese propaganda hook, line and sinker! Good fish, Cheryl. How many points did the CCP give you for your apologia??

[@lillylee3817]

@@junkscience6397 yr reaction indicates that the so called propanda is working. Yr news is indeed junk news

[@chinhau8702]

Deborah: You are a loving and big heart Bravo

[@stephenyang2844]

Ms. Brautigam dispells most western media‘s false reporting or editorials about Chinese engagements in Africa.

[@joem0088]

Excellent talk, thank you. Must buy the book.

[@chinhau8702]

She is American University Professor Just listen

[@SSNewberry]

The story in Rashomon is from the short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa "In a Grove" in which Kurosawa mixed that and the frame story.

[@chinhau8702]

The African friends are eloquent enough

[@chinhau8702]

SYMBIOSIS Will save the world

[@rh7074]

YESHUA the MESSIAH is the ONLY thing can save you. This world is about to be set on fire when God comes back and he's coming very very soon my friend. Repent now

[@ahasanhabib9940]

china is the best

[@alloomis1635]

one can sympathize with tibet, but tibet was a slave society, with widespread poverty. they are better off now. in any event, like the american native people, they lost the war, and have been incorporated in china.

[@cherylww2606]

oyinbo peppe I asked, they said Tibet is the part of china for three dynasties and their life quality has greatly improved, also, our country is best.

[@junkscience6397]

@@alloomis1635 I love how you imperiously decide "Tibet is better now". Who are you to decide? And how is your attitude different from what the West thought it was giving to China in comparison to the BARBARIC society that came before their arrival to Chinese shores? Hypocrite.

[@benardhall61]

@oyinbo peppe You should ask history. China's fleet traded in east cost of Africa early 15th century.Chinese brought back a Giraff with 400 feet long boat. Shortly after Chinese left, Europeans arrived at west coast of Africa and started shipping 12 millions Africans as slaves to the new world in the next 400 years.

[@skydragon23101979]

@@junkscience6397There are certain things that you can unilaterally decide without being imperial or arrogant. Simple facts like getting enough food to eat and kids not dying of starvation. It’s simple survival.

[@agubata1]

The security narrative is a ridiculous exaggeration if not blatant falsehood. The "shaky plane" was no better or worse than any JetBlue planes in the US. Does it make you people feel strong and powerful putting Africa down quite so gratuitously? There's absolutely no comparison between the Japan/China arrangement and the China/Africa arrangement.

[@ahasanhabib9940]

u.s.a never done before?