Emerging powers news roundup

A. Trade, Investment & AID
1. S Korea pledges to double aid to Africa
South Korea pledged to double aid to African nations over the next three years in an effort to better reach out to the continent rich in energy resources, growth potential and business opportunities More

2. ETHIOPIA AND CHINA SIGN 112.5 MILLION BIRR GRANT ACCORD
Ethiopia and China here signed a grant agreement amounting to about 112.5 million Birr to implement different projects aiming at improving the livelihood of needy people. More

3. SA, China trade triples
Africa's trade with the world's four largest emerging markets, namely Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC countries), has grown from $20.3bn in 2001 to about $162bn in 2008, said the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) in an economic report. More

4. Mercosur, India and African nations begin trade and investment talks
Brazil launched this week in Geneva a round of negotiations to further liberate trade between Mercosur, India and the Union of Nations from Austral Africa with the purpose of ratifying south-south cooperation, while global negotiations in the framework of the Doha Round remain stalled. More

5. Botswana gets P20 million grant from China
Botswana and China have signed an agreement covering economic and technical cooperation entailing a grant offer of about P20 million. More

6. China, World Bank African factory plans: Zoellick
China and the World Bank are in talks on setting up low-cost factories in new industrial zones in Africa to help nations achieve higher economic growth, bank president Robert Zoellick. More

B. Tensions and Competition
1. For contracts, China ‘buys’ Namibia’s elite
So far this year, the Beijing government has secretly awarded scholarships to study in China to the offspring of nine top officials, including to the daughter of Namibia’s president, Hifikepunye Pohamba. More

2. Oil Companies Compete to Win Nigerian Oil Licenses
The race to control the world’s oil resources has heated up as China has ambitiously entered the contest to win leases in Nigeria, putting Western firms on notice. More

3. Links with West no help to Africa: S.Africa minister
Africa has not benefited from its links with rich nations and should ensure economic interactions with others are not one-sided, South Africa's Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said. More

4. Can Obama Deliver American Investment in Africa?
Many high hopes have rested on the shoulders of President Barack Obama following his historic election. Investors and NGOs hoped that the election of America’s first African-American president would bring a renewed spotlight on the tremendous challenges and opportunities throughout the African continent. More

5. Libya Cautions China: Economics Is No Substitute to Politics
Yet it is precisely this emphatic divorce between economics and politics in Chinese external activities, or between economic aid and political aid, which has triggered unprecedented criticism not heard of before from some African leaders. More

6. India did not knock on our doors
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has identified India, China, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia, together called the E-5, as countries with which it wants to enhance its level of engagement with a view to rope them in as members. In an interview, the agency's Secretary-General Angel Gurria tells Sidhartha that it is for India to decide when it wants to join the OECD, often referred to as a club of rich countries. More

C. Company News
1. Al-Amoudi’s efforts to initiate Saudi agro investments
Saudi Arabia recently hosted a Saudi-East African Forum to explore possible agro investments in East Africa. More

2. Always more behind a clothing label
With cheap labor, investment incentives and unrestricted exports, one Chinese textile group has turned to Egypt as an ideal location to produce its ready-made garments, beating stiff competition at home. More

3. Brazilian Company Offers Mobile Technology in South Africa
Mowa Sports will be responsible for all mobile services (mobile telephony) that are to be provided during Soccerex'09, the main world event for soccer businesses being held in South Africa. More

D. Partnerships
1. Negotiate with China as equal partners
It may be through the Chinese that Kenya strikes its first oil and gas ever. China’s presence in Kenya’s oil exploration process is just a part of the country’s involvement in searching for African natural resources. More

2. China, Africa to further cooperation in science, technology
China and Africa look forward to deepening cooperation in various fields, especially science and technology, industry, agriculture and environment. More

3. Priorities and Challenges in China's Naval Deployment in the Horn of Africa
Following the seizure of yet another Chinese commercial vessel by Somali-based pirates, Beijing convened a two-day conference to enhance international coordination of the many foreign fleets currently seeking to defend shipping around Somalia from pirate attack. More

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS
* Sanusha Naidu is the research director of Fahamu's China in Africa programme.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.