WORLD> Chinese Businessmen Abroad
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WORLD> Chinese Businessmen Abroad
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Fighting a backlash: Chinese businesses abroad
By Qi Xiao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-08-13 18:38
A Reuters report noted that 7 out of 10 adults below 30 in Algeria are unemployed, and local residents often resent their lack of work. With so many Chinese working in the country, their presence is obvious – and easy to resent. As Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking, wrote of America's "Chinese Exclusion Act" in the late 19th century in another of her books, The Chinese in America, "…it virtually takes an economic crisis to blow off the lid of civility and allow deep-seated hatred to degenerate into violence." Shi Yinhong, a prominent Chinese international relations scholar with the Beijing-based Renmin University is worried that this particular case might evolve into a broader backlash against Chinese businesses in Africa. Although there have been sporadic attacks on Chinese businesses abroad since 2000, such incidents seem to be on the rise in Africa. This shows just how unsuccessful Chinese businesses have been at creating a good image in Africa, Shi says. "Together, China and Africa have made tremendous progress in recent years, especially in the economic realm," Shi said, "But Chinese businesses have concentrated solely on business interest, to the neglect of local practices and cultures of the host countries. "In terms of image cultivation, I would say their success, at the best, is quite limited," he added. Xu, the Chinese Academy of Social Science researcher, echoed Shi's concerns. He said overseas Chinese businesses' successes are partly attributable to their host countries, and they should learn how to better share their successes with local residents. The Chinese government, too, has not done enough, Shi said. He argues that there needs to be a proper communication mechanism between Chinese migrants and China's overseas offices to help deal with incidents like the ones described above. But these efforts might also be hampered by China's diplomatic traditions, Shi says. "In some cases, China has been practicing too cautious a diplomatic strategy to take bold and decisive steps," he notes.
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