[Marxism] China and North Korea (Chinese imperialism)

[Adam Berg]

More examples of Chinese imperialism.. Thank´s Paula.

Besides Pakistan, Central Asian countries and Iran, also Africa and parts of Latin America are affected by Chinese imperialism.

In Peru the company Shougang is active. 

Here´s an extract from the book "Twilight of the Gods - Götterdämmmerung over the New World Order" by German Maoist Stefan Engel (I do not sympathize with his or his party´s "marxism-leninism-maoism", but the book is still interesting):

-snip-

p 190
The Chinese Shougang corporation plays a key role in the privatization policy of Peru. Peru's Marxist-Leninists wrote in the magazine Cuadernos Polémicos:

"This transnational company purchased the iron mine in Marcona in 1992. It paid $120 million dollars, though the iron alone ... was worth about $2000 million. Then, of the $150 million in investments promised at purchase, only $35 million were invested, while output increased by more than 110 percent, despite the workforce being reduced from 3200 to 1600." (Cuadernos Polémicos, September 1996

The working hours were raised from eight to twelve, wages were cut, the discharged workers had to move out of the company-owned dwellings. In 1996 the remaining 1083 regular workers went out on a 42-day strike. Their demands went far beyond pure wage demands and were directed against both the "blessings" of neoliberalism and the attack on the national sovereignty of their country. (Cuadernos Polémicos, February 1997).

-snip-

Just recently, September last year, there was another strike:
http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN0720580320070907

There was one in April 2004 as well:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=ajbG4EquXUrs&refer=latin_america
"Miners are demanding higher salaries and better working conditions and are pressing their companies to stop contracting jobs to outside companies that pay lower wages, said Pedro Escate, general secretary of the Mining Workers' National Federation.                   All 1,300 workers at Southern Peru, the nation's biggest copper miner, and 1,500 employees at Shougang Hierro Peru, the nation's only iron miner, went on strike, said Guillermo Panca from Southern Peru's Toquepala mine and Julio Ortiz from Shougang. Workers at both mines are demanding wage raises to reflect the increase of metal prices.          
         ``Shougang's earnings more than doubled last year from 2002,'' said Ortiz. ``This should be transferred into better jobs for workers.''"
Of course, Chinese imperialism's engagement in Africa is well known.
Here´s an article on Zambian miners:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6267754.stm
"..in spite of soaring copper prices, some miners are paid only $100 a month. They complain of exploitation - "slave labour" in the words of one."


Fidel Castro said in November 1993 that, "..in China over one-fifth of humanity remains under the banner of socialism." 
http://146.6.146.2/project/castro/db/1993/19931122.html
Of course, Cuba still regards China as socialist and as a "friend of the Third World".

/Adam

Paula <Paula_cerni at msn.com> wrote: "While small Chinese merchants, obviously driven by their own initiative, sell consumption goods to the North Korean market operators, big Chinese companies, probably backed by the government, are busily establishing control over the mining industry and making inroads into infrastructure developments. "

[clip]

"In early January, the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published a report on relations between North Korea and China. According to this report, unnamed "Chinese experts" admitted that if the demise of Kim Jong Il and/or his regime leads to social disruption and chaos, the Chinese will try to obtain the UN peace-keeping mandate to restore order in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The present author was not much surprised by this publication: for the past two or three years during frank conversations with Chinese colleagues, he has heard very similar remarks."

More at http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/JB21Dg01.html
Paula

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