Opinion:Chinese Prisons Await Systemic Corrupt African Presidents?

African leaders are desperate; they are scratching everywhere for money in the name of development.

They have discovered the People’s Republic of China as their newest hustle terrain purposely to solicit more loans from President XI Jinping, who is less concerned about autocratic leaderships on the African continent. But Chinese loans are not gifts; they are daylight death traps. They are tied to severe conditions. President XI Jinping is vividly aware that African leaders are potentially greedy and systemically corrupt.

49 African governments and seven regional institutions are already in full grip of the Chinese Government. In some Sub-Saharan African countries and other countries in Africa, the Chinese Government had disbursed vast loans of $182.28B. For example, Guinea was loaned $21.9B; Ethiopia $14.8B; Tanzania $12.6B, Democratic Republic of Congo $12.1B; Kenya 6.7B; Cote d’Ivoire $3.9B; Cameroon $3.8B; Egypt $5.2B; South Africa $3.4B and the list goes on and on.

The Chinese Government is not interested to know whether African Presidents are agents of good governance or promoters of human rights. President XI Jinping is not concerned about dishonest African leaders and their corrupt practices, abuse of human rights violations, lousy management, lifetime presidency, child labor, women abuse, imprisonment of political opponents, lack of transparency and accountability, and abuse of constitutional power. The Chinese leadership doesn’t go around the world throwing bombs and forcing other countries to adapt to democracy or force its citizens to change their way of life, religions, or cultural values system.

African leaders are very optimistic about welcoming President XI Jinping within the scope of their politics, where they are not reminded of bad governance, such as gross human rights abuses or systemic corrupt practices. Unlike the Chinese government, the United States Government gives loans that come with countless conditions ranging from good governance to the full implementation of democracy.

The Chinese Government does not have much time for democracy and good governance. The Chinese aim is to give considerable loans to restless and corrupt African governments. They are fully aware of the unethical political conduct of African leaders. Yet, they hand out giant-size loans, which are now in the range of $1.1 trillion. How are these African countries going to pay back such a huge loan?

African governments are currently trapped under Chinese “Belt and Road Initiatives.” The Chinese have done their homework. They know that Road construction, Electricity, Agriculture, Railway, infrastructure, and Refineries are enormous problems on the African continent. The Chinese are also aware that the African Presidents are very corrupt, yet they decided to give those corrupt African leaders direct cash loans, knowing fully well that they would embezzle the cash and ask for more loans.

In all sincerity, most political pundits believed that the Chinese loan was an excellent and effective antidote for systemic, dishonest, corrupt African governments that have continued to mismanage their economies in many different ways. They currently are on the match for money in the name of development. Some African governments think they are playing a game with the Chinese-but little did African leaders know that the Chinese Government has indirectly exposed them to a dangerous debt trap that might send most of them to Chinese prisons for defaulting on their loan payments, not in the distant future.

President XI Jinping did not stop there; he made the African leaders at the just ended confab jump out of their official seats when he officially announced the waiver of tariffs for 33 African countries. It was a moment of joy for restless, corrupt African leaders. The Chinese are the most brilliant politicians in the world. Their friendship is not for nothing; there is always something tangible in exchange, but corrupt African governments are virtually unaware of such tactical maneuvering.