[kriro]

Very anecdotal evidence here but I worked in the African Union in the 2000s. There were already many Chinese businessmen around which surprised me a bit. To be honest the difference in the interactions couldn't have been much clearer. Most European and U.S. consultants/business people that I met basically treated Africa as a lesser continent to be exploited. I got a very colonial vibe, except with some sugarcoating. Either that or a obnoxious "we need to save poor Africa" attitude.

At the same time the Chinese almost religiously mentioned that they saw Africa as an equal partner. It seemed like a very conscious and deliberate strategy.

So my anecdotal summary would be...the Chinese got involved early, went in guns blazing (money wise) and didn't behave like total pricks out for a quick buck but rather like friends and real business partners.

[ChuckNorris89]

>Most European and U.S. consultants/business people that I met basically treated Africa as a lesser continent to be exploited.

Not just Africa. For US/Western Europe even their close Eastern European neighbors are seen as a lesser continent to be exploited.

An Austrian colleague kept boasting how his dad made a fortune buying illegally chopped wood from Ukraine.

That pretty much sums up how most of the western countries are wealthy today, by exploiting less fortunate countries.

Like you said, it's a modern form of colonialism except it's done with money instead of bullets.