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Chinese politicians cannot afford to be perceived as acting lenient towards US deterrence strategy – there would be domestic political costs to ignoring nationalist voices
Bodeen 10 (Christopher, The Seattle Times, Chinese nationalists increasingly strident, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012206131_apaschinanationalism.html?syndication=rss) MAH
Uniformed officers have spoken out publicly as well. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the PLA's general staff, took a swipe at Washington at a security conference earlier this month in Singapore, complaining of "the threat to use force in international relations, and interference in other countries' internal affairs." Senior officers make such statements knowing they will be well received both among the public and with a significant portion of the political elite, said Michael Swaine, an expert on Chinese civil-military relations at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "And the senior (Chinese) leadership is probably either unaware of or does not actively suppress such views as long as they do not strongly attack the party's basic pro-reform and opening line or the authority of the party, or openly argue for conflict with the US," Swaine said. Chinese politicians ignore nationalist voices at their peril, especially with a looming leadership transition set to begin in 2012. At such times, no aspiring leader can afford to appear soft toward the U.S., particularly on an issue as sensitive as Taiwan. Such a stance does not come without costs, however, as nervous neighbors look to shore up their ties with the U.S. and hedge their bets against a more assertive China. Beijing needs to bear that in mind and resist the urge to swagger just because it can, said Oxford University China scholar Steve Tsang. "If the top leadership allows its formal policy of rising peacefully to be breached because they just cannot resist wanting to feel good in asserting China's right to be respected properly, it can easily lead to miscalculation in policy," Tsang said.
Containment Bad – African Oil
Chinese involvement in African oil is good: they invest and build infrastructure. Western involvement is far worse.
Jing 10. (Fu, writer for China Daily. “Chinese investment benefits Africa: Yang.” China Daily. March 8, 2010. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010npc/2010-03/08/content_9551176.htm). LRH.
Yang also said it is unreasonable for some Western countries to oppose the expansion of China's investment in Africa, holding that China is encouraging other countries to boost energy cooperation with African countries on the basis of mutual benefit. "I have noticed that some (in the international community) are unwilling to see the sound development of the Sino-African relationship and always play up our energy cooperation," said Yang at a press conference. China accounts for just a small part of global energy investment in the continent. "The United States and Europe have invested far more than us," Yang said. Africa's oil exports to China accounted for only 13 percent of its total oil exports, lower than the amounts exported to Europe and the US, which both surpassed 30 percent. China's investment in Africa's oil sector accounted for only one-sixteenth of the world's total, which is much less than the amount invested by either Europe or the US. In addition, Yang said China's relations with African countries entail more than just cooperation in the energy field. The two sides have already implemented long-lasting cooperation in improving local infrastructure by building roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and other public undertakings. Commenting on China's performance in Africa, President of the Republic of Zambia, Rupiah Banda, said: "Chinese investors are the real helping hands for us and their contribution to Africa's economic development is evident." In a recent interview, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said: "The Chinese bring what Africa needs: investment and money for governments and companies. China is investing in infrastructure and building roads." In contrast, the West's involvement "has not brought Africa forward," the president was quoted as saying. "Western firms have, to a large extent, polluted Africa and they are still doing so. Think of the dumping of nuclear waste in the Ivory Coast or the fact that Somalia is being used as a garbage can by European firms," he added.
China’s investment in African oil industries is good for the African economy
China Daily 10. (“Energy industry at forefront of foreign investment.”
China Daily. March 23, 2010. http://www.chinadaily.net/regional/2010-03/23/content_9627705.htm). LRH.
Capital and expertise from China create wide range of opportunities in Nigeria With Nigeria's upstream oil industry generating an estimated $600 billion in revenues since the 1960s, the sector is the most important component of the country's economic engine.
The government is keen to ensure that the industry develops at a sustainable rate and provides jobs as well as encouraging more foreign investment.
Despite problems in the Niger Delta region, foreign companies remain committed to the industry's development. Nigeria expects total domestic gas demand to jump more than 20 percent a year to 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2015 from around 500 million in 2000. In addition, the proposed new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) will increase transparency across the sector if approved by the national assembly.
"With the PIB, Nigeria will move from being one of the most opaque petroleum nations in Africa to one of the most open and transparent in the world," said former Minister of Petroleum Resources Rilwanu Lukman. "The texts of all licenses, leases and contracts and any of the changes to such documents will no longer be confidential," "China will be our most important market. They need the energy, and we have it, so what better partner for us than someone who needs our resources?" The insurance sector is a relatively new industry in Nigeria as increasing levels of risk awareness among leaders of public corporations and directors of private enterprises generates business for a host of insurers, reinsurers, brokers, agents and loss adjusters. The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) is the industry watchdog and compiles annual insurance policy and operational guidelines to operators as part of its regulatory and supervisory tools.
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