Our corporate overlords have just announced a deal with Google to make more than 10 million images from the LIFE Photo Archive available via Google’s image search. For those of you interested in Chinese history this is worth checking out. The vast majority of the images have never been published. It will be a few months before they are all online, but already you can find fascinating photos. Some, like Richard Nixon toasting Zhou Enlai, you probably know. But most, such as Jack Birns’ photo of a tiny refugee clad in a fur coat, appear to be previously unreleased. In fact, the collection is worth examining just to see Birns’ vivid work from the era.
Beijing is scrambling to get tens of thousands of people out of Libya after a wave of attacks on Chinese oilfields, construction sites and work camps. As the state-run China Daily reported prominently this morning, about 12,000 Chinese nationals have been evacuated by charter plane, ocean liner and bus. State press is awash with pieces about the rescue effort and the relief of survivors: "We almost burst into tears when we heard that our government had chartered a plane to take us back home," one woman told state press.
That, of course, is only half the story. China's investment in the north African nation has expanded rapidly of late, tracking Beijing's massive spending spree across the continent. In 2000, two-way trade between China and Africa stood at $10 billion. By 2010, it was $90 billion. China's biggest energy and infrastructure firms — including China National Petroleum Corporation and China Railway Construction Corporation, which were both attacked this week— have led the push. There were an estimated 30,000 Chinese nationals in Libya when violence broke out.
In Africa, as elsewhere, Beijing has taken — or, at least, professed — a policy of non-intervention. For a time, this 'no-strings' foreign policy allowed a stream of Chinese leaders to enjoy what the Economist once called "controversy-free safaris," as African governments eagerly traded access to resources for cheap loans and big investments. But it was rarely that simple. Anti-Chinese sentiment has bubbled across the region, forcing China to defend itself against claims of neo-colonialism, exploitation and worker abuse. When it comes to foreign investment, it seems, there are always strings attached.
Which brings us back to Libya. Though China is unlikely to back away from its official policy of non-intervention, many wonder if recent event will encourage Beijing to think twice before backing the next Gaddafi. A front-page story in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post today ('China pays for risky African ventures') quoted a professor from Peking University who said she'd use the Libya debacle as a case study in the potential perils of aggressive overseas investment. As the ruling party totals the cost of the fallout, it will be interesting to see if they heed that lesson.
Read more: For more on China's role in Africa, I recommend Alex Perry's 2009 dispatch from Kinshasa, Cape Town and Lusaka. To get a feel for how Chinese foreign policy is shaping Asia, check out Hannah Beech's piece, "The World of China Inc."
Beijing is scrambling to get tens of thousands of people out of Libya after a wave of attacks on Chinese oilfields, construction sites and work camps. As the state-run China Daily reported prominently this morning, about 12,000 Chinese nationals were evacuated by charter plane, ocean liner and bus. State press is awash with pieces about the rescue effort and the relief of survivors: "We almost burst into tears when we heard that our government had chartered a plane to take us back home," one woman told state press.
That, of course, is only half the story. China's investment in the north African nation has expanded rapidly of late, tracking Beijing's massive spending spree across the continent. In 2000, two-way trade between China and Africa stood at $10 billion. By 2010, it was $90 billion. China's biggest energy and infrastructure firms — including China National Petroleum Corporation and China Railway Construction Corporation, which were both attacked this week— have led the push. An estimated 30,000 Chinese nationals were in Libya when violence broke out.
In Africa, as elsewhere, Beijing has taken — or, at least, professed — a policy of non-intervention. For a time, this 'no-strings' foreign policy allowed a stream of Chinese leaders to enjoy what the Economist once called "controversy-free safaris," as African governments eagerly traded access to resources for cheap loans and big investments. But it was rarely that simple. Anti-Chinese sentiment has bubbled across the region, forcing China to defend itself against claims of neo-colonialism, exploitation and abuse. It seems that, when it comes to foreign investment, there are always strings attached.
Which brings us back to Libya; Though China is unlikely to back away from its official policy of non-intervention, many wonder if recent event will encourage Beijing to think twice before pairing up with the likes of Gaddafi. A front-page story in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post today ('China pays for risky African ventures') quoted a professor from Peking University who said she'd use the Libya debacle as a "case study" in the potential perils of aggressive overseas investment. As the ruling party totals the cost of the fallout, it will be interesting to see if they heed the lesson.
Read more: For more on China's role in Africa, I recommend Alex Perry's 2009 dispatch from Kinshasa, Cape Town and Lusaka. To get a feel for how Chinese foreign policy is shaping Asia, check out Hannah Beech's piece, "The World of China Inc."
Beijing is scrambling to get tens of thousands of people out of Libya after a wave of attacks on Chinese oilfields, construction sites and work camps. As the state-run China Daily reported prominently this morning, about 12,000 Chinese nationals were evacuated by charter plane, ocean liner and bus. State press is now awash with pieces about the rescue effort and the relief of survivors: "We almost burst into tears when we heard that our government had chartered a plane to take us back home," one woman told Xinhua.
That, of course, is only half the story. China's investment in the north African nation has expanded rapidly of late, tracking Beijing's massive spending spree across the continent. In 2000, two-way trade between China and Africa was about $10 billion. By 2010, that figure jumped to $90 billion. China's biggest energy and infrastructure firms — including China National Petroleum Corporation and China Railway Construction Corporation, which were both attacked this week— have led the push. All told, an estimated 30,000 Chinese nationals were in Libya when violence broke out.
In Africa, as elsewhere, Beijing has taken, or, at least, professed, a policy of non-intervention. For a time, this 'no-strings' foreign policy that seemed to allow Chinese leaders to enjoy what the Economist once called "controversy-free safaris," as African governments eagerly traded access to resources for cheap loans and big investments. But it was rarely that simple. Anti-Chinese sentiment has bubbled across the region, forcing China to defend itself against claims of neo-colonialism, exploitation and abuse. It seems that, when it comes to foreign investment, there are always strings attached.
Which brings us back to Libya; Though China is unlikely to back away from its official policy of non-intervention, many wonder if recent events will encourage Beijing to think twice before pairing up with the likes of Gaddafi. A front-page story in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post today ('China pays for risky African ventures') quoted a professor from Peking University who said she'd use the Libya debacle as a "case study" in the potential perils of aggressive overseas investment. As the ruling party totals the cost of the fallout, it will be interesting to see if they, too, heed the lesson.
Read more: For more on China's role in Africa, I recommend Alex Perry's 2009 dispatch from Kinshasa, Cape Town and Lusaka. To get a feel for how Chinese foreign policy is shaping Asia, check out Hannah Beech's piece, "The World of China Inc."
