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The Chinese have an very ancient civilization over four and half thousand years in the making. They are very, very slow to change their ways of culture. So what we learn from them here in Africa will aid us in dealing with them in the future as the try to do the same to us.

I disagree, I think what they are trying to do in Africa is revolutionary with respect to the traditionally insular/slow/turtle-like Chinese mindset. The Chinese have never pursued strategic expeditions half way across the world in its 4000 years of history (it sailed impressively to Africa 650 years ago, but there was nothing strategic or substantial about it, and consequently no Chinese roots were set in Africa). During the 1960s, the Chinese also had token ideological exchanges with Africa, but nothing came of that either. So why are they so serious about it now? 20 years of rapid capitalism has dramatically changed the very fabric of Chinese thought. The new Chinese mentality as we shall see more clearly in coming years is essentially identical to Meiji Japan between the 1880s and 1930s. The Chinese are not colonizing Africa today, they are trying to achieve their manifest destiny through the present accepted means of conduct. Just like Japan sought to achieve its manifest destiny a hundred years ago through colonialism; remember, colonialism was still widely accepted by the Great Powers at the turn of the last century.

I was very careful to say culture. Culture involves the mindset of familial interactions and how they deal with each other. And it also involves the mindset in how they view the world outside of China, "The Middle Kingdom", Outsiders are looked upon differently and treated differently.

China, by it's very nature of being civilized nation for so long has used up most of it's easily reached mineral resources. So it must cast eyes outside of it's borders to where those resources are.

Capitalism is just a handy tool for the Communist Party at this time. As practiced in China it still maintains much of the Mandarin/Prince structure that works so well in that culture. And the people there view it as just another one of a long set of masters steeped in their history.

In a way it's quite fascinating to watch. I mean it's like I am seeing history being repeated over and over again.