Kolonisatie door China en Congolese corruptie
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Kamerlid Annick Ponthier ondervroeg minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Sophie Wilmès (MR), over de zogenaamde ‘deal van de eeuw’ tussen China en Congo. De bewuste ‘Sicomines-deal’ uit 2007 zou de grootste investering in Congo ooit worden, voor 5,47 miljard aan infrastructuurwerken. In ruil daarvoor zou China toegang tot kostbare Congolese grondstoffen krijgen. “Het klonk als een win-win destijds, maar wat we in de media vernamen was dat géén van de beloofde werken werd uitgevoerd”, aldus Ponthier. “China roofde de grondstoffen weg en het enige wat in Congo gefinancierd werd, waren de rekeningen van de clan-Kabila.”
China beloofde met deze bewuste deal onder meer de aanleg van (spoor)wegen en de bouw van ziekenhuizen en universiteiten, in ruil voor de ontginning van de kostbare Congolese koper- en kobaltreserves. De betrokken Chinese bouwreuzen Sinohydro en China Railway Group bouwden echter géén van de 31 beloofde ziekenhuizen en géén van de twee afgesproken universiteiten. Ze spijsden echter wel de rekeningen van de clan-Kabila in ruil voor de Congolese grondstoffen, voor 27 miljoen euro. Dit alles bleek uit miljoenen naar de pers gelekte documenten en geldtransacties van de Afrikaanse BGFI-bank.
“Het is een beproefde Chinese kolonisatiestrategie in Afrika en elders: men koopt corrupte overheden uit de derde wereld om met leningen voor infrastructuurwerken”, aldus nog Ponthier. “Vervolgens komt dat geld in de zakken van de machthebbers terecht. Als wederdienst laat men China de grondstoffen ontginnen. Win-win voor Peking op lange termijn en voor de Afrikaanse dictators op korte termijn. De verliezers? Uiteraard de Congolese burgers, voor wie al die investeringen zogezegd bestemd waren.”
“Dit grof corruptieschandaal toont de machtshonger van China en de onbetrouwbaarheid van de Afrikaanse politiek glashelder aan”
Bij deze zaak waren ook twee Belgische Congolezen betrokken. Ponthier vroeg de minister of men deze zakenlui kon vervolgen. “Het antwoord kon niet overtuigen. Wilmès ging er in alle naïviteit van uit dat de Congolese autoriteiten de zaak zouden opvolgen, terwijl zij natuurlijk nog sterk onder invloed staan van Kabila. Ze verwees ook gemakshalve naar het federaal parket, dat verantwoordelijk zou zijn voor verdere vervolging.”
“Deze kwestie moet tot vervolging van de betrokkenen leiden en tot bezinning over onze investeringen in landen als Congo”, besluit Ponthier. “En we moeten er zeker ook lessen uit trekken inzake onze ontwikkelingssteun aan zo’n landen, die drastisch moet worden teruggeschroefd.”