Is China Wiring Africa For Surveillance?

Daniel_Stuckey writes "Huawei has invested billions of dollars in Africa over the last two decades, providing affordable cell phones, internet access, and telecommunications networks to the continent. Over the last few months Huawei has closed major deals in Africa to get more areas on the grid. The company says it's bridging the digital divide, but others suspect it's wiring the continent for surveillance."

Comments

But there's nothing to listen to in Africa

[mveloso]

Nobody cares enough about Africa to listen in on them. The only thing Africa has is resources, and China already is buying them. Is the infrastructure subject to surveillance? Sure, but every infrastructure is, even heterogeneous ones like the US.

Re:But there's nothing to listen to in Africa

[AHuxley]

Resources need deals signed with local leaders. Smart local experts will chatter about the quality of the deal, some been more into nationalism and patriotism than any bribe can alter.
They will do the math with the local press - the cost of a university, hospital, roads, new mines, power, rail vs the true long term total export value.
Such experts and their press contacts need to be found and shown the error of their ways.
Any African country doing huge deals with a France, UK, USA, Russia knows the part they have to play. Empty ships arrive, full ships depart, the local leadership is looked after and a few locals get jobs.
You had South Africa, Cuba, East Germany all playing the aid/spy card too.
Vietnam, China mostly went for long term farm aid and very long term friendship.
The visions of Moscow, London and Washington have usually been the same, influence, shared mil bases, listening stations, blocking China/France/Japan.
What can leaders in Africa do?
Sell out to mines/oil backed by US banks and loans with a few nice people from MI6/CIA to ensure its stays good.
Sell out to mines/oil backed by Russian loans with a few nice people from FSB/KGB to ensure its all good.
Sell out to mines/oil backed by China with a lots of nice new experts, workers and useful infrastructure ensure its all good.
Add in arms dealers, political and faith based groups who feel timber, oil, gems and strategic minerals are much better looked after in Paris, London, Washington.
So you have a lot of groups who dont want the locals getting too vocal.

Re:But there's nothing to listen to in Africa

[Black Parrot]

Nobody cares enough about Africa to listen in on them.

Even if you're right, it could be part of a longer-term strategy to insinuate themselves everywhere they can, with the prospect of future spread once established.

Also... surely you're not suggesting that the NSF isn't listening in on Africa.

Re:But there's nothing to listen to in Africa

[cold fjord]

Nobody cares enough about Africa to listen in on them. The only thing Africa has is resources, and China already is buying them. Is the infrastructure subject to surveillance? Sure, but every infrastructure is, even heterogeneous ones like the US.

So, nothing to see in Africa? Just move along? I don't think so.

Just like Europe, South America, and Asia, Africa is an entire continent of nations, some of which have drawn considerable attention in the last couple of years. I assume you've heard of Libya? Egypt? Algeria? South Africa? There is a lot going on in Africa, and the Chinese are heavily involved. There are plenty of things they might want to listen to.

Africa has more mobile phone users than the U.S. or E.U.
How mobile phones are making cash obsolete in Africa
European Rocket Launches 2 African Satellites

China and Africa: What the U.S. doesn't understand

Seven out of the world's 10 fastest growing economies are African. According to a 2010 report by consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the rate of return on foreign investments in Africa was, in the first decade of this century, higher than in any other region. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that Africa is now growing faster than Asia.

Sino-African trade volumes have grown accordingly. Negligible in 2000, trade hit $198.5 billion in 2012. By comparison, U.S.-Africa trade volume was $108.9 billon, and is slated to fall further behind: Research from Standard Chartered estimates that trade between China and Africa will hit $385 billion by 2015

MAP: Here Are All Of The Big Chinese Investments In Africa Since 2010
China’s Increasing Interest in Africa: Benign but Hardly Altruistic

South Africa Could Have a Spaceport

The Republic of South Africa has considered using Israel's Shavit space booster to send a satellite to orbit. The South Africans have tested the Israeli Jericho 2 intermediate-range ballistic missile which converts to the Shavit space rocket.

International Effort Seeks to Counter Jihadists in Africa

China To Establish A Naval Base Around Somalia

As the threat of piracy continues. And as Somali pirates continue with their awkward trade to kidnap foreign ships, a Chinese Admiral has revealed China’s proposal to establish a naval base in the region in its commitment to thwart piracy and finally end this tragedy in the gulf of Eden. The lazy pirates who have no intentions to pursue an education or employment see piracy as an easy way to make money. About 75% of piracy in the region is being masterminded by terror groups to finance their illegal activities.

Rear Admiral Yin Zhou’s, a senior Chinese naval officer has suggested that China will establish a permanent base in the Gulf of Aden to aid its anti-piracy operations. The proposal was posted on China’s Defence ministry website. The Admiral went on to say that supplying and maintaining the fleet off Somalia was challenging without such a base, and said other nations were unlikely to object. The Chinese navy curr

Re:But there's nothing to listen to in Africa

[tlhIngan]

Nobody cares enough about Africa to listen in on them. The only thing Africa has is resources, and China already is buying them. Is the infrastructure subject to surveillance? Sure, but every infrastructure is, even heterogeneous ones like the US.

Resource deals are better facilitated if you can spy on the other side and listen to what they're holding out on and such. Makes sense for China to learn what the real price the seller wants versus what they negotiate for. If you know the other side is bluffing, it makes exploitation much easier.

Second, if they become heavily invested in infrastructure, China's planning for the future. They know China won't be the cheap manufacturing base forever, and it will be Africa next. Well, those manufacturing bases need infrastructure, and what better way to spy on competitors than having the entire nation wired with your spy gear?

Re:But there's nothing to listen to in Africa

[AHuxley]

China is doing nothing the old Colonial powers did not do Cold - just way more smart.
The difference is China and Vietnam started long along in the 1960's with basic food aid, farming help, infrastructure and reaching out to the local postcolonial leadership.
The West was very busy with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_activities_in_Africa
Africa can recall that part of their history, the small wars the US and Soviets played.
Most in Africa recall the support for Apartheid (until the near end), the death of Patrice Lumumba, NGO's, missionaries, arms deals and endless easy US $ loans.
China is working long term on its "cooperation ventures", real engineering, medical experts, roads for minerals, oil, gems, timber, food - not just arms deals, faith, more loans and super safe bank accounts.

Re:But there's nothing to listen to in Africa

[AK Marc]

It's a long term strategy to extract profit from Africa. Just because people from the US wouldn't go there because 15% profit is too hard, doesn't mean China isn't there making 5% profit and positioning themselves for a bigger profit later

Re:But there's nothing to listen to in Africa

[H0p313ss]

It's a long term strategy to extract profit from Africa. Just because people from the US wouldn't go there because 15% profit is too hard, doesn't mean China isn't there making 5% profit and positioning themselves for a bigger profit later

Bingo, and then turning around and using those profits to buy African resources.

Re:But there's nothing to listen to in Africa

[moronoxyd]

Resources need deals signed with local leaders. Smart local experts will chatter about the quality of the deal, some been more into nationalism and patriotism than any bribe can alter.

So why is nobody suspecting surveillance when a US or European company is building communication infrastructure somewhere?
They have exactly the same interest in knowing about this chatter as China.

It could be worse

[obarthelemy]

They could be propping up regimes that routinely use torture and abuse human rights, and randomly killing innocents with drones. But then there'd be nothing left for the US to do...

Re:Usual Slashdot China bashing

[obarthelemy]

I'd say the USA is the greatest enemy of the USA. If the madness don't stop soon, the 1% will have sucked the 99% so dry the USA will be a dessicated husk.

Re:Exfiltrate Africa?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you just wanted an excuse to use the mostly unknown word "exfiltrate." Your post doesn't actually say anything at all.....

Zero content article

[jma05]

Exactly why do we discuss articles like this? There is zero evidence so far that China is doing mass surveillance outside of China.

The articles acknowledges it, and asks questions that cannot be answered, while providing no new insights.

Re:Different approaches to aid

[rahvin112]

It's Chinese colonialism. They are doing EXACTLY what the Europeans did. Just like the Europeans the Africans will be happy to allow them until they realize none of the jobs are going to them and that the infrastructure is simply to facilitate resource exploitation, just like the Europeans.

Re:Exfiltrate Africa?

[interkin3tic]

The NSA, facebook, and google seem to demonstrate that spying on everyone requires shockingly little investment and gets good returns even when you don't know exactly what you want to find in your spying.

Plus, there seem to be a lot of stuff that is worth knowing. There's oil and other natural resources in Africa, right? Seems like intercepting geological reports within western companies, or whoever, about where the oil might be could be very advantageous to China.

Re:Exfiltrate Africa?

[TubeSteak]

I guess if it comes for free, that's one thing, but how much money do you think China wants to invest exfiltrating data from Africa as opposed to their first-world competitors?

Right. Because first-world companies don't do any business in Africa.

Alternatively, China is investing in Africa for the long haul, because China desperately wants access to Africa's vast natural resources. Many African Governments include infrastructure projects as a requirement for Chinese acquisitions or in trade deals with China.

Re:Exfiltrate Africa?

[icebike]

Maybe Huawei is finding itself shut out of western markets for fear of backdoors and stolen code, that the best market they can find is selling to their own government's aid programs.

Re: Exfiltrate Africa?

[icebike]

There's less money in Africa than elsewhere, but by the same token, there is less entrenched competition there as well.

Who ever gets there firstest with the mostest has a great chance of owning the continent. It might not be profitable this year or this decade, but sooner or later they will be the entrenched company.