Giant_and_Dwarf-FIN

Giant and Dwarfdistressingly under-funded, with a 73 % shortfall, and if more funding is not received reliefsupplies will run out within weeks” the BBC quoted UN spokeswoman Stacey Winston. 36So much for the “threat” of surpluses in the volume of development aid after China’sentry into the “development aid market” in Africa. Or more precisely, anywhere in theworld—for Pakistan is not only the sixth most populous country in the world and a nuclearpower, but also China’s neighbor located in a strategically hot region.Despite my belief that the importance and the perspectives of China as a major playerin the development of Africa is overestimated, I think it is not a waste of time to devotea few pages to Chinese activities on the black continent. It is quite interesting to note thatthe Chinese came into contact with equatorial Africa almost a century before Europeans.Compared with fragmented Europe devastated by religious conflicts, China was a real technologicaland economic superpower in the early 15 th century. Its technological superioritymanifests itself for instance, in the construction of ships and fleets that were not technologicallychallenged until the 19 th century. Nine mast Treasure ships of the Ming dynastyfleet were as long as 120 meters and 50 meters wide and were protected against sinkingby watertight compartments inside the ship’s hull. Almost 90 years later, the famous SantaMaria of Christopher Columbus was 30 metres long and 10 wide. Huge research expeditionsled by admiral Zheng had as many as 27,000 sailors and soldiers sailing on morethan 300 ships of different designs. 37 Columbus’s first expedition consisted of just over 100Europeans sailing on three small barges.From 1405 to 1433—during the same period when in religiously excited Europe MasterJan Hus and Joan of Arc were burned at stake, when the Poles and Lithuanians defeatedthe Teutonic Knights crusaders at Grunwald and the Hussites repulsed one crusade afteranother—the Chinese organized seven major naval expeditions to the west. The Chinesefleets sailed across the Indian Ocean to the shores of the Red Sea and to ports in recentSomalia and Kenya. Judging by the findings of Chinese pottery and porcelain in archeologicallocations, it is possible that the Chinese ships reached even further south to theshores of Tanzania and Mozambique. However, unlike the Europeans, after this spectaculardemonstration of technological superiority and power the Chinese did not attempt to setup colonies in Africa or in Southern Asia. They were satisfied by bringing back court gifts andunseen animals such as giraffes, zebras, ostriches, lions, leopards to the empire. It is one ofthe great mysteries of history why the Chinese did not even attempt to establish bases andports on the coasts of India and Africa. An explanation should be sought in domestic policyintrigues of the imperial court; in supposed arrogance the Chinese believed that there wasno world outside of China worthy of deeper interest. Pragmatic reasons included the growingthreat to China from hordes of invaders from the steppes of the Asian interior.36 Agencies warn of acute Pakistan floods relief shortfall. BBC, 2011-11-09. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15643468.37 Those interested to learn more about this part of the history of the world and technology will enjoy thebook “1421. The Year China Discovered The World” by Gavin Mendez, Bantam Press, 200258