On China, Africa and Jacob Zuma

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Michael Freedman

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Daniel Gross

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Stefan Theil

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Daniel Gross

Before his bodyguards gently nudged me away, I managed to do a brief interview with Jacob Zuma, the new president of South Africa's ruling African National Congress, and the country's likely next president.

NEWSWEEK: How do you think South Africa's economy is being affected by the difficulties in the U.S.?
ZUMA: No country can escape the impact of what is happening in the United States, but the South African economy has very strong fundamentals. We have a built-in resiliency.

China has been investing aggressively in sub-Saharan Africa, a market that has been a natural place to expand for many South African companies. Is China a threat to South Africa's interest in the region?
I don't think you could avoid the types of activities we're seeing in a free-market world. Given its history with Europe, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, in which aid has not necessarily helped, Africa sees the south-south relationships as being more important. China is taking advantage of that. It is a question of which companies are able to satisfy Africans. And they [other Africans] see South Africa as one of their own.

Do you have any thoughts on the U.S. presidential election, in which a candidate of African heritage seems to be a legitimate contender?
I don't think I'm qualified to talk about that.

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