HONG KONG — Beijing has suffered a severe setback in Africa, where its standing is normally high, at a time when its image is taking a beating in the West, largely as a result of events in Tibet and the journey of the Olympic Torch around the world.
China has enjoyed much support in Africa in large part because it refuses to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, such as attaching conditions while doing business or extending aid. Western countries, on the contrary, often attach conditions to loans in an attempt to improve human rights.
But recent events suggest that some African countries are taking a new look at China and its policy of ignoring human rights violations and crackdowns on opposition politicians.
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