Impoverished Chad, for instance, has welcomed exploration of Chad’s oil reserves by Chinese companies (along with American and British ones). But promises to use the oil revenues to raise Chad’s standard of living have largely gone unmet, while pollution from drilling sites and other oil-related infrastructure damages the air and water of the country.
Thus, last month’s order by the Chadian government to suspend work by China National Petroleum on the basis of its environmental damage marks a milestone — an African nation pushing back against the Chinese approach to development. In a letter obtained by Agence France Presse, officials demanded that the Chinese oil giant pay $1.2 billion for illegal dumping and for filling in polluted drilling sites without first treating them for toxic residue. The same company was suspended last year for environmental violations, but not subjected to a fine. Chad’s willingness to put some teeth into its environmental protections should reverberate through Africa and beyond.