This week’s sentencing of a Chinese mine owner in Rwanda to twenty years in prison for whipping an employee drew a sharp reaction from African netizens. However, beyond a pro forma statement from the Chinese embassy in Kigali, Chinese reactions have been much rarer. However, an anonymous Chinese business owner in Rwanda recently posted a fascinating reflection on the implications of the ruling for Africa-China labor relations and why they sometimes turn so sour.
The author, nicknamed ‘Africa Bob,’ admits to being baffled by Sun Shujun’s decision to assault his employee: “According to my personal experience, the Rwandan government and police are very protective of investors, and they take law enforcement seriously. Why choose to publicly whip someone like this and to make people watch? This is not only illegal but also a very stupid management style.
He puts the incident and the furious public reaction in the context of similar viral scandals resulting from conflict between Chinese bosses and African workers, arguing that they’re amplified by the growing ubiquity of smartphones and social media, as well as anti-Chinese sentiment online.
However, he argues that nothing will hold back Chinese investment in Africa and suggests practical ways to avoid these incidents. First, he calls on Chinese embassies on the continent to pay more attention to small and medium enterprises and to help them obey local laws.
Addressing Chinese small business owners in Africa directly, he then lists practical ways that African labor law differs from Chinese conventions. He suggests that Chinese employers provide African workers with employment contracts, use third-party dispute resolution and contracting services, stop criticizing workers in front of colleagues, and avoid sexual jokes.
He also urges employers to remain calm and specific when pointing out faults, and to avoid generalizations: “Don’t point your finger and badmouth Africans! There are so many excellent people in Africa, Africans are better than you and me There are many excellent people, how can you arbitrarily say that Africans are not diligent? How can you arbitrarily say that they have poor logic? There are many African people who graduated from Harvard, and there are many African billionaires!”
The piece is revealing of the harsh ‘eat bitter’ culture that tends to shape labor relations in China, and sometimes seeps into Chinese treatment of African workers. Its recommendations are also arguably useful beyond Chinese businesses. If all employers in Africa followed them, the continent would probably be a happier place.
