Chris Alden, of the South African Institute of International Affairs, says the Chinese are beginning to have a big influence in retailing.

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"Many within government really believe they can make a difference, that Ms. Zuma can make a contribution to making the AU a more effective organization, " said Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, national director of the South African Institute of International Affairs.

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For Yu-Shan Wu, a researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs, the efforts by the Chinese state-owned media to increase their influence in Africa and other parts of the developing world are part of a bigger soft power drive.

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According to Ross Herbert of the South African Institute of International Affairs, who was closely involved, the government was heavy-handed in managing the process, removed or downplayed problems (including corruption, crime and weaknesses in the country's democratic system) after the text was publicly endorsed, and bent the rules by putting a minister in charge of the council that oversaw the self-assessment.

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