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10 Critical Issues That Will Shape China-Africa Relations in 2020

What was once a relatively straightforward geopolitical relationship fueled by a desire for resources and a need for investment is becoming much more multifaceted and vastly more complex. While China's appetite for African resources remains important, the reality is that much of what Africa has to sell ...

Report: Africa Emerges as a Key Battleground in China’s Global “Propaganda War” 

The U.S. government-funded human rights and free speech organization Freedom House published a scathing report Wednesday about China's stepped-up efforts to influence media at home and abroad, particularly in developing regions like Africa. “Beijing has a large toolbox ...

While Skepticism of China’s Global Media Expansion Runs High in the U.S., in Kenya Opinions are More Varied

Kenya is the epicenter of China's media presence in Africa, with Nairobi hosting the regional headquarters of CGTN and an expanded presence by the state-run news service Xinhua. Also, Kenya is one of the largest markets for Chinese-owned private sector media and technology companies like the pay-TV ...

After a Brief Lull, the Belt and Road is Back… in a BIG Way

Last year there was a palpable sense that China's much-hyped One Belt, One Road Initiative had gone off the proverbial rails. The whole venture seemed poorly planned and not driven by a cohesive strategy, while concerns about corruption also ran high. ...

Tweet of the Day: Alibaba Becoming a Major Business Education Center for African Students

Chinese eCommerce giant Alibaba is expanding its training and education programs for African undergraduate students with a new program specifically designed for commerce in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA.) ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Revealing Reactions to China’s Festival of Optics

In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...