Day: February 28, 2020
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Q&A: Improving Trilateral Development Cooperation Among China, African Governments and External Partners
By Jinyu Chen, Research Analyst at Development Reimagined Trilateral cooperation, a buzzword in the field of aid and development cooperation, refers to a “development relationship in which a DAC donor and/or multilateral agency ‘partners’ with a so-called ‘pivotal’ country (e.g. ...
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Inspired by China’s Example, Nigeria’s Information Minister Wants to Regulate Social Media
Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, sparked widespread outrage on Tuesday when he called for the government to step in and begin to censor online content. "If we don’t regulate social media, it will destroy us," he told a House committee. "The ...
Nigeria’s Not the Only African Country Seeking to Impose Chinese-Style Restrictions on Internet Activity
The Chinese-inspired model of government control over digital communications and internet activity is becoming increasingly popular in a number of African countries. While no African country goes to the lengths that China does in regulating online behavior, states like Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Ethiopia are definitely employing ...
Zambia Reaches Debt Deferral Agreement With China Development Bank
Zambia's Secretary to the Treasury Fredson K. Yamba announced that his office has reached a debt restructuring agreement with the China Development Bank on one of its loans. It's important to note that the statement explicitly mentions a single loan and does not refer to CDB's broader loan portfolio ...
Taiwan’s Blossoming Business and Diplomatic Ties With Somaliland Proceed Unimpeded by China
The President of the self-declared state of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, met with Taiwan's envoy to Hargeisa this week for talks. Back in Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen took note of the meeting and retweeted a photo of the two officials bumping shoulders.
Just as the U.S. is Trying to Bolster Its Standing in Africa to Challenge China’s Rising Influence, Washington Stumbles in Ethiopia
U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion to the Sudanese and Israeli prime ministers in a call last weekend that Egypt might "blow up" the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam if Cairo and Addis Ababa can't reach a settlement, is not sitting well at all in Ethiopia. ...
Researcher: U.S. Efforts Against Russia and China in Algeria Not Showing a Lot of Progress
Oxford University Russia scholar Samuel Ramani is closely following Algeria's recent talks with the U.S., China and Russia and observed that Washington is making much headway in discouraging Algiers from distancing itself from its two rivals. Ramani regularly comments on Russia-China-Africa issues ...
If Europe Wants to Remain Relevant in Africa, It Has to Show Up
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, declared this week that 2021 is going to be “the Africa year for the European Union!” Yes, this is the same Josep Borrell who back in March
G7 Finance Ministers Openly Frustrated With China on Debt Relief
Debt relief for developing countries is emerging as the latest front in China's rapidly escalating confrontation with the U.S, European countries, and Japan. Finance ministers from many of those countries, representing the Group of 7 (G7), met on Friday to discuss debt relief initiatives for ...
Here’s What the G20 Says DSSI Has Accomplished So Far
When the G20 says it has provided $14 billion of "estimated total immediate liquidity provided by official bilateral creditors in 2020 alone," consider that amount is spread across all regions around the world. It falls far short of calls by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy ...
First, Zambia Defaulted on Part of Its Debt, Then Came the Credit Downgrade, Now the Question is What Will China Do?
Zambia's financial situation is rapidly deteriorating following last week's announcement by the government that it would default on $3 billion of Eurobond debt. Soon after, the credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded Zambia's foreign-currency bonds, immediately increasing the cost of borrowing for Lusaka. ...
Is Default the Next Step for Kenya’s Embattled Standard Gauge Railway?
The Chinese-financed and built Standard Gauge Railway is losing money at an unsustainable rate of $9.2 million per month prompting renewed calls in parliament for the State House to renegotiate the $3.2 billion of loans used to construct the Nairobi to Mombasa ...
New U.S. Proposal to Limit Student Visas All But Hands the Educational Diplomacy Advantage in Africa to China
The United States government is proposing to severely restrict access to student visas from a majority of African countries in an effort to crack down on visa overstays. The new proposal by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calls for any ...
China Faces a Critical Test in Kenya
Kenya's difficulties in servicing its debts for the newly-built, Chinese-financed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is nearing a breaking point. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, the railway failed to meet passenger and cargo volume targets and now the economic downturn brought on by the ...
Letter to the Editor: Contrasting Japanese vs. Chinese Investment in Africa
Dear Eric, As the Representative in Africa for JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), I would like to comment regarding your column on September 24th, "What It Takes To Compete Against the Chinese in Africa," where you mentioned that ...
Is Paying for Fertilizer the Answer To Advancing African Agribusiness? Lessons From China
Agriculture is an important piece of Africa’s development puzzle. Resource-wise, the continent is blessed with 60% of the world’s arable land, yet only 17% of the world population. Dependency-wise, Africa is largely sustained by agriculture, with two-thirds of the population being employed within the ...
Chinese High School Students Reflect on Anti-African Discrimination in Guangzhou
It's been almost five months since a spate of anti-African discrimination erupted in Guangzhou, home to the largest overseas African population in Asia. Back in April, amid mounting fears of a COVID-19 outbreak in the southern Chinese, dozens, possibly hundreds of ...
The U.S. Now Wants to Compete With China in the Fast-Growing Armed Drone Market in Africa and the Middle East
The United States is easing restrictions on the sale of armed drone technology to governments in the Middle East and elsewhere in a bid to avoid being left behind by Chinese competitors in this fast-growing segment. The United States has now ...
China’s Growing Security Role in Africa
The German think tank the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies co-hosted a webinar last week that is now available online about China's growing security role in Africa. The event included a presentation by
The Idea of “The West”
The current campaign by the U.S. government and its allies against the Chinese technology firm Huawei ends up being quite revealing. Ostensibly, Washington's pressure on its allies to step away from Huawei as a tech partner is all about concrete concerns: security, spying and external actors like ...
Chinese Tech in Africa: What Happened to OPay & What Will Happen to Huawei?
Chinese-owned Nigerian tech company OPay started 2020 with $170 million of cash bursting from its pockets but even that much money wasn't enough to save the company from the dramatic economic downturn brought on by the COVID-19 ...
New Paper: The Role of China in the Middle East and North Africa. Beyond Economic Interests?
The European think tank network EuroMeSCo (the Euro-Mediterranean Study Commission) published one of the year's most extensive analyses of China's growing influence throughout the Middle East and North African regions with extensions into the Persian Gulf. The 109-page report ...
As Tensions Rise Among China’s Partners Along the Blue Nile, Beijing’s Nowhere to be Found
Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy confirmed last week that his country has filled the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) across the Blue Nile with an initial 4.9 billion cubic meters of water that he claims is needed for both power generation and domestic and agricultural use. ...
The U.S.’ Fortress-like Missions Look a Lot Different in Africa Than They Do in China
Anyone who's passed by a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Africa will appreciate the sentiments expressed by popular Nigerian political commentator Onye Nkuzi (nom de plume.) He pointed out how pedestrians are able to walk right outside the walls of the former consulate in Chengdu (also ...
China Scholar and Former Aussie PM Kevin Rudd on What Countries Need to do To Better Manage Relations With Beijing
Twenty years ago China had an "Africa policy" but effectively lacked any meaningful engagement strategies at the national level. Now, the situation is very different and a generation of Chinese diplomats, many of whom have served multiple tours on the continent, have been instrumental in formulating country-specific ...
In the New Era of “China Against the World” Where Does Africa Stand?
Africa's political importance to China is steadily rising as Beijing's relations with a growing list of countries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas dangerously deteriorate. Conflict has already broken out between China and India, leaving Asia's two largest powers bitterly divided. Even more worrisome ...
2+ Months Into the COVID-19 Economic Crisis in Africa and Still No Word on Debt Relief
It's been more than two months since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warned in a letter to G20 leaders that African countries face an "existential threat" from the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. Since ...
With All Suspects Now in Custody, Zambian Authorities Begin Investigation Into Sunday’s Murder of Three Chinese Nationals
Zambian police on Wednesday arrested the third and final suspect accused of murdering three Chinese nationals last weekend at their clothing factory in the Makeni, a suburb of the capital Lusaka. Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo promised a full investigation into the attack.
Lusaka Mayor Miles Sampa Apologizes for Crackdown on Local Chinese Businesses and for Using Derogatory Language
Lusaka Mayor Miles Sampa issued a public apology on Wednesday for his recent crackdown on Chinese merchants in the city and for using the derogatory word "Chinaman" alleging that he was unaware it's offensive. "I accept my error in judgment by ...
Why the Sengwa Coal Plant in Zimbabwe Will Probably be China’s Last Mega Deal in Africa For a Very Long Time
China and Zimbabwe are moving forward with a massive new $3 billion coal power plant in the northern city of Sengwa. When complete, the new plant will generate 2800 megawatts of power and could singlehandedly erase the power deficit that's crippling the country.
It’s True That a Lot of People Around the World Don’t Like China Very Much Right Now. I Know How to Change That.
As a Chinese person who's traveled around the world, including many parts of Africa, I can clearly see just how provincial most of my fellow Chinese are about the outside world. And, regrettably, that is partially to blame for many of the current difficulties we're facing.
China’s Oil Imports from Angola Continue Recovery
Angola was China’s fifth top crude oil supplier in April, customs data showed, with imports rising 23.8% from the same month a year earlier. In the first four months of 2020, Chinese imports from Angola are still negative, despite the recovery. ...
Q&A: Chinese Public Diplomacy Efforts in Africa About Guangzhou Aren’t Working. Here’s Why.
For the most part, the Chinese government has been very effective in persuading African political leaders about its version of what happened recently in Guangzhou. Contrary to widely held public perceptions in Africa, fueled in part by provocative videos that purportedly show Chinese mistreatment and abuse of ...
Tweet of the Day: According to China It’s Not OK to say “Chinese Virus” or “Wuhan Virus” but “African Horse Sickness” and “African Swine Fever” is Perfectly Fine
Few issues are more sensitive in China today than referring to COVID-19 as the "Wuhan Virus" or "Chinese Virus" as some U.S. politicians and right-wing journalists choose to do. It miffs the Chinese to no end. If you want to get an immediate shout-down on social media ...
How a Chinese Journalist Covers Africa: A Discussion with CGTN’s Shen Shiwei
China's media influence in Africa is rapidly expanding. Traditional media like CGTN, China Radio International and the China Daily newspaper all have a robust presence on the continent while news content from Xinhua is now increasingly common on African news sites. ...
The Futility of Pompeo’s Anti-China Message in Africa
When U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began his Africa trip in mid-February, it was clear that countering China's influence on the continent was at the top of his agenda. Yet from Senegal to Angola, he restrained himself from the hard-hitting ...
Kenyan Trader Walter Ruigu Seemingly Has Beijing All to Himself
Beijing is one of the world's largest metropolitan areas but yesterday it seemed that Kenyan-born trader Walter Ruigu had the entire city all to himself. "There is an eerie feeling over Beijing," wrote Walter in a LinkedIn post where he reflected on the impact that the coronavirus ...
One of the Largest Right-Wing Websites in the U.S. Now Has a Newfound Interest in China-Africa Issues
Editors at the conservative U.S. website Breitbart have recently started to regularly publish China-Africa-related stories in what appears to be part of a new focus on posting stories critical of Chinese engagement around the world. With an estimated
Africa’s Main Gateway to China Ramps Up Coronavirus Checks
With multiple daily flights between China and Africa, Bole International airport in Addis Ababa is a key frontline outpost in the effort to help stop a full-blown outbreak in Ethiopia and Africa at large. Health officials at the airport were a bit slower than others to implement ...
The Economic Consequences of the Coronavirus Are Likely Going to Hit Africa Very Hard
The broad sell-off that rattled global stock markets on Monday due to growing investor anxiety over the fallout from the rapidly escalating coronavirus crisis in China highlights Africa's economic vulnerability in this rapidly escalating crisis, particularly in those countries where China is the largest trading partner.
A Taliban security personnel operating an anti-aircraft gun keeps watch for Pakistani airstrikes near the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Nangarhar province on February 27, 2026 following overnight cross-border fighting between the two countries. Photo by AIMAL ZAHIR / AFP
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared "open war" against Afghanistan on Friday amid a surge of fighting between the two South Asian neighbors. Pakistan said it's retaliating against Afghanistan for a series of attacks, including a suicide bombing in early February that killed at least 36 people ...
How a Chinese Journalist Covers Africa: A Discussion with CGTN’s Shen Shiwei
China's media influence in Africa is rapidly expanding. Traditional media like CGTN, China Radio International and the China Daily newspaper all have a robust presence on the continent while news content from Xinhua is now increasingly common on African news sites. ...
The Futility of Pompeo’s Anti-China Message in Africa
When U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began his Africa trip in mid-February, it was clear that countering China's influence on the continent was at the top of his agenda. Yet from Senegal to Angola, he restrained himself from the hard-hitting ...