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Day: April 13, 2020

An Unprecedented Rupture in China-Africa Relations

China-Africa relations face an unprecedented crisis after several days of evictions and maltreatment of African migrants by landlords and local authorities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Beginning late Thursday China time, photos, videos, and other accounts began to surface ...

China’s Response to the Crisis in Guangzhou is Missing One Critical Element: Emotion

The Chinese response to the ongoing crisis in Guangzhou has been dry, technical and, at times, defensive. What it's missing, though, is emotion and a recognition that something has gone wrong. Chinese stakeholders don't seem to fully understand that their old ...

Slow to Act at First, China Now Ramping Up Its Response to the Burgeoning Diplomatic Crisis

The Chinese government appears to have been caught off guard by the speed with which the diplomatic crisis ensued following the initial wave of evictions of African migrants from their homes/hotels in Guangzhou that began last Thursday. The first response came ...

Daily Nation Headline Highlights the Dramatic Change in China’s Narrative in Africa

By Saturday morning, the photos and videos that had dominated so much of the discussion on social media had made its way to mainstream press outlets in Africa, with dramatic headlines like this one in the popular Daily Nation newspaper. What's ...

Nigeria’s Speaker of the House Publishes Video Admonishing Chinese Ambassador Zhou Pingjian About the Situation in Guangzhou

In a notable break with diplomatic protocol, Nigeria's Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, published a 2:20 minute excerpt of his meeting on Saturday with Chinese Ambassador Zhou Pingjian. Normally, when an ambassador is called by a host government to ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Q&A: Africa’s Role in China’s Global Military Expansion: Defense Expert Unpacks a Thorny Issue

The head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, on Tuesday added to the growing alarm in Washington DC defense circles about the global reach of China’s military. 

Speaking in front of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, Aquilino said China is building capacity to seize Taiwan, and: “The PRC also seeks to establish a network of overseas military installations that would extend its reach, allowing support for an increasingly global People’s Liberation ...

This Image of Evicted African Men Sleeping on the Streets of Guangzhou Went Viral Early in the Crisis

A photo of visibly cold African men wearing surgical masks sleeping on the streets of Guangzhou after reportedly being evicted from their homes or hotel rooms went viral early in this crisis, sparking widespread anger among African Twitter and Facebook users. ...