Chinese Think Tank Scholars Are Increasingly Concerned That Instability in North Africa Will Provoke a “Second Arab Spring”

Libyans take part in a demonstration against eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar, and in support of the UN-recognised government of national accord (GNA), in the Martyrs' Square in the GNA-held capital Tripoli on January 24, 2020. AFP

Chinese scholars are closely monitoring the deteriorating situation in Libya with an eye on whether instability there will spread to other countries in North Africa, particularly Algeria and Sudan. Sun Xia from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences wondered whether the twin forces of declining oil prices and a civil war in Libya will spark a “second Arab Spring.”

Now, it’s important to note that in a Chinese context, any reference to the Arab Spring is politically significant given Beijing’s high levels of insecurity over a similar people-led movement erupting at home. In fact, the term is largely banned on Chinese social media.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Eric Olander

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3
China, U.S. Ink Rare Earth Deal; More Trade Pacts Coming
4
Six Million Donkeys Slaughtered for Chinese Medicine: Charity
5
Rubio to Welcome Asian ‘Quad’ Back to Washington
6
Chinese-Moroccan Joint Venture Inaugurates EV Battery Parts Plant

You Might Like

Arab Barometer: MENA Residents Have an Increasingly Favorable View of China

A new survey published by Arab Barometer, a Princeton University-affiliated non-partisan quantitative research institute, reveals increasingly favorable public perceptions of China in many countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. “In nine ...

Chinese, Arab Foreign Ministers Wrap Up Uneventful Low Key Forum

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on Monday with his counterparts from North Africa, the Mideast, and the Gulf for a surprisingly low-key online ministerial conference. The 9th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States ...

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 ...

China Places Bets on Both Sides of the Libyan Conflict as Part of a New “Non-Aligned” Strategy

China was so traumatized from the 2011 UN-intervention in Libya that led to the death of the country’s former ruler Muammar Gaddafi that is employing an entirely new strategy now as the North African ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP