Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Day: September 17, 2020
With So many Big Stars Now Playing in China, the CSL May Be Gaining Traction in Africa
There's been a noticeable increase in recent weeks in the number of news stories published on African media channels about results from the Chinese Super League (CSL), China's professional soccer league. A few years ago these kinds of stories would have ...
The Trains Are Finally Rolling in Nigeria
Say what you want about the Chinese but there's no denying they are damned good at getting stuff done. The sight of a big beautiful new train on freshly laid tracks in Lagos yesterday was something to ...
The IMF’s New $1 Billion Loan Package for Angola Shows Just How Little We Know About What’s Going on Behind the Scenes
The International Monetary Fund's Executive Board said on Wednesday that it will immediate disburse $1 billion to Angola to help ease the country's worsening financial crisis. What's surprising about the announcement is that until now, the IMF had indicated that it wanted to wait until ...
Malpass Surprised Over Lack of Progress on Emerging Market Commercial Debt Relief
World Bank President David Malpass called on governments, including China, to pressure their countries' private creditor institutions to do more to help alleviate debt pressures in emerging markets. Malpass is apparently surprised that investors are continuing to extract profits from vulnerable ...
Test Run for New Chinese-built Railway in Nigeria Sparks a Lot of Excitement
Nigerians got their first look yesterday at the brand new Lagos to Ibadan standard gauge railway, as it conducted its first live test run. This new standard gauge railway is one of eleven transportation projects that Chinese lenders are financing in ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Asia Society Policy Institute: Weaponizing the Belt and Road Initiative
The U.S.-based Asia Society Policy Institute followed up last week's launch of its new report "Weaponizing the Belt and Road Initiative" with a compelling webinar discussion with the paper's author, ASPI Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy, Daniel Russel, and Elina Noor, ...
Taiwan’s New Rep Office in Somaliland Donates Relief Supplies
Just weeks after it opened, Taiwan's new representative office in the self-declared state of Somaliland embarked on its first foray into African "donation diplomacy" by providing local officials with humanitarian supplies and then leveraging the event for public diplomacy benefits on social media.
China’s Ambassador to Ethiopia is the Latest High Profile Envoy to Rotate Out
China's outgoing ambassador to Ethiopia, Tan Jian, stopped by the Foreign Ministry in Addis Ababa on Wednesday to say good-bye to Foreign Affairs Minister Gedu Andargachew. https://twitter.com/mfaethiopia/status/1305948309249556482