Today is a public holiday in South Africa – Human Rights Day. There’s a certain irony in spending the day focusing on China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vladimir Putin, knee-deep in a human rights disaster.
What one makes of the Ukraine crisis increasingly maps on where one lives. This is made clear by a remarkable new set of polling data recently published by the European Council on Foreign Relations ...
Day: October 7, 2020
One Way or Another Someone’s Going to Pay For Africa’s Debts
A new poll of young Arab nationals in North Africa and the Middle East revealed the kind of numbers that give people like Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron nightmares. 87% of the 18-24 years old surveyed expressed concerns about unemployment and ...
At the UN, African Countries Steer Clear of Bitter Human Rights Feud Between China and U.S., European Countries
No African states joined the 39 countries that signed a German-sponsored joint statement at the United Nations on Tuesday that condemned China's human rights record in Xinjiang and expressed "grave concern" about "recent developments in Hong Kong." The bulk ...
China Fires Back at U.S.-German Joint Statement
China's ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, led the counter-attack against the United States/German-sponsored joint statement on Tuesday condemning China's human rights practices in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. "The U.S. and a few other countries’ attempt to smear ...
Polling: China’s Plunging Favorability in Advanced Economies Contrasts With Relative Stability in Africa
New polling data from the Pew Research Center reveals that public opinion about China in advanced economies in Europe, Asia, and the United States have sunk to historic lows. "In most countries, around three-quarters or more see the ...
Two Contrasting Views of U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s Recent Visit to North Africa
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper made his first official visit to Africa last week, visiting four countries in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Not surprisingly, Secretary Esper spoke at every opportunity about the risks posed by growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent. ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Xi Bets on Global South in Moscow
China’s New Ambassador to Kenya Visits Nairobi’s Military HQ
China's newly-arrived ambassador to Kenya, Zhou Pingjian, met on Tuesday with Kenya's defense chief, Monica Juma, at the military headquarters at Ulinzi House. The Chinese embassy in Nairobi did not publish any statement on the meeting so it's not entirely clear ...
Combatting Malaria in the Comoros Islands: How China Almost Got it Right
Back in 2007, China led an ambitious program to eradicate malaria in the Comoros Islands, a small island nation off the coast of Mozambique in southeastern Africa. And, for the most part, they were successful but it wasn't easy and, not ...