Félix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, left for a trip to Beijing last week amid sky-high expectations of both new deals and the significant reworking of current agreements widely seen in his country as favoring Chinese actors. None of this happened.
Instead, he returned with a fistful of non-binding MoUs to widespread dissatisfaction back home. Since then, DRC officials have worked overtime to try and spin the trip as a longer-term ...
Day: March 2, 2021
Pressure Mounting on U.S. and European Governments to Ease IP Restrictions on Vaccines — Both to Relieve Vaccine Inequity and to Counter China, Russia
Calls are growing louder in the U.S. and Europe for those governments to waive intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines so developing countries would be able to manufacture their own jabs and narrow the current vaccine inequity gap. These ...
China’s Vaccine Distribution Campaign Now Extends to the Military With PLA Donation to the Philippines Army
The Philippines Army began inoculations of its forces this week using a batch of Sinovac COVID-19 jabs donated by the People's Liberation Army. So far, the PLA's vaccine donations have been confined to Asia where it's also given to armed forces in Pakistan, Cambodia, and Mongolia.
From Asia to Africa to the Americas, China is Shaping the Vaccine Narrative With a Steady Stream of Powerful Images
The optics of China's COVID-19 distribution around the world. U.S. & European governments have yet to deploy an effective strategic communications plan to rival this kind of visual messaging that's been very effective to date in shaping the narrative on vaccine inequity.
Vaccine Crossroads
At present we’re in a moment of both hope and fear. The vaccines are finally rolling out, and with them, we’re seeing a glimmer of a post-COVID world. But is that only a mirage? The decisions that will decide that answer are being made now. A ...
Africa’s Role In the Current India-China Rivalry
Africa is emerging as a front in two great power rivalries, one between China and the U.S. and the other between China and India. The increasingly bitter feud between Asia's two largest countries now extends beyond the sub-continent into the Indian ...