Day: May 10, 2021
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Between ‘a’ Vision and ‘the’ Vision Lies Division
Everyone is cramming in a last flurry of calls and briefings and ‘quickly touching base on’ before the end of the year. It made my week so jam-packed that I can literally not recall what I said to whom. One through-line, however, has been values. This is ...
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With China on the Sidelines, What’s Next for African Infrastructure Financing?
For much of the past two decades, China was among the largest sources of African infrastructure financing. But that is no longer the case. In his recent keynote address at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference in Senegal, Chinese President Xi ...
China’s UN Envoy Criticizes U.S. Sanctions Against Ethiopia, Pushes Instead For Multilateral Response
The brief respite from U.S.-Chinese sniping at the United Nations over the deteriorating situation in Ethiopia came to an abrupt end this week. The two countries had momentarily put aside their differences on Friday when they signed a joint statement calling for the ...
Chinese Media Coverage of the Crisis in Ethiopia Also Weaves in Longstanding Grievances Against the U.S.
Over the past week, there's been a noticeable increase in the frequency of media coverage on both online news sites and state-run channels in China about the burgeoning conflict in Ethiopia. It does not appear that these news outlets have many, if any, resources on the ground ...
China Dismisses the White House’s B3W Plan
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was asked to comment on Tuesday about the news that the U.S. plans to launch its Build Back Better World global infrastructure program in January. The B3W is ostensibly intended to rival China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Hannah Ryder on the Importance of China Continuing the Tradition of Announcing a Big Financial Commitment at FOCAC
The highlight of every FOCAC, at least measured by the quantity of news headlines, is the size of the big financial package that's unveiled at the end of the triennial conference. In 2012 it was $20 billion, then $60 billion in 2015, and $60 billion again in ...
Tshisekedi Checks in on the Progress of Kinshasa’s Vast New China-built Cultural Center
DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi joined Ambassador Zhu Jing on Monday for a tour of the construction site of the new cultural center that China is financing and constructing in Kinshasa. When finished, the new 36,000 square meter ...
FOCAC PERSPECTIVES: African Civil Society Stakeholders Hope FOCAC Will Lead to a More Inclusive Dialogue With China That Promotes Industrialization and Sustainable Development
Every day leading up to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference on November 29th and 30th, CAP will feature perspectives from journalists, academics, activists and business leaders about what they hope will emerge from the FOCAC event in Dakar. If you ...
Daily Life For Chinese Residents in Addis Ababa is Becoming Increasingly Difficult
With the security situation in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa becoming increasingly tenuous, supply chains for daily necessities are becoming strained making it difficult for everyone, including the city's Chinese diaspora community, to secure enough food, water and other daily necessities. The Guangzhou-based news channel Southern Metropolis ...
Is China Really Playing the Long Game?
By Lukas Fiala and Hugo Jones, China Foresight LSE IDEAS Among China watchers and in policy circles alike, one topic that keeps resurfacing is that of China’s ability to plan ahead. The Communist Party of China (CPC), so the common conception, ...
The Global Marketplace Versus the Global South
This week The Guardian carried two articles about China’s growing influence in the Pacific Island region. The first, under the headline “Pacific Plunder,” highlights how China imports more wood, fish, and minerals from Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and elsewhere than any other major ...
China’s Role in the Burgeoning Debt Challenge in Africa
The debt situation in Africa is changing very quickly as some countries race to negotiate urgent bailouts with the IMF while others are struggling to service their debts amid the ongoing pandemic. Pretty much every country across the continent is struggling ...
The Growing Demand for Chinese Second-Hand Clothing in Africa
Every year, Chinese consumers discard 26 million tons of used clothing. Much of it goes into landfills, some is incinerated and others are finding their way into developing markets like Africa, where shirts emblazoned with Chinese characters are apparently becoming more fashionable.
Time is Running Out to Jump Out of the Fire
The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s massive new report makes for scary reading. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres called it a ‘code red for humanity’ and that’s probably understating the level of danger. It’s increasingly clear that staving off global disaster ...
Chinese Rail Operator to Kenya Railways: Settle Your Debts First and Then We’ll Hand Over Control of the SGR
Afristar, a subsidiary of the state-run China Road and Bridge Corporation, informed Kenya Railways that if it wants the May 2022 handover of the Mombasa to Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway to be completed on time, it'll first have to pay off its debts, according ...
A Lot of Kenyans May Want to Ban Imported Fish From China, But That Just Can’t Happen For Now
The recent proposal in Kenya's National Assembly to ban imported fish from China has sparked a lively discussion about how to simultaneously enhance the country's food security while bolstering the livelihoods of Kenya's embattled fishing communities. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya ...
MENA Countries Are Receiving the Bulk of Chinese Vaccines in Africa
Chinese vaccine deliveries to Africa increased by 5 million doses over the past week to 50.8 million jabs, according to the latest data from Beijing-based health consultancy Bridge Consulting's Chinese Vaccine Tracker report. But the distribution of those ...
Biden to Attend G7 Summit With China on His Mind. Africa and Other Developing Regions Need to Brace For What Comes Next.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in the United Kingdom on Wednesday ahead of a three-day G7 summit, where confronting China in various arenas will be among the top issues on the agenda. The President hopes he will be able to rally the ...
The Blue Dot Network is Back!
China's rivals in Japan, Australia, and the U.S. have been talking about building some kind of alternative Belt and Road Initiative to compete with Beijing in building infrastructure throughout the developing world. Although they've been long on rhetoric, the three powers, all members of the
New Report Examines Where Africa Fits Into China’s Global Strategic Vision
Understanding where Africa fits within China's broader strategic geopolitical vision is something of a mystery to many outside observers. Most international reporting and research on the issue relies on English or French language materials that go a long way to frame the prevailing narratives about Chinese priorities ...
Even Tiny Cape Verde Gets a Shipment of Chinese Vaccines
For the second week in a row, there's been very little movement around Chinese vaccine shipments to Africa. It's not entirely clear what, if anything, is behind the slowdown in deliveries, or if it's connected to supply constraints due to a massive vaccination drive within China,
With Infection Rates Surging in Countries That Have Relied Mostly on Chinese Vaccines, Officials May Be Trying to Change the Narrative
The debate over the effectiveness of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in preventing infections may be entering a new stage as infection rates rise steadily in countries that have predominantly relied on jabs made by Sinopharm and Sinovac. Critics argue that some Chinese ...
Ghanaian Wife of Deported Chinese Miner Pleads For High Court to Reconsider Its Verdict
The 27-year old wife (photo) of one of the four Chinese miners who was sentenced this week for illegal mining, immigration violations and weapons charges is pleading with the High Court in the southern Ghanaian city of Kumasi to reverse its decision to deport her husband.
Chinese Construction Company Took Unusually Swift Action Against Employee in Sierra Leone For Attacking Local Safety Inspectors
We now have the full details about that shocking video that circulated on social media on Wednesday, showing an employee of the China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG) attacking inspectors from the Sierra Leone Mining Association, who were conducting an unannounced inspection of the repair ...
Shenzhen-Based Transsion Targets South African Youth Market With New Low-Priced Offering
The Chinese-owned African mobile phone giant Transsion is targeting South Africa's youth market with the launch of the Vision1 Pro smartphone from its Itel brand -- a 6.5-inch waterproof device that costs around $120. Although Transsion's suite of brands dominates the ...
WHO’s Approval of Sinopharm Will be a Game Changer in the Global Vaccine Distribution Contest… Just Not Right Away
The World Health Organization endorsed the use of the COVID-19 vaccine from Sinopharm and cleared the way for the Chinese jab to significantly increase its distribution throughout the developing world. The WHO on Friday approved the vaccine for emergency use which means that ...
Kenya’s High Court Overturns Ban on Donkey Slaughter, Clearing the Way For More Skins to Be Sold to China
Kenya's High Court on Friday overturned a February 2020 government directive that outlawed the slaughter of donkeys. The court's ruling will now allow for slaughterhouses to re-open and the resumption of the animal's meat trade.
Lots of Concern This Weekend That Debris From an Out of Control Chinese Rocket Was Going to Land in Africa
There was palpable anxiety across a number of African countries this weekend that pieces of a Chinese rocket that hurtled back to earth were going to land somewhere in their countries. Newspapers in Ghana, Nigeria and Namibia, among others, fretted about the prospect of falling rocket shrapnel. ...
General Stephen Townsend’s Comments on China Are Not Helping the U.S. Cause in Africa
The top commander for U.S. forces in Africa (AFRICOM), General Stephen Townsend, thought it would be a good idea to re-surface the old trope that China is looking to build a new military outpost in Africa, this time on the West Coast.
Someone Paid a Huge Ransom to Free the Crew of Chinese Fishing Vessel Taken Captive in the Gulf of Guinea
The Nigerian Navy reports that the crew of a pirated Chinese fishing vessel was recently released following the payment of a $300,000 ransom. The crew had spent a month in captivity The 14-member crew, including six Chinese nationals, was kidnapped off the ...
Chinese Fishing Vessel Runs Aground in Mauritius, Sparking Fears of Another Environmental Disaster
Coastguard and security forces are racing to offload 130 tons of fuel and lubricants from a Chinese fishing vessel that ran aground off the coast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The incident took place on Sunday when ...
The Zambian Employee Who Pulled His Chinese Boss on a Cart Says The Whole Thing Was Just a Big Misunderstanding
Two videos surfaced today on Twitter that seem to show a Zambian employee who was recorded pulling his Chinese boss on a trolley cart saying that the resultant outrage is a big fuss over nothing. The employee explained that his boss treats him very well ...
Hundreds of Thousands of Ghanaian Rosewood Logs Were Illegally Smuggled to China While This Man Was Lands Minister, Now he Too is On His Way to China… as Ambassador
During the time that Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh was Ghana's Lands and Natural Resource Minister, an estimated 147,000 kilograms illegally logged rosewood was smuggled out of the country to China. And yet, not one person was ever arrested during Asomah-Cheremeh's tenure as minister. Now, he too is on his way ...
Rebuffed by the United States, Mexico Places a Huge Order For Chinese Vaccines
Shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden turned down a request from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to supply vaccines, the Mexican government turned right around to place an order with China for 22 million doses, according to Foreign Minister Marcel Ebrard.
China’s Propagandists Use African Scholars to Make Its Case on Sensitive Core Issues Like Hong Kong
Chinese state media turns to "a Kenyan expert" to recite Beijing's logic for why it's important "to have patriotic people taking up certain positions" in Hong Kong under what was once the "One Country Two Systems" paradigm. Dr. Kigen ...
Why One Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine, in Particular, is Poised to Have a Huge Impact in the Developing World
A new Chinese-made vaccine emerged from late-stage clinical trials this week, well-positioned to help overcome a number of the obstacles that have hampered large-scale distribution of COVID-19 jabs to the world's poorest countries, including many in Africa.
200,000 Chinese Vaccines Will Soon Arrive in Zimbabwe
A shipment of 200,000 Chinese-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines is scheduled to land in Zimbabwe next Monday and will be used to kickstart the government's national vaccination drive. Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa told reporters on Tuesday that another batch from China is also due next month, although she didn't ...
China’s Polling Ahead of Other Countries For Its COVID-19 Aid, But Beijing Still May Not Get the Soft Power Win It Desires
A new public opinion survey in Southeast Asia provides an indication that residents in some developing countries acknowledge China's considerable contributions in helping to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, while still feeling ambivalent about Beijing's motivations, according to the findings of a new poll conducted ...
Logistics Give China An Early Advantage in the Vaccine Distribution Competition in Africa
China is moving faster to distribute vaccines in Africa and the Middle East than competitors in Europe and Asia, thanks to its early start in building out a sophisticated logistics network with hubs in both Addis Ababa and Dubai, according to a spokesman for Ethiopian Airlines.
Leaders From Developing Countries Emerge as Central Actors in China’s Vaccine Propaganda Messaging
China is increasingly turning to leaders from developing countries to help challenge criticisms from the United States and Europe that its vaccines aren't safe or sufficiently effective. On Tuesday, CGTN showcased Peruvian President Facisco Sagasti holding up his vaccination certificate after receiving a Sinopharm jab ...
If China’s Vaccine Rollout Is the New Normal, What Was the Old Normal?
It's true, if redundant, to point out that if 2020 was the year of COVID-19, 2021 is shaping up as year of the vaccine. Like every aspect of the pandemic, the vaccine rollout acts like an x-ray, revealing the bones of ...
Iranian women hold portraits of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the funerals of security forces personnel killed in recent protests in Tehran on January 14, 2026. Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP
By Andrea Ghiselli More than a hundred children at a girls’ primary school in Minab, in southern Iran, are reported dead. Missiles and drones are striking targets across Israel as well as the Gulf, from Kuwait to Oman, with the barrage not limited to military ...
Shenzhen-Based Transsion Targets South African Youth Market With New Low-Priced Offering
The Chinese-owned African mobile phone giant Transsion is targeting South Africa's youth market with the launch of the Vision1 Pro smartphone from its Itel brand -- a 6.5-inch waterproof device that costs around $120. Although Transsion's suite of brands dominates the ...
WHO’s Approval of Sinopharm Will be a Game Changer in the Global Vaccine Distribution Contest… Just Not Right Away
The World Health Organization endorsed the use of the COVID-19 vaccine from Sinopharm and cleared the way for the Chinese jab to significantly increase its distribution throughout the developing world. The WHO on Friday approved the vaccine for emergency use which means that ...
Kenya’s High Court Overturns Ban on Donkey Slaughter, Clearing the Way For More Skins to Be Sold to China
Kenya's High Court on Friday overturned a February 2020 government directive that outlawed the slaughter of donkeys. The court's ruling will now allow for slaughterhouses to re-open and the resumption of the animal's meat trade.
Lots of Concern This Weekend That Debris From an Out of Control Chinese Rocket Was Going to Land in Africa
There was palpable anxiety across a number of African countries this weekend that pieces of a Chinese rocket that hurtled back to earth were going to land somewhere in their countries. Newspapers in Ghana, Nigeria and Namibia, among others, fretted about the prospect of falling rocket shrapnel. ...
General Stephen Townsend’s Comments on China Are Not Helping the U.S. Cause in Africa
The top commander for U.S. forces in Africa (AFRICOM), General Stephen Townsend, thought it would be a good idea to re-surface the old trope that China is looking to build a new military outpost in Africa, this time on the West Coast.