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Day: August 31, 2021

Even Amid a Pandemic, Chinese FDI in Africa Jumped Almost 10% Last Year

Chinese foreign direct investment in Africa increased by 8% in 2020 compared to the previous year, from $2.7 billion to $2.96 billion. Including the 2020 investments, the total Chinese FDI on the continent amounts to $47.4 billion, according to data in a new report published by the ...

Now That Chinese-Owned OPay Has Become Africa’s Third Tech Unicorn, the Magnitude of What Happened Last Week is Starting to Settle In

When the Chinese-owned African mobile money app OPay wrapped up a massive $400 million investment round led by Japan's Softbank and a who's who of Chinese venture capital firms, the magnitude of what happened hadn't really registered. Those investors now value ...

Chinese Vaccines Trickle Into Africa at a Slow, Steady Pace But Hardly Enough to Make a Big Impact

Chinese vaccine shipments to Africa increased by 2.4 million since last week to 56.3 million total doses delivered to date. As of this week, Africa accounts for just 8% of China's total global vaccine distribution, according to Beijing-based consultancy Bridge Beijing's latest vaccine tracker ...

China’s Ambassador to South Africa is Putting Himself in the Middle of the COVID Origin Dispute With the U.S.

China's ambassador to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong, is emerging as a key voice in the bitter dispute with the United States over the origins of COVID-19. The ambassador has steadily escalated his critiques of the U.S. for its claim that the ...

Meet Zhou Aile, An Aspiring Chinese Social Media Star From Gabon

Zhou Aile, or Paula as she's known back home in Gabon, first moved to China 13 years ago to study Mandarin. Since then, Zhou, like other ambitious young African expats, has been working hard to make a name for herself as a media personality, especially online where ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Q&A: Africa’s Role in China’s Global Military Expansion: Defense Expert Unpacks a Thorny Issue

The head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, on Tuesday added to the growing alarm in Washington DC defense circles about the global reach of China’s military. 

Speaking in front of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, Aquilino said China is building capacity to seize Taiwan, and: “The PRC also seeks to establish a network of overseas military installations that would extend its reach, allowing support for an increasingly global People’s Liberation ...

Africa-China Nerds, Get Ready!

Today was a landmark day for the China-Africa Project. We got to interview Wu Peng, the Director-General of the Department of African Affairs at the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Director-General Wu is China’s most senior official focusing on Africa, and it was a rare privilege to speak with ...

Can Africa Learn Anything From How China Runs Its State Companies?

As African countries work to rebuild their economies from the wreckage caused by the ongoing COVID pandemic, policymakers will be looking at what they can do to bolster their countries' state-owned enterprises (SOE). That may prompt them to examine China's model ...