The Philippine coastguard called on its country’s fishing fleets to keep operating around the Scarborough Shoal (known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Dao in China) despite the large Chinese presence in the disputed South China Sea area.
Coastguard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said while Philippine government vessels can’t maintain a constant presence, they are committed to protecting the country’s fishing rights in what it sees as its Exclusive Economic Zone.
Day: January 4, 2022
Wang Yi’s Visit and Africa-China Alignment
It has become customary that the Chinese Foreign Minister’s first overseas trip of the new year is to Africa. Just as customary is the annual bout of chin-stroking and speculation among Africa-China watchers about the choice of destinations. This year, the ...
China’s Has Huge Ambitions for International Railway Development, Just Not So Much in Africa Anymore
It used to be that, when a Chinese Foreign Minister made the annual first overseas trip of the year to Africa, as Wang Yi is about to this week, financing railway development would be a top talking point at every stop. ...
East Africa’s New Year’s Resolution: Borrow More Money
Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda are starting 2022 with an eye on borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars to fund new infrastructure development and to help close the finance gap created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Kenyan ...
Unlike Many Other African Currencies, the Zambian Kwacha Had a Great 2021, Buoyed by Hope for a Debt Deal
While currencies like the Kenyan shilling and the Nigerian naira lost value in 2021, the Zambian kwacha enters the new year with some serious momentum. The kwacha surged 27% last year, mostly on the hope that President Hakainde Hichilema will turn around the economy ...
Why This Photo May Indicate That China’s Mining Contracts Problem in the DR Congo Has Been Resolved
DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi's office published a photo of a Christmas Eve meeting with Sun Ruiwen, president of China Molybdenum (aka "China Moly.") The company controls the massive Tenke Fungurume cobalt and copper mine (TFM) in Lualaba province. Sun reportedly reassured President ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Philippine Fishing Fleets Urged to Maintain Presence at Disputed Shoal as Tensions Build
Ghana Approves Homegrown Smart Cities Solution That Will Use Both Chinese and U.S. Tech
Ghana's National Communications Authority (photo) granted local internet services provider Celltel approval to build the $300 million Ghana Smart Cities Project that will provide national wireless internet coverage. The company said it plans to use a mix of Chinese and U.S. ...
Chinese Vaccines Still Slowly Trickling to Africa, No Uptick in Deliveries Since Xi Speech
Only been five weeks have elapsed since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced China would distribute one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa, so it's still a bit early to check for evidence that this new initiative is up and running. ...
Former Ambassador’s Column in Le Monde Highlights the Negative View of “Chinafrique” Among Political & Media Elites in France
Generally speaking, the widely-held narrative among media and political elites in France about the Chinese in Africa is very similar to that in the United States where the Chinese presence on the continent is viewed in decidedly negative terms.