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A Glimmer of Hope in the Middle of a Dark Tunnel

By Lukas Fiala As someone working on international affairs in today’s world, it’s rare to end the week on an optimistic note. Yet, sometimes even the darkest of times offer a glimpse of hope. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s return to in-person ...
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U.S.-China Technology Competition in Africa

African telecom operators have resolutely opposed U.S. calls to stop using Chinese networking hardware. In fact, Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese tech firms in recent years have significantly expanded their presence beyond networking to mobile money, data centers, and even new ...

WEEK IN REVIEW: Beijing Considering Hosting a Third Belt & Road Forum Next Year

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing is considering hosting a third Belt & Road forum next year, the first time a major BRI event would be convened in China since the beginning of the pandemic. The key question is whether China will relax its strict COVID travel restrictions ...

China’s Lending Will Be Demand-Driven: Ambassador

China will not promote loan-supported projects to the Global South but will be led by recipient country demand. This was one of the takeaways from a recent interview with China’s ambassador to Kenya, Zhou Pingjian. His comments included hints of China's emerging, more cautious ...

Does China Want Africa to “Choose Sides”? Maybe a Little Bit

China often assures African countries that they won’t be made to ‘choose sides’ in a new cold war. However, a recent op-ed by a prominent Africa-focused think tanker makes clear that Beijing increasingly sees the continent as a stage for geopolitical competition.  Yao ...
Why the Global South Will Become New Champions of Climate Action
A drone view shows a ship and electric and hybrid vehicles manufactured by Chinese automaker BYD at the port of Zarate, Argentina, on January 20, 2026. (Photo by Matias Baglietto/NurPhoto) (Photo by Matías Baglietto / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)
To international visitors, Bonn—tucked along the Rhine River valley in western Germany—can feel like a time capsule. “Many things never change,” my local hosts told me, gesturing proudly toward the Bonn Minster, the Romanesque church that has anchored the city center since the Middle Ages. After more than two dozen visits ...

The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe Rallies to Defend Chinese Businesses in Worsening Stand-off With Civil Society Groups

The Chinese embassy in Harare stepped up on Monday to defend Chinese businesses, mostly in the mining sector, against accusations of environmental and social abuse made by a coalition of 27 civil society organizations (CSOs).

Report: Increased Chinese Economic Engagement in Africa Has Led to Enhanced Political Alignment

China is realizing significant political dividends from its steadily rising economic engagement in Africa over the past two decades, according to new findings by a trio of scholars in the United States. The researchers, Carla D. Jones, Hermann ...

A Flurry of China-Africa Webinars at Institutions Across the U.S.

Interest in China-Africa relations among scholars and institutions in the U.S. appears to be on the rise in 2022, at least as measured by the number of webinars on the topic over the past couple of weeks: THE HOOVER INSTITUTION ...

5,600kgs of Ethiopian Coffee Sells Out in Just 5 Seconds on Alibaba’s Livestream

When Ethiopian ambassador to China Teshome Toga agreed to join online influencer Li Jiaqi on a livestream on Alibaba's mega e-shopping platform T-mall to sell Ethiopian coffee, he no doubt imagined that he would have to do a bit of promotion to help jumpstart sales. ...

Xiao Long’s Unexciting But Very Interesting Vlog on Daily Life in Rural Rwanda

Xiao Long's (aka "Little Dragon") YouTube vlog isn't particularly exciting. He doesn't food blog, have a cute girlfriend that shoots his videos, or go on fancy adventures that fans love to watch. In fact, his monotone voice-over style is downright ...

The Big Chill

Over the last few years, we’ve seen increasing hand-wringing in Western capitals about how the money China is spending in the Global South translates into direct political influence. This week research was published that quantifies the issue. A new report ...
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