Today is a public holiday in South Africa – Human Rights Day. There’s a certain irony in spending the day focusing on China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vladimir Putin, knee-deep in a human rights disaster.
What one makes of the Ukraine crisis increasingly maps on where one lives. This is made clear by a remarkable new set of polling data recently published by the European Council on Foreign Relations ...
Day: June 23, 2022
China’s Uphill Battle Fostering Stability in the Horn of Africa
By Lukas Fiala On Monday and Tuesday this week, Ethiopia hosted a China-sponsored Horn of Africa Peace Governance and Development conference – the first of its kind. Taking place at the China-financed African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, the event signalled ...
BRICS Summit Raises Questions About Shared Agenda
This week’s BRICS summit sets the stage for renewed wrangles around the bloc’s future role. The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will meet virtually on Thursday to discuss cooperation on issues like health cooperation and the post-pandemic recovery. ...
Israel’s Shakshuka Diplomacy in China
China’s efforts to promote itself to foreign audiences frequently take the form of stiffly-produced TV inserts on traditional cuisine and historical festivals. But China isn’t alone in this game - sometimes, it goes the other way. Behold the awkward glory of ...
COVID Lockdowns Hit Cobalt Prices
Chinese cobalt prices fell about 13% from a peak in May as China’s ongoing COVID lockdowns hit demand for electric vehicles. The dynamic reveals a gap between the Chinese domestic price for the metal and how that price ...
Corruption Documentary Rocks China-Guyana Relations
Guyana’s ruling party faces controversy following a documentary by the U.S. media outlet VICE alleging that Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo took bribes from a Chinese businessman. President Irfaan Ali rejected calls by opposition parties in the South American country calling for Jagdeo’s ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Xi Bets on Global South in Moscow
Despite Controversy, the Video Industry Exposed by the BBC’s Racism Documentary Is Thriving
Even as Chinese diplomats scramble to distance themselves from the trade in videos featuring African children coached to repeat demeaning phrases in Mandarin, the “well-wishing video” industry exposed by the recent BBC documentary “Racism for Sale” is going strong. The China-watcher ...
Life at the Heart of Africa-China Trade
COVID and government crackdowns have hollowed out Guangzhou’s once-thriving African community. While many of these traders have left China, some are relocating to Yiwu. The city, in Zhejiang province, is one of the world’s largest centers for the trade in consumer goods.