Day: July 26, 2022
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China-Global South in 2023: Our Views on What to Expect
Eric Olander, Editor in Chief China's efforts to build a parallel international order are going to accelerate in 2023. Led by a new foreign policy team that will assume office in March, Xi Jinping's new Global Development Initiative will take shape, ...
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Vietnamese Communist Party Leader Will be Xi Jinping’s First International Visitor during His Third Term
The General Secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, will embark on a four-day visit to Beijing this week, culminating on Sunday with a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. There's considerable symbolism to this visit, given that Nguyen ...
It Worked For Nickel, So Why Not Tin? Indonesia Wants to Move Up the Value Chain by Blocking Exports of Raw Commodities
The Indonesian government plans to add tin bars to the growing list of commodities that it will ban for export as part of an ambitious effort to have more of these resources processed domestically. A similar ban that was ...
China’s Dream of Direct Access to the Indian Ocean is Finally Becoming a Reality in Myanmar
China has long regarded its dependence on transiting goods through the narrow Malacca Straits on the Malay peninsula as among its most serious national security vulnerabilities. In the event of a conflict with the United States, the U.S. Navy could easily block the strait and ...
These Charts Explain Why China is Cutting Back on Spending For BRI Projects
There's been a lot of discussion in recent months about the sharp curtailment of Chinese spending for Belt and Road projects. New data released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Finance might provide some insight as to why. ...
Why Kenya Will Struggle to Repay the Chinese Loans for its Standard Gauge Railway
Newly-elected Kenyan President William Ruto's fulfillment of a campaign promise that reversed his predecessor's mandate that cargo from the Port of Mombasa has to be transported via the Standard Gauge Railway instead of trucks may have been smart politically, but it will likely cripple the ...
Here We Go Again… More Blackface on Chinese Television
The Hong Kong-based television network TVB is facing criticism following this week's broadcast of its popular drama series Come Home Love: Lo and Behold, which featured actors wearing blackface. The offending scene had a number of young Hong ...
Indian Rumor Sparks Weekend of Baseless Speculation About Coup in China
All weekend there was wild speculation on both Indian and U.S. Twitter that Chinese President Xi Jinping had been placed under house arrest and that a military coup had taken place in Beijing. There was no coup, of course, and there is no ...
New Clues About China’s “Security Through Development” Strategy After Uganda Meeting
Xue Bing, China's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, wrapped up a four-nation tour of the region on Friday in Uganda following a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni at the State House in Entebbe. One would expect someone in Xue's role to ...
New Kenyan Government “Has No Plans to Scale Down Collaboration With China,” Says National Assembly Speaker
Speculation that newly-elected Kenyan President William Ruto would pull back on ties with China, as he hinted during his election campaign, was quelled last week when the president's ally in the National Assembly, Speaker Moses Wetangula, met with Ambassador Zhou Pingjian and said there are "no plans ...
Kenya Should Look East, Not West, For Development Inspiration Says One of the Country’s Largest Newspapers
The Editorial Board of The East African newspaper, a publication of the Nation Media Group, one of Kenya's largest media companies, published a column on Sunday that will be a disappointment to U.S. and European governments. It blasted Africa's past half-century engagement with the West and said the continent ...
Ghana’s Embassy in China Says It Had Nothing to Do With Aisha Huang’s Return
The Ghanaian government's efforts to distance itself from the exploding controversy over the re-arrest of illegal mining kingpin Aisha Huang (aka "the Galamsey Queen") has now reached the embassy in Beijing, where Ambassador Winfred Nii Okai Hammond said his mission did not issue her visa.
New Chinese-built Vaccine Cold Storage Facility Completed in Egypt on Same Day as Cairo Receives 60 Million Sinovac Jabs
Egypt's ambition to become an African vaccine manufacturing and distribution hub is now closer to becoming a reality following Saturday's completion of a new Chinese-built cold storage facility. The new complex, located in 6 October City on the outskirts of Cairo, was built by the Chinese pharmaceutical giant ...
Why China Should Not Confront the U.S. in the Middle East
The Middle East is often seen as a primary theater of competition between the U.S. and China, given the region's geostrategic importance for both superpowers. While the United States has grown weary of its entanglement in Mideast wars and undemocratic governments, that doesn't mean it is well-positioned ...
Update on the Chinese Cobalt Stand-off in the DR Congo
Tensions between Chinese mining China Moly and the Congolese state-owned mining Gécamines appear to be deteriorating further amid an ongoing stand-off over the massive TFM copper and cobalt mine in the southern DRC. Shipments have ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: The European Union (EU) and the association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Will Hold a National Leaders Summit in December for the First Time
The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold a national leaders summit in December for the first time to discuss expanding trade and infrastructure assistance. Relocating some of Europe's supply chains from China to Southeast Asia is widely expected to be a theme ...
Indonesian President Widodo Arrives in Beijing For High Profile Meeting With Xi Jinping
Indonesian President Joko Widodo landed in Beijing on Monday night for a two-day visit that will be capped by what is presumed to be an in-person meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago that ...
Widodo’s Beijing Visit Gets Sucked Into U.S.-China Feud
China's fiercely nationalistic Global Times newspaper took the lead in pushing back on criticism by high-level U.S. officials that the writers describe as an attempt by Washington to undermine Tuesday's meeting between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his counterpart Xi Jinping. ...
Two Southeast Asian States Stand Out in Pew’s Latest U.S. vs. China Public Opinion Survey
Singapore and Malaysia stood apart in Pew Research's latest public opinion poll that surveyed 25,000 respondents in 19 middle and high-income countries about their perceptions of China and the United States. While public views of China in other wealthy countries were solidly negative, two-thirds ...
Chinese Defense Minister Convenes Second China-Africa Peace and Security Forum Ministerial Meeting
Senior defense officials from at least 48 African countries took part in the second China-Africa Peace and Security Forum Ministerial Meeting that took place online on Monday. General Wei Fenghe, China's defense minister, delivered the keynote address during which he promoted Beijing's ...
Chinese Authorities Arrest Owner of Car Covered in Nazi Symbols After Israeli Protest
Police in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan arrested the owner of a small passenger car with decals of Nazi symbols on it. The vehicle was brought to the attention of authorities by the Israeli consulate in the provincial capital Chengdu after it posted a photo of the ...
What Will U.S. Diplomats Talk About Now?
After knowing for weeks that the end of Roe v Wade was coming, its official end was still a shock. As an outsider, I worried about my American friends and the countless poor, black, brown, and LGBT+ Americans that will suffer ...
Wang Yi Lands in the South Pacific With Big Ambitions to Expand Chinese Influence in the Region
Great Power politics arrived in the South Pacific on Wednesday night when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a 20-member entourage landed in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara. Wang is embarking on a 10-day, seven-nation tour of the region where he is expected to ...
Wang South Pacific Tour Provokes Strong Response From Both Australia and New Zealand
Anxieties in Australia and New Zealand about China's growing influence in the Solomon Islands and the greater South Pacific had already been running high before Wang's arrival on Wednesday. Now, however, those worries have moved into overdrive. The governments in both ...
Solomon Islands Media Protest Press Restrictions During Wang’s Visit
The Media Association of Solomon Islands announced that it will boycott a "press conference" on Thursday with Wang Yi and his SI counterpart Jeremiah Manele to protest against rules that only allow the Chinese state-broadcaster CCTV to ask Wang just one question.
Drivers Who Claim They’re Broke Force Chinese Contractor to Re-Think Nairobi Expressway Toll Plan
It's been a rocky start for the new Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway that opened to the public two weeks ago. Complaints that the tolls are too high, accidents, and now massive traffic jams have all marred what the government had hoped would be a more upbeat reception for the 27-kilometer roadway.
Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe Can’t Stop Talking About the “Malicious Activities” of Another “Foreign Embassy” in Harare
The Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe has been on a tear for the past several weeks, angrily fuming on its Twitter feed and in local press interviews about the "malicious activities" of "#Mr1K" aka a "certain foreign embassy" in Harare. The Chinese mission is seemingly upset ...
A Chinese Appeal For Compatriots Not to Abuse Local Workers in Africa
Earlier this year, the head of security at a Chinese company in Zimbabwe posted videos to his Douyin account (the Chinese equivalent of TikTok) that showed him beating and illegally detaining local workers, according to a story published this week on the Zimbabwe Chinese Network (ZCN) WeChat page. ...
GM Begins Exporting Chevy Onix From China To Mexico
SAIC-GM, General Motors’ main joint venture in China, announced on Sunday that it sent the first shipment of 200 Chevy Onix units manufactured at the GM Dong Yue plant to supply the local market of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. (GM AUTHORITY)
A Letter From an Observer in Africa to the Pacific Islands on How to Take Advantage of Your New Relationship With China
As China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi kicks off his visit to seven Pacific Island States amid a collective freakout from Western powers, Africans may be feeling a sense of deja vu. To be sure, some aspects of Wang’s approach differ from ...
Chinese Lending in Africa Slumps Lowest Point in 16 Years
Chinese lending to Africa has fallen sharply, but China isn’t retreating from the continent. Rather, new data from Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center show how a complex mix of global and local factors impacted the Africa-China relationship. These include the U.S.-China trade ...
Chinese Trade With Africa Surged in First Quarter But Expected to Slow Dramatically
Chinese trade with Africa rocketed up 24.5% in the first three months of 2022 compared to the same time last year, according to the new data released by China's customs authorities. At a continental level, trade levels were characteristically balanced with Chinese ...
Chinese Cobalt Stakeholders Weigh In on Durban Chaos
The impact of the floods that disrupted operations at South Africa’s Durban harbor is being felt throughout the cobalt supply chain. The Swiss cobalt miner Glencore reacted by declaring force majeure, but so far little has been heard from the Chinese companies that dominate both cobalt mining in ...
$1.9 Billion in 11 New Chinese Loans to Africa in 2020
By Jyhjong Hwang and Oyintarelado Moses The 2022 update to the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center, recorded 11 new loan commitments worth $1.9 billion from Chinese lenders to African government ...
The Port of Mombasa Was Never at Risk of Being Seized by China
A 2018 leaked report from Kenya's Auditor General sparked a years-long frenzy over whether the Port of Mombasa was put up as collateral against the loans from the China Exim Bank for the Standard Gauge Railway and could be seized in ...
A Chinese Perspective on a Fellow Chinese-National Being Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail For Whipping Local Employee
This week’s sentencing of a Chinese mine owner in Rwanda to twenty years in prison for whipping an employee drew a sharp reaction from African netizens. However, beyond a pro forma statement from the Chinese embassy in Kigali, Chinese reactions have been much rarer. However, an ...
There’s a Huge Difference in How China Responded to the Coups in Burkina Faso and Guinea
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded on Tuesday to the military overthrow of democratically-elected Burkinabé President Fas Roch Marc Christian Kaboré with a call to "restore normal order" and "resolve differences through dialogue." Zhao, speaking at the ...
Chinese News Outlet Fact Checks Claim That Chinese Mining Company Unduly Evicted Zimbabweans From Their Ancestral Land
The increasingly contentious dispute in Zimbabwe over the behavior of Chinese mining companies is now getting noticed back in China, where the popular online news site The Paper.cn published a detailed fact check report on some of the allegations against Chinese mining companies.
Infographic: Africa’s Shifting Trade Ties From France to China
The German consumer data service Statista published an interesting map on Tuesday that visualizes Africa's two-decade-long transition from relying on imports from France and other European countries (possibly even the U.S.) to China. While the visualization is intriguing, the use of ...
Right Now, It’s the U.S. Fed, Not China That’s Making African Borrowers Very Nervous
While one U.S. foreign policy analyst after another sounds the alarm on the threats posed by Chinese debt in Africa and elsewhere, the reality is that finance policymakers across the continent are currently more anxious about what's going to happen in Washington, specifically at the ...
Contrasting U.S. and Liberian Views on the Role of Chinese Lending in African
There's been a noticeable increase this year in the frequency of seminars (off and online) in the United States about the Belt and Road and China's role in Africa in particular. Generally speaking, the consensus among the participants, particularly those from the U.S., is quite negative towards ...
A Taliban security personnel operating an anti-aircraft gun keeps watch for Pakistani airstrikes near the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Nangarhar province on February 27, 2026 following overnight cross-border fighting between the two countries. Photo by AIMAL ZAHIR / AFP
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared "open war" against Afghanistan on Friday amid a surge of fighting between the two South Asian neighbors. Pakistan said it's retaliating against Afghanistan for a series of attacks, including a suicide bombing in early February that killed at least 36 people ...
Indonesian President Widodo Arrives in Beijing For High Profile Meeting With Xi Jinping
Indonesian President Joko Widodo landed in Beijing on Monday night for a two-day visit that will be capped by what is presumed to be an in-person meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago that ...
Widodo’s Beijing Visit Gets Sucked Into U.S.-China Feud
China's fiercely nationalistic Global Times newspaper took the lead in pushing back on criticism by high-level U.S. officials that the writers describe as an attempt by Washington to undermine Tuesday's meeting between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his counterpart Xi Jinping. ...
Two Southeast Asian States Stand Out in Pew’s Latest U.S. vs. China Public Opinion Survey
Singapore and Malaysia stood apart in Pew Research's latest public opinion poll that surveyed 25,000 respondents in 19 middle and high-income countries about their perceptions of China and the United States. While public views of China in other wealthy countries were solidly negative, two-thirds ...
Chinese Defense Minister Convenes Second China-Africa Peace and Security Forum Ministerial Meeting
Senior defense officials from at least 48 African countries took part in the second China-Africa Peace and Security Forum Ministerial Meeting that took place online on Monday. General Wei Fenghe, China's defense minister, delivered the keynote address during which he promoted Beijing's ...
Chinese Authorities Arrest Owner of Car Covered in Nazi Symbols After Israeli Protest
Police in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan arrested the owner of a small passenger car with decals of Nazi symbols on it. The vehicle was brought to the attention of authorities by the Israeli consulate in the provincial capital Chengdu after it posted a photo of the ...