Félix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, left for a trip to Beijing last week amid sky-high expectations of both new deals and the significant reworking of current agreements widely seen in his country as favoring Chinese actors. None of this happened.
Instead, he returned with a fistful of non-binding MoUs to widespread dissatisfaction back home. Since then, DRC officials have worked overtime to try and spin the trip as a longer-term ...
Day: October 26, 2022
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 ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
DRC Government Tries to Reframe Underwhelming Beijing Visit
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 ...