Day: December 14, 2022

Related Posts

U.S.-Africa Summit Showcases New Biden Strategy, Amid Republican Complaints

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris opened the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit yesterday with an optimistic message focusing on Africa’s youth. President Joe Biden is scheduled to join the summit today, and his administration has leaned into new cooperation initiatives. These include an additional $100 million to expand the Obama-era Youth African Leaders ...

Critical Report from African Think Tank Name-Checked in Beijing’s Response to Summit

While the Biden administration is trying to steer discussions of its Africa summit away from its geopolitical competition with China, the opposite is true in Beijing. At a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin framed the summit as a geopolitical tool: 

Chinese Press: The U.S.-Africa Summit is All About China

The Chinese press and think tank coverage of the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit is echoing the geopolitics-focused response from the Foreign Ministry. China’s state-owned nationalist tabloid Global Times set the tone by arguing that the summit is a continuation of Trump-era “America First’ approach, saying that “whether the ...

Prominent Africa Scholar Shapes Beijing’s Summit Talking Points

Chinese experts play a key role in shaping Beijing’s messaging on the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit. Key among them is He Wenping, a researcher at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. She is one of the most prominent Africa ...

U.S. Signs MoU with DRC, Zambia for e-Vehicle Supply Chains

The governments of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States to develop an electric vehicle supply chain in their countries. The exact details of the agreement are still unclear, but it likely involves refining cobalt - a key mineral used ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

China-Led Study Proposes Global Energy Network

A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.

The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked to ...

Biden’s Africa Talk is “Hollow”: Expert

While many U.S. government spokespeople are putting a happy face on the summit, independent analysts are being less diplomatic.  Amaka Anku, the head of Africa analysis at the Eurasia Group, didn’t mince words in a recent interview: 

Global Coverage Zeroes In On Weak U.S.-Africa Engagement

Global coverage of the U.S.-Africa Leaders' Summit pointed out how little energy has been invested in the relationship in contrast to China's ongoing diplomatic outreach. Kate Fisher, a correspondent for Singapore's Channel New Asia, summed it up: “President Biden is yet ...