Day: April 12, 2023
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U.S. Counts on Tech Firms Like Nvidia and Apple to Improve Its Standing in Vietnam
The United States is laggard when it comes to foreign investment in Vietnam, not even among the top ten and far behind countries like South Korea, Japan and China. But that may soon change as more U.S. tech companies like Nvidia ...
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Xi Lands in Vietnam, Hanoi Expected to Join to China’s Common Destiny Agenda
Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Tuesday to begin a high-profile two-day visit that is laced with geopolitical symbolism. Xi was greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính who accompanied the president across town to ...
Diplomatic Jousting Escalates After Dangerous China-Philippines Quarrels in South China Sea
China and the Philippines are amplifying their criticism of each other after a weekend of dangerous run-ins in the South China Sea. Incidents on Saturday and Sunday were among the most confrontational in what has been a busy year of encounters ...
China Hosts Saudi Investment Event as Oil Buys Slump
China is hosting an investment conference focusing on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The event will coincide with a visit to Beijing by Saudi Arabia’s Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih. The event will focus on enhancing cooperation in fields like clean energy, finance, and ...
Examining New Data on Chinese Foreign Direct Investment across the Wider Mediterranean Region
Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Mediterranean region grew by 5% in 2022 but differed by region. While the Middle East accounted for the bulk of the increase, southern Europe and North Africa suffered investment slumps. This is the key ...
Ethiopia To Default on Bond Payment
Ethiopia is set to join Zambia, Sri Lanka, and Ghana on the debt chopping block following the announcement that it can’t pay a $33 million bond coupon due on Monday. The country will officially be in default once a 14-day grace period elapses. ...
Who Will Come to the Rescue? The Inadequacies of the Global Financial Safety Net and Its Impact on Developing Countries
By Marina Zucker-Marques and William N. Kring In an era marked by ‘higher-for-longer’ interest rates and restricted access to international financial markets, access to emergency liquidity financing is essential for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) to weather economic ...
China @ COP28: Victim or Villain?
This year's COP28 gathering is wrapping up in Dubai and it turned out to be the most controversial climate conference in years where China was at the center of many of the most contentious discussions on how to mitigate the impact ...
Zimbabwe’s Elite Share Their Views on China: What a New Survey Reveals
Across Africa, public opinion about China has been quite positive overall with favorability ratings surpassing those of other major powers, including the United States. But not in Zimbabwe, at least among the country's elites, according to a new survey.
Chinese Construction Projects in Kenya Stall Amid Worsening Economy
For Kenya, repaying its loans sustainably is now a matter of concern since the country’s currency is devaluing fast in what the Central Bank said is “adjusting from policy mistakes”.
China Discusses Ceasefire, Aid to Gaza with Egypt
China’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, said China is “ready to coordinate” with Egypt to promote a ceasefire in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The comments came during a phone call with Osama Khedr, the assistant minister of the ...
IMF Caught Unawares by China’s Sri Lankan Debt Deal
The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s brief announcement on Tuesday that China Exim Bank reached a debt deal with Sri Lanka surprised IMF officials - another indication of how fractured the bankrupt country’s debt restructuring process has become. Peter Breuer, the IMF’s Mission ...
Backgrounder: IMF Quota Discussions in Marrakesh Point to Tectonic Change
This week’s IMF and World Bank meetings in Morocco will discuss fundamental changes to the global financial architecture, including who gets to make decisions in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. IMF officials ...
As Debt Resolution Deadlock Looms, Which Scenarios Face Us?
China’s rapid rise as a global lender has also made it a significant disrupter of the business-as-usual of debt restructuring. While Western stakeholders have framed China’s role as a ‘barrier,’ Beijing insists that it is being treated unfairly in comparison to Western-led ...
Further Crackdowns on Cross-Border Gambling and Scams in Myanmar
More than 1,200 Chinese nationals allegedly involved in illegal cross-border gambling operations were detained by Myanmar militias and handed over to Chinese authorities on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. In June, China launched an anti-fraud campaign that has so ...
The Commercial Deals Cementing the U.S.-Vietnam Upgrade and China’s Response
A raft of deals announced during the weekend as part of the elevation of U.S.-Vietnam ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will take on Chinese influence in core areas, including technology and infrastructure. During his press conference in Hanoi, U.S. President ...
Proposed India-Middle East-Europe Trade Route Could Take India-China Rivalry to Israel
Few people have been as enthusiastic about the announcement of an ambitious proposed trade corridor linking India and Greece via Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Israel as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu, who is facing ongoing protests against controversial ...
Cambodia’s New PM to Visit China
Cambodia’s new Prime Minister, Hun Manet, will visit China for two days from Thursday, one of his first official overseas visits since taking over from his father, Hun Sen. He will meet with China’s President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Six ...
Venezuela Wants to Join BRICS
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s six-day visit to China has included stops in the economic and tech hubs of Guangdong, Shanghai and Shenzhen. He is also likely to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier this week ...
BRI @ 10: Lessons From Cambodia About Chinese Investment
China's Belt and Road Initiative marked its 10th anniversary this month, prompting a lot of discussion about what's next for Beijing's controversial development agenda. While BRI spending in Africa and the Americas has plummeted in recent years that is not the ...
The China-Mediterranean Observer: Amid a Surge of Palestinian-Israeli Violence, Chinese Optimism About Its Role in the Peace Process Fades
June was a relatively uneventful month for Chinese commentators and journalists covering developments in Sino-Mediterranean relations. Among the few events that garnered significant media attention was the state visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Beijing. In line with the ...
“The Mekong is Dying”: How China’s River Diplomacy Neglects Locals, Exacerbates Climate Change
The rainy season would usually start in May, but this was late June and it was still not raining much. Niwat Roykaew, who grew up on the bank of the Mekong River in Thailand’s northern Chiang Rai province, noticed. Born and ...
Q&A: China’s New Global Initiatives? What Are Its Goals and How Does It Affect the Middle East and Israel?
In the past two years, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced three global initiatives: the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. To understand the nature of the initiatives and their consequences for the Middle East we spoke with researcher Tuvia Gering, a ...
The Rare Occurrence When Latin American Diplomacy Was Center Stage in Both China and Taiwan
It's not often Latin America is the focus of attention on the same day in both China and Taiwan, as was the case on Tuesday when Paraguay's president-elect Santiago Peña arrived in Taipei just as Nicaraguan presidential advisor Laureano Ortega met with China's top foreign policy official Wang ...
Report: Suspected Chinese State-Backed Disinformation Campaign Targeting Latin America Detected
Suspected Chinese state-backed entities launched a series of Twitter accounts to disseminate pro-China messaging to audiences in several Latin American countries, including Paraguay, Costa Rica, Chile and Brazil, among others, according to the findings in a new report published by the U.S.-based cyber intelligence firm Nisos.
China Doubled Investment in Critical Minerals Last Year, Says International Energy Agency
China made some big moves last year to expand its already formidable presence in the critical minerals mining sector and diversify where it gets those resources that are so crucial to powering next generation transportation. Chinese companies doubled their investment in ...
Chinese Warships Dock in Gabon as Foreign Minister Holds Talks With Wang Yi in Beijing
A trio of Chinese warships will wrap up a four-day port of call to the small West African country of Gabon on Wednesday, capping several days of high-profile between the two countries. While the PLA Navy's 43rd Naval Escort Taskforce was docked ...
Small Fish Sizes in Ghana’s Waters Indicate Effects of Illegal Trawling by Chinese and Other Vessels
The latest policy from the Fisheries Commission in Ghana reveals that data from catch assessment surveys shows considerable levels of overfishing leading to a GDP decline from 1.5% in 2015 to 0.9% in 2019 due to overexploitation of the fisheries resources.
TRANSLATION: The Difficulties of Working as a Chinese Journalist in India
The Chinese government ordered the last remaining Indian foreign correspondent to leave in the latest salvo in an ongoing tit-for-tat between the two Asian powers over the presence of journalists in each other's country. The Beijing-based reporter for the state-run Press Trust of India was instructed ...
China Formalizes Ties With Honduras, Bolstering Diplomatic Presence in the Americas
77 days after President Xiomara Castro announced Honduras would switch its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China, the two countries made it official with the inauguration of a new embassy in Beijing. Sunday's plaque reveal ceremony in the Chinese capital followed less ...
Huawei is Now the Must-See Stop in China for Visiting Global South Leaders
Honduran President Xiomara Castro is the third leader from a developing country in just the past two months to include a stop at a Huawei research facility during their state visit to China. Castro visited the telecom giant's Shanghai research ...
The White House’s Confusing Response to Report That China Uses Cuba to Spy on U.S.
U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby was adamant last Thursday when he refuted as "inaccurate" a Wall Street Journal report that China was planning to build a new spy base in Cuba. A few days later, though, the White House ...
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Heads to Beijing to See if China is Serious About Mediating Conflict With Israel
Mideast diplomacy will be back at the top of the agenda in Beijing this week when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas arrives in the Chinese capital on Tuesday for a four-day visit. The Palestinian leader is reportedly going to see if ...
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Ignored Western Concerns About China, Says More Deals With Beijing to Come
Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, delivered a blunt message to the United States on Sunday about the Kingdom's increasingly close ties with China. The prince told an audience of 3,000 attendees on the opening day of the 10th ...
China’s New Ambassador to DR Congo Presents Credentials to Tshisekedi
China's newly arrived envoy to Kinshasa, Zhao Bin, presented his credentials to DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi at the Palais de la Nation late last week. Zhao is a veteran diplomat with an extensive background in European affairs, but he has ...
“Whining is Not Competing,” Says Top DC Foreign Policy Scholar in Response to Biden’s BRI Remarks
U.S. President Joe Biden's latest criticism of China's Belt and Road Initiative as a "debt and confiscation program" triggered an intense debate in Washington's foreign policy community over whether it was merited. Soon after the President made the remarks during a ...
Questions About South Africa’s Arms Scandal Should Go Beyond ‘Malign Influence’
So…since we last spoke, there’ve been some developments… A quick recap: Reuben Brigety, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, held a press conference Thursday where he alleged that SA supplied arms and ammunition to a Russian cargo ship that docked in Cape ...
Chinese Merchants Are Disrupting Kenya’s Business Cartels
In the old days, a small group of Kenyan elites dominated the business of importing low-cost products from China that they would then turn around and sell for two or three times the cost. But that once-lucrative business is now under ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Imports Fell for Second Consecutive Month in April
Chinese imports fell for a second consecutive month in April, dipping 8% compared to the same time last year in what is potentially a worrisome trend for Global South commodity producers. Chinese exports, however, increased last month by almost 9%, according to new customs data. (REUTERS)
China Willing to Compromise in Debt Stand-off With World Bank and Other International Creditors, Say Reports
Chinese negotiators are reportedly making progress in talks with other major international creditors to break the ongoing impasse that's blocking debt relief for a number of poor developing countries, particularly in Africa. Both the Wall Street Journal and Reuters quoted unnamed sources on ...
Lots of Talk, Little Action: Zambia’s Debt Relief Process Remains Stalled Says Finance Minister
Zambia's Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said it's urgent that the country's international creditors finalize a debt restructuring deal at once, or else a $188 million IMF emergency financial package could be at risk. Musokotwane expressed frustration in an interview with ...
Kenya Now in the Grip of Worsening Debt Crisis, President Rules Out Default
Kenya's public employees are threatening to go on strike unless the government pays their overdue salaries. Civil servants did not get paid last month due to a financial crisis brought on by the country's ballooning debt that's now fast closing in on ...
Pirates Seize Chinese-run Oil Tanker in the Gulf of Guinea
Pirates took command of a Chinese-operated oil tanker this week 300 kilometers off the coast of Ivory Coast in the Gulf of Guinea, according to a London-based risk management company. Details about how many crew are being held captive and how ...
Chinese Analysts Warn New U.S., Philippines Security Plan Will Escalate Tensions in the Pacific
The United States and the Philippines agreed to a new long-term plan that will pave the way for a major increase in U.S. security assistance to the Southeast Asian country over the next five to ten years. The deal was ...
Advice for African Leaders on How to Manage Newfound Lithium Wealth in the Era of Great Power Competition
Lithium production in Africa is expected to jump fourfold in the next ten years as demand surges for the metal needed to build batteries for electric vehicles. While that may produce another resource boom in some countries, it also presents unique challenges, ...
Hannah Ryder on What to Expect This Year in China-Africa Relations
Qin Gang is carrying on a 33-year-old tradition by making Africa the first official visit of the new year for China's foreign minister. Qin took office just two weeks ago and is new to African affairs, so this week's five-nation tour ...
Qin Gang Kicks Off African Tour with AU Commission Strategic Dialogue
"Africa should be a big stage for the international cooperation, not an arena for major countries competition." This was the message from Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, speaking during a press conference with AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat in Addis Ababa on Wednesday. ...
Symbolism Galore as Qin Gang Opens Africa CDC HQ
Qin Gang’s many photo-ops in Addis Ababa included the opening ceremony of the Chinese-built Africa Centers for Disease Control Headquarters building on Wednesday. This is the latest in a series of high-profile buildings for African multilateral and government bodies built by China, ...
Qin Gang’s First Foreign Visit as FM Busted Some Conventions
China has made it a 32-year custom that its Foreign Minister's first foreign trip of the year is always to Africa. However, this year Qin Gang broke this tradition by stopping en route in Dhaka for a brief meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart at the airport.
Fresh Data on How China Affects African Jobs
Job creation is one of the most important issues in Africa-China relations. Two fascinating recent research articles give different takes on how engagement with China affects African development. The first focuses on the controversial issue of the importation of Chinese workers ...
The Final Piece of China’s Central Asian BRI Puzzle Is In Place
A recent MoU between China and Turkmenistan means that the whole of Central Asia is now part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This point was made during a briefing by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. The symbolism of completing the Central Asian portion of the BRI is ...
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 ...
China Willing to Compromise in Debt Stand-off With World Bank and Other International Creditors, Say Reports
Chinese negotiators are reportedly making progress in talks with other major international creditors to break the ongoing impasse that's blocking debt relief for a number of poor developing countries, particularly in Africa. Both the Wall Street Journal and Reuters quoted unnamed sources on ...
Lots of Talk, Little Action: Zambia’s Debt Relief Process Remains Stalled Says Finance Minister
Zambia's Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said it's urgent that the country's international creditors finalize a debt restructuring deal at once, or else a $188 million IMF emergency financial package could be at risk. Musokotwane expressed frustration in an interview with ...
Kenya Now in the Grip of Worsening Debt Crisis, President Rules Out Default
Kenya's public employees are threatening to go on strike unless the government pays their overdue salaries. Civil servants did not get paid last month due to a financial crisis brought on by the country's ballooning debt that's now fast closing in on ...
Pirates Seize Chinese-run Oil Tanker in the Gulf of Guinea
Pirates took command of a Chinese-operated oil tanker this week 300 kilometers off the coast of Ivory Coast in the Gulf of Guinea, according to a London-based risk management company. Details about how many crew are being held captive and how ...
Chinese Analysts Warn New U.S., Philippines Security Plan Will Escalate Tensions in the Pacific
The United States and the Philippines agreed to a new long-term plan that will pave the way for a major increase in U.S. security assistance to the Southeast Asian country over the next five to ten years. The deal was ...
Advice for African Leaders on How to Manage Newfound Lithium Wealth in the Era of Great Power Competition
Lithium production in Africa is expected to jump fourfold in the next ten years as demand surges for the metal needed to build batteries for electric vehicles. While that may produce another resource boom in some countries, it also presents unique challenges, ...