Day: June 16, 2023
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Malaysia Leader Pushes ‘Active Neutrality’ Strategy Toward U.S and China
China and the U.S. can both be economic partners and friends of Malaysia, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said at this week's APEC summit, adding that a Cold War view of the world must end. Malaysia is not tilting towards ...
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ASEAN Defense Chiefs Expand Talks to China, U.S., India
ASEAN defense ministers gathering in Jakarta expanded talks on Thursday to include defense chiefs from China, the U.S., Japan, and India. U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin attended but did not meet with a Chinese counterpart. ...
Major Implications of Biden-Xi Talks For Global South Countries
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up four hours of bilateral talks on Tuesday on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in San Francisco. While expectations were extremely low in terms of what these two leaders would accomplish ...
China Adamantly Refuses to Get Pulled Into Israel-Hamas Conflict
An Al Jazeera reporter at the Chinese Foreign Ministry's regular press briefing in Beijing did their level best on Tuesday to try and get Spokesperson Mao Ning to budge, even a little, on China's hands-off approach to the escalating war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza ...
New Power Station in the DR Congo Showcases Why Democratically-Elected Leaders in Africa Really Like Working With China
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi was all smiles on Tuesday when he officially inaugurated a new 220Kv power substation that will significantly improve the power supply to an estimated two million residents in the capital, Kinshasa. The President was joined by Chinese ambassador ...
Flurry of Events Outline China’s Africa Focus
The last two weeks saw several official Africa-China events that reveal focus areas in the relationship. Coming in the wake of October’s Belt and Road Forum, they reflect an uptick in official exchanges. The events also show where the focus is ...
Argentina Election Could Usher in Dramatic Change in China Ties
Argentina’s neck-and-neck presidential election this week will decide between two starkly different candidates with wildly opposing visions for the country’s relations with China. Centrist Sergio Massa faces libertarian Javier Milei in the presidential runoff on Sunday, with polls showing a virtual ...
Africa is at the Center of U.S.-China Competition for Critical Resources
U.S. lawmakers met this week to discuss how to combat the use of child labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's cobalt mining sector which they claim is largely controlled by Chinese mining companies. The issue is part of a ...
China’s Special Envoy Will Go to the Middle East This Week to Push For Peace Talks
China's Special Envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, will reportedly travel to the region this week to meet with key stakeholders in a longshot attempt to push for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. China's state broadcaster CCTV announced the ...
China Not be Ready for Primetime Mideast Mediation But Will Still Benefit From War’s Politics, Say Experts
China's evolving position on the war between Israel and Hamas provoked considerable discussion over the weekend from leading scholars and analysts around the world: PARALYSIS: For a while at least, Beijing’s Middle East policy is paralyzed by the war. The ...
World Leaders Descend on Beijing Before Tuesday’s Belt and Road Forum Kickoff
Top officials from around the world are arriving in Beijing this week for the third Belt and Road forum, which comes as China celebrates the 10th anniversary of the signature infrastructure initiative. Some 130 representatives are expected to attend. The gathering ...
Philippines Accuses China of ‘Dangerous Manoeuvres’ in South China Sea
The Philippines asked China to cease “dangerous maneuvers and aggressive actions” in the South China Sea, as Beijing controversially brought out a navy ship into the disputed waters and tensions continued to escalate. The incident marks the latest confrontation ...
Chinese Loans Had Clear Development Impact in Africa: Report
The adjustment of Chinese lending to Africa and other parts of the Global South in line with changing economic conditions at home will open space for other countries, said IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Speaking at a
China State Media Launches New BRI Outreach Program to Africa
Outreach from China’s state media to African counterparts has gained new energy in the run-up to this week’s Belt and Road Forum. China’s state-owned media house China Media Group on Sunday announced the release of a “China-Africa media action initiative about the Belt and Road ...
China Largely Abandons Neutrality Stance in Israel-Hamas War as Beijing Ramps Up Mideast Diplomacy
After initially declaring its neutrality in the war between Israel and Hamas that erupted on October 7, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke out forcefully in defense of the Palestinians and accused the Jewish State of going "beyond self-defense."
Poor Countries Seek Bilateral Debt-Relief Efforts After Rebuf From IMF and World Bank
The International Monetary Fund's director dismissed calls debt cancellation from Ghana, Nigeria and other countries on the continent, saying it would adversely impact domestic creditors. (INVESTING) ETHIOPIA: After receiving debt relief from China, Ethiopia is reviving ...
An Empirical Perspective on Ten Years of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
By Kevin P. Gallagher China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI) – the ambitious and loosely defined program of overseas investment, economic integration, and South-South Cooperation – turns ten this month. A plethora of stories have abounded since the onset of the ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: AU in G20 and the New “Chinese Savior” Narrative in Africa
The Chinese Foreign Ministry was among the first major governments this week to welcome the African Union as the newest member of the G20. The big question now is what will the AU do now that it has a seat at ...
No Breakthroughs But Lots of Good Vibes After Two Days of Chinese, Indian Border Talks
Chinese and Indian military commanders both pledged to resolve their long-running border dispute "in an expeditious manner" following two days of talks aimed at defusing tensions along their 2,100km contested boundary in the Himalayas. Although no major breakthroughs were ...
Chinese EV Brands’ Push In Indonesia Intensifies. Can They Help Boost Slow Adoption?
The roads in Jakarta are looking a little different lately. At times, in the sea of black SUVs stuck in traffic, one can spot one or two tiny electric cars developed by Chinese electric vehicle maker Wuling. When one hops into a Blue Bird — the country’s ...
Currencies, Old and New, Set to Top Agenda at Next Week’s BRICS Summit in Johannesburg
The idea of creating a brand new currency under the auspices of the BRICS countries is "ridiculous," according to the former Goldman Sachs economist who coined the acronym for the five countries. Jim O'Neil echoed the sentiments of a number of ...
China Importing Record Volumes of Sanctioned Iranian Oil
China is importing a record amount of Iranian crude, easily circumventing U.S. sanctions expressly designed to restrict such trade, according to new findings by the data intelligence firm Kpler. Iranian oil sales to China have jumped this year from an average ...
200 Million Viewers Watch a South African Singer Make Television History in China
When 26-year Motswedi Modiba, aka MOE, began singing last Friday night on the opening round of the nationally-televised hit TV show Sing! China, the judges, with their backs to her just like it is on The Voice, had no idea she was South African. ...
The China-Pakistan-Iran Trilateral
By Saniya Kulkarni China, Pakistan, and Iran met in Beijing last Wednesday for a first-of-its-kind trilateral consultation on security and counterterrorism efforts in the region. China and Pakistan have previously shared concerns about organizations operating across Pakistan’s northern provinces and Afghanistan such ...
A Conversation With Judd Devermont, One of the Chief Architects of U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa
Since the end of the Cold War in the early 90s, Africa has largely been an afterthought in Washington where it was never regarded as a top-tier priority. That changed last year when the Biden ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese President Xi Jinping Expressed Support for South Africa to Remain Host for BRICS Summit in August
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed support for South Africa to remain host for the upcoming BRICS summit in August. Xi's comments during a call with his SA counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday indicate he may not support a change in venue that would reduce pressure on Pretoria to ...
Snapshot: How Chinese Investment in Africa is Shifting
A new set of charts compiled by the China-Mideast researcher Andrea Ghiselli provides an intriguing glimpse of how Chinese investment in Sub-Saharan Africa is evolving. The charts are reportedly based on data from statistical yearbooks and investment bulletins. Big ...
Preview: The G7’s China-Global South Problem
While China won’t formally attend this week’s G7 summit, starting from Thursday in Japan, it’s likely to dominate the discussions anyway. The bloc (made up of France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada) is not known ...
Friendship over Friendshoring? Practical Opportunities for U.S.-China Coordination on Global Energy Transition
By Cecilia Springer U.S.-China competition could be bad news for the climate. The geoeconomic fragmentation that is driven by U.S.-China decoupling will raise costs and potentially slow the global energy transition. At the same time, countries ...
The Case for More U.S. Soft Power to Counter China in the Global South
China is one of the very few truly bipartisan issues in Washington today where there is near unanimous consensus that the U.S. must work to counter Beijing's growing influence around the world, especially in developing countries.
Honduran President Fulfills Campaign Pledge to Dump Taiwan and Establish Diplomatic Ties With China
Taiwan suffered a major diplomatic setback on Wednesday when Honduras became the latest country to abandon ties with the island in favor of relations with China. President Xiomara Castro announced on her Twitter page that she will make good on the promise ...
Africa is a Popular Destination This Week for Major Power Diplomacy
Senior diplomats from the United States and China, along with the Prime Minister of Denmark, are currently in Africa. No doubt they all have watchful eyes on each other: CHINA: Beijing's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Xue ...
Sino-Canadian Copper Mining Venture in the DRC Generates $434 Million in Profit
Canadian mining giant Ivanhoe released its 2022 full-year earnings on Monday that revealed the company made a robust profit of $434 million from the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which it jointly operates with Chinese mining major Zijin Mining Group.
What Lessons Should the U.S. Take From China’s Mideast Diplomatic Breakthrough?
This month's surprise announcement that China brokered the restoration of diplomatic relations between longtime rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia prompted widespread excitement in Beijing and considerable consternation among U.S. conservatives. The implication for both is that China's role in the process ...
India Thinks It Can Persuade China to Take Big Losses on Its Loans to Poor Countries
The Indian government, in its role as rotating head of the Group of 20, is drafting what will no doubt be a controversial proposal that calls on all major international creditors, namely China, to take large losses on its loans to poor countries.
China Sticking to Its Position That Multilateral Banks and Bondholders Must Also Take Losses on Sri Lankan Debt
The Chinese government re-stated on Wednesday that it will not move forward with the Sri Lankan debt restructuring process unless both commercial creditors and multilateral development banks also agree to accept losses on their loans. Ministry officials told Reuters that Spokesperson ...
Malpass Resignation Could Spark New Battle Between U.S. and China Over His Replacement
World Bank President David Malpass said that he will step down in June, a year before his five-year term expires. Malpass did not provide a reason for his early resignation but speculation in U.S. media is that it's due to his controversial stance on climate change.
China Accuses Philippines of Lying About Laser Strike Against Coast Guard Ship in South China Sea
The feud between the Chinese and Philippine governments over a naval incident in the South China Sea earlier this month intensified when Beijing accused Manila of not telling the truth about what happened. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin did acknowledge on Wednesday ...
Wang Yi Makes Unannounced Visit to Uzbekistan on His Way to Europe
China's top foreign policy official, Wang Yi, made an unannounced stopover in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent to meet with acting foreign minister Bakhtiyor Saidov. After the meeting, Wang then traveled to Paris, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron as part ...
China, Latin America, and the Rise of a New Non-Aligned Movement
During the first Cold War, a large group of developing countries sought to distance themselves from the ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union to create a Non-Aligned Movement. Today, three decades ...
Chinese Trade was Bigger Than Ever Last Year, But 2023 has Everyone Worried
For the first time ever, China broke the symbolically important 40 trillion yuan ($6.27 trillion) record for global trade in a single year, according to new full-year 2022 trade data released by Chinese customs authorities. Overall, last year's 7.7% annual increase ...
Decoding China’s Record-Breaking 2022 Trade With Africa
China's trade with countries in Africa broke a new record in 2022 at $282 billion, up 11% from last year's $254 billion in two-way trade. The data reaffirms China's position as the continent's largest bilateral trading partner and shows it's solidly ...
Chinese FM Qin Gang Wraps Up Africa Tour in Egypt
Qin Gang concluded his first tour of Africa as Foreign Minister on Sunday in Cairo, where he met separately with his counterpart Sameh Shoukry, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. Since Friday, Qin traveled to Benin, Gabon and Angola. ...
Angola is Now a New Front in the U.S.-China Technology Duel
Technology, not oil, emerged as a key focus of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's brief visit to Angola on Friday. Qin visited Huawei's new $80 million technology park in the capital Luanda and later oversaw a signing ceremony with Finance Minister Vera ...
China’s Building Diplomacy in Africa Shows No Signs of Slowing in 2023
Add Gabon's Senate, known as Omar Bongo Ondimba Palace, to the long and growing list of African government buildings that will either be renovated or newly built using Chinese money and contractors. Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang alongside his Gabonese ...
Pepe Zhang on What to Expect This Year in China-Latin America Relations
China's two-way trade with countries in the Americas increased 8% last year to $486 billion, nearly twice the volume of what China does in Africa. South America is now a vital source of food, energy, and strategic minerals for China, ...
Chinese Scholars Reflect on Qin Gang’s First Africa Tour
There wasn't much media coverage or online discussion in China about Qin Gang's week-long visit to Africa that ended Sunday in Cairo, especially compared to previous years when the visit was widely touted on Party-controlled media outlets. Interest was probably diminished ...
India and China Both Send High-Level Delegations to Sri Lanka This Week to Discuss Debt Crisis
Two of Sri Lanka's largest bilateral creditors, China and India, are finally taking steps to engage Colombo after months of inaction in resolving the South Asian country's worsening debt crisis. The Chinese led the charge. Chen Zhou, vice minister of the ...
Sri Lanka Caught in the Middle of China and India’s Geopolitical Rivalry
BBC Economics Editor Ben Chu returned to Colombo recently to report on Sri Lanka's fraught position in the middle of India and China's increasingly bitter feud and what the implications are for the island's badly-needed debt restructuring process.
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 ...
The China-Pakistan-Iran Trilateral
By Saniya Kulkarni China, Pakistan, and Iran met in Beijing last Wednesday for a first-of-its-kind trilateral consultation on security and counterterrorism efforts in the region. China and Pakistan have previously shared concerns about organizations operating across Pakistan’s northern provinces and Afghanistan such ...
A Conversation With Judd Devermont, One of the Chief Architects of U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa
Since the end of the Cold War in the early 90s, Africa has largely been an afterthought in Washington where it was never regarded as a top-tier priority. That changed last year when the Biden ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese President Xi Jinping Expressed Support for South Africa to Remain Host for BRICS Summit in August
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed support for South Africa to remain host for the upcoming BRICS summit in August. Xi's comments during a call with his SA counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday indicate he may not support a change in venue that would reduce pressure on Pretoria to ...