Related Posts

South China Sea Ruling Anniversary Adds Pressure to ASEAN Gatherings

Protests in Manila this week marked the seventh anniversary of a Permanent Court of Arbitration tribunal’s finding in favor of a Philippine claim over a stretch of the South China Sea also claimed by China. This comes as a week of ...

NATO Communique Dials Up Tensions

Chinese state media is responding strongly to a NATO communique released this week that characterizes China as a threat to the bloc’s interests. The communique, released during a two-day NATO summit in Lithuania, said: “The ...

The Solomon Islands’ Beijing Embassy Opens Amid Western Concern About Stronger China Ties

The Solomon Islands officially opened its new embassy in Beijing this week, following the upgrading of their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. These stronger ties include an agreement on police cooperation. This follows riots in the capital Honiara in 2021, partly ...

Is Ethiopia Planning a Joint Policing Center with China?

On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy to Ethiopia put out a press release outlining a meeting between Chen Zhiyuan, China’s Vice Minister of Public Security and the Ethiopian Federal Police Chief Commissioner General Demelash Gebre-Michael. The meeting was reportedly at the invitation of the Ethiopian government. ...

Chinese Expert Pours Cold Water on Ethiopia’s BRICS Dream

In June, Ethiopia joined about twenty other emerging economies in applying to join the BRICS group, made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. As with South Africa’s late entry into the group, China’s support is a key determinant of ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The G20 Summit and the Half-Life of a Joke

When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...

Graph of the Day: China’s Real Share of African Debt

Amid the news that Zambia has moved towards the official start of negotiations with its private creditors, it is worthwhile remembering that China's share of African debt is far outstripped by debt to private sector lenders in the U.S. and Europe and Western-led multilateral lenders. This is ...