Month: September 2023
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WEEK IN REVIEW: Insurgent Group in Myanmar Reportedly Seized Another Key Border Crossing With China
An insurgent group in Myanmar has reportedly seized another key border crossing with China, further eroding the ruling junta’s control of the northeastern Shan State. Beijing remains concerned about factional fighting in Myanmar spilling over the border and has even deployed PLA troops on the Chinese side. (DIPLOMAT) ...
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Latin America’s Diplomacy: Balancing EU and China With Mercosur
By Alvaro Mendez and Chris Alden The negotiations for the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have spanned over two decades and are now facing renewed delays. This prolonged process is a crucial moment in Latin America's trade policy, especially as Brazilian ...
The Africa-China 2023 Year in Review
2023 was a transformative year for China’s ties with Africa. Chinese investment, trade, and diplomatic engagement were either flat or declined sharply over the past year, highlighting how this once-vibrant relationship is now entering a new, more austere period.
China Cuts Off Vital Lifeline to Argentina, Recalls Ambassador
The younger generation loves to say — with saltier wording — “You mess around and find out.” Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei — who while campaigning used fierce anti-China rhetoric — has apparently messed around and found out.
Australia Refuses to Send Ships to Red Sea
The Australian government has reportedly indicated that it won’t send ships to join the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea. The operation is aimed at containing attacks from Yemeni Houthi militias on commercial shipping and to keep sea lanes open. Defence ...
Tonga's King Tupou VI and China’s President Xi Jinping shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 25, 2025. Photo by MAXIM SHEMETOV / POOL / AFP
By Ben Strang More than four years on from one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in history, Tonga is struggling to improve its infrastructure as it pays off a massive Chinese loan. When Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted on ...
Chinese Media Discuss Bashar al-Assad’s Visit to China
By Andrea Ghiselli Introduction On September 22, seizing the opportunity provided by the visit of Bashar al-Assad to Hangzhou for the 19th Asian Games, China and Syria announced the establishment of a strategic partnership. The joint declaration ...
Africa at the Intersection of Three Megatrends: China, Climate and Debt
Dramatic scenes this week in Italy where 7,000 people, mostly from Africa, came ashore after making the dangerous trek across the Mediterranean. It was a similar situation along the U.S.-Mexico border where 9,000 people crossed in a single day.
Running Into BRICS Walls: Enlargement Won’t Help BRICS Establish a New World Order
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 The BRICS bloc’s announcement to open its doors to new members has triggered considerable coverage and commentary suggesting the BRICS are setting themselves up to establish a new global order as an alternative to Western dominance, economic woes across ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Foreign Minister Wang Yi Said China Willing To “Play a Constructive Role” at Upcoming APEC Summit in November
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China is willing to "play a constructive role" at the upcoming APEC summit in November but wouldn't confirm if President Xi Jinping will attend. Xi stayed home from both the recent G20 and ASEAN summits, prompting speculation he'll do the same for APEC.
Philippine Fishing Fleets Urged to Maintain Presence at Disputed Shoal as Tensions Build
The Philippine coastguard called on its country’s fishing fleets to keep operating around the Scarborough Shoal (known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Dao in China) despite the large Chinese presence in the disputed South China Sea area. Coastguard ...
$1.3 Billion Chinese Investment in Zambian Copper Sector as EU Readies Competing Deal
The Chinese mining giant China Non-Ferrous Metals Mining Company (CNMC) announced a plan to invest $1.3 billion in Zambia across a range of sectors. The agreement, announced by CNMC chairperson Xi Zhengping, includes a $400 million investment in the Chambishi copper mine, run by its subsidiary Non-Ferrous Corporation ...
Climate Graph of the Day: After a Rapid Increase, China’s Oil Demand May Have Peaked
After decades of ever-growing oil use, China's oil demand may have peaked this year, according to Chinese oil executives cited by FT. This has significant implications for countries from Angola to Russia to Brazil, which depend on selling oil to China.
A Debt Deal for Sri Lanka Without China?
Some members of Sri Lanka’s creditor committee are reportedly promoting an agreement to restructure the bankrupt country’s debt without China. According to a report by Bloomberg, the United States, Japan and India are pushing for a deal with Sri Lanka ...
Revealed: The Issues Complicating a Key Belt and Road Project in Pakistan
China is apparently balking at proposals from Pakistan to expand cooperation in their shared China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), revealing growing problems in the key Belt and Road Initiative project. These were revealed by a comparison between the draft proposals submitted by Pakistan to ...
Kenyan Farmers Watch as Chinese Garlic Slowly Claims Market
Significant imports from China are meant to meet the shortfall since Kenyan farmers produce only 2,000 metric tonnes which only meets 50 to 60% of local needs. The rest is supplemented by imports from Rwanda and Tanzania.
China’s Wuling Electrifies Indonesia’s EV Market, but Can the Spark Last?
Chinese electric vehicle maker Wuling is reaping what it sowed almost eight years ago in Indonesia — the largest and most lucrative auto market in Southeast Asia. After injecting a billion U.S. dollar investment over that period, Wuling has now sold over 10,000 Air EVs and ...
Philippines Leverages Media in Its Asymmetric Territorial Confrontation With China
When Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) ships pulled up on Tuesday to the 300-meter barrier that China laid near a fiercely contested shoal in the South China Sea, four Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels hovered nearby but didn't intervene. "They were ...