Day: November 8, 2023
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WEEK IN REVIEW: Vietnamese Officials Preparing for Chinese President Xi Jinping Visit Next Week
Vietnamese officials are preparing for Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Hanoi next Tuesday and Wednesday, well-placed sourced told Bloomberg. This will be Xi's first trip to Vietnam since 2017 and follows Hanoi's recent upgrade of diplomatic ties with both the U.S. and Japan. (BLOOMBERG) ...
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If the U.S. Really Wants to Compete With China in Africa, Then It Needs to Keep Its Promises
It was almost a year ago when Joe Biden promised everyone at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit that he would visit the continent in 2023. Now, with just two weeks left before the Christmas holiday, the president’s pledge is looking increasingly uncertain.
Chinese ‘Illegal Mining Queen’ Jailed in Ghana
Aisha Huang -- a Chinese national with the notorious nickname "Galamsey Queen" -- is now sitting in a Ghanaian prison cell after she was sentenced this week by the High Court in Accra for running a massive illegal mining operation.
Beijing Says Chinese Among Casualties In Myanmar Factional Fighting
Beijing confirmed there were Chinese casualties in Myanmar as fighting escalates between ethnic militias and the military-ruled government along the border with China. Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin did not say whether the Chinese were killed or wounded, though local media in ...
U.S. Leads Multilateral Military Drills in Philippines as China Tensions Simmer
Troops from the Philippines, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are set to conduct a series of joint training exercises across the Philippines as tensions between China and other countries in the region remain on edge. The UK will join as an ...
U.S.-China Meeting on Middle East
Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun met with Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China. They discussed the Gaza crisis and the wider situation in the Middle East, according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. (CGTN)
Kenya Wildly Overpaid for Chinese-Built Railway: Politician
As increased debt payments eat into Kenya’s budget, the business executive and 2022 presidential contender Jimi Wanjigi alleges that the country overpaid by more than 100% for the Standard Gauge Railway. The controversial project, built by China Road and Bridge Corporation, has ...
How Illegal African Timber Ends Up in Home Depot
At least 1.2 million doors sold to U.S. consumers between 2017 and 2022 at the massive home improvement chain Home Depot came from threatened forests in Equatorial Guinea via China. This is the finding of a new Environmental Investigation Agency report on the trade in okoume, a kind ...
Truckers Strike Paralyzes Chinese Copper/Cobalt Shipments From the DR Congo
Truckers in the DR Congo have brought the all-important copper and cobalt trade to a standstill over their refusal to drive unless logistics firms pay an additional $700 risk allowance fee. The strike that began late last month has now ...
Why Rock Bottom Prices for EV Battery Metals Bolsters China’s Longterm Strategy to Dominate Critical Minerals
South Africa's Impala Platinum announced voluntary buyouts this week in a bid to cut costs as the mining company grapples with persistently low metal prices. With the price of palladium down 40% this year and platinum off 14%, the challenge facing Impala ...
China’s Invisibility at the Africa Climate Summit and the Disappointing “Western Agenda” Nairobi Declaration
Economic issues back home and the recent BRICS summit in South Africa possibly contributed to China’s largely subdued presence at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS) in Nairobi this week. Kevin Gallagher, director of the Global Development Policy Center at Boston ...
ASEAN Knocks On The West’s Doors While Keeping China Close Amid Territorial Flare-Ups
This week’s summit in Jakarta saw ASEAN countries again knocking on the West’s door to ask for far more concrete support for their future growth. At the same time, the bloc seemed united in refraining from ruffling China’s feathers too much on the subject of the South ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: South Africa Reportedly in Negotiation With Chinese EV Giant BYD to Open Manufacturing Plant in the Country
South Africa is reportedly in negotiation with the Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD to open a manufacturing plant in the country, according to the cabinet. BYD, China’s best-selling car brand, launched its first e-vehicle in SA last year. South Africa has a robust auto-building sector, which includes a ...
China Demands the Philippines Remove WWII Wreck
The government of the Philippines summoned the Chinese ambassador to account for an incident earlier this week in which a Chinese coast guard vessel sprayed a Philippine fishing boat with a water cannon. Meanwhile, Beijing is demanding that the Philippines tow away BRP ...
Explosive Exposes Detail Chinese Influence-Building in Global South
A large New York Times expose claims that Chinese government funding has infiltrated a coalition of progressive and left-wing movements to boost Chinese in the U.S. as well as in such Global South countries as India and South Africa. Reportedly at the ...
Backgrounder: The Chinese-Owned TV Company Beaming Into Africa
Researchers following Chinese media influence in Africa have long concentrated on StarTimes, a Chinese-owned satellite TV company rapidly expanding its influence across the continent. However, unlike Chinese state media outlets like CGTN, StarTimes isn’t simply a mouthpiece for Beijing, as made clear in a recent profile on ...
China Funded Many Coal Plants Around the World. Retiring Them Early Could Be a Bargain
China has funded about 39 GW of coal electricity around the world, particularly in South and Southeast Asia. If these plants continue operating until the end of their lifespans, they will breach 2040 carbon targets set by the International Energy Agency. ...
Translation: Why Some Chinese Men in Africa Prefer Not to Return Home
The following article was published on Congo Daily (今日刚果), a WeChat channel for the Chinese expatriate community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The name or identity of the author is not known. What makes this article so interesting is how it reflects the views and ...
Indonesia 2024 Presidential Election: Forecasting Future Proximity With China
Indonesia will hold a presidential election next year that will potentially see three candidates battling for office: Anies Baswedan, Ganjar Pranowo, and Prabowo Subianto. Since declaring their presidential bids, the three candidates have talked about various issues, ranging from improving education, boosting employment, healthcare, ...
How China’s Overseas Coal Plants in South and Southeast Asia Can be Retired Early
By Alex Clark Chinese public financial institutions have financed almost 40 gigawatts of coal-fired power generation capacity outside China in the last decade. These coal plants, located predominantly in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Pakistan, as shown below, and with an average ...
Proposed New York Law Could Reshape Debt Negotiations Around the World
A bill currently under consideration in New York State could reshape sovereign debt renegotiations around the world by making private creditors accept the same losses as the U.S. government would as a sovereign creditor instead of holding out for a full payback.
Backgrounder: How China is Consolidating Oil and Gas Supplies in the Middle East
Amid rising geopolitical tensions with the United States, China is moving to tighten its control over key routes that supply it with oil and liquid natural gas. Anxiety about the United States and its allies’ ability to block shipping at critical geographical
Whatever Happened to China’s South-South Climate Cooperation Fund? The Answer is “Unclear”
During a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping committed to providing 20 billion yuan ($3.1 billion) to help developing countries tackle climate change. Notably, this commitment didn’t contain a timeline. Now, with the promise to ...
Endangered Fish Are Disappearing Around a Chinese-Owned Mini-Hydropower Plant in Indonesia
For more than five years, Swarno Lumbangaol has been trying to preserve the Batak fish (Neolissochilus thienemannie) – an endangered species found only in Indonesia’s Lake Toba and its connected rivers – in his backyard pond. The task has proven ...
With Chinese Assurances, IMF Chief Expresses New Optimism Zambia Debt Deal Now Imminent
The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, expressed renewed confidence that China, together with Zambia's other major creditors, is close to finalizing a debt deal that will clear the way for a $1.3 billion IMF emergency financial package.
Chinese FM Qin Gang Wraps Up Week-Long South Asia Diplomatic Push With Pledge to Extend Belt & Road to Afghanistan
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang wrapped up a two-nation, week-long diplomatic blitz in South Asia that included talks with the foreign ministers from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The most consequential of the three meetings took place on Friday with his Indian ...
China: Africa’s Debt Problems Due to “Dollar Hegemony”
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced a new talking point aimed at countering accusations by U.S. legislators and other stakeholders that Beijing engages in predatory lending in Africa. For the first time on Friday, the Ministry referenced "dollar hegemony" ...
Rival South China Sea Monitoring Agencies Debate Whether Chinese Vessels Are Targeting ASEAN-Indian Maritime Exercise
A debate broke out on Twitter on Monday over whether Chinese maritime militia vessels operating in the South China Sea had intentionally changed course in order to shadow the ongoing India-ASEAN joint naval exercises that are now underway there. Ray ...
Botched U.S. Evacuation From Sudan Turns Into Propaganda Victory For China
One of China's most senior diplomats in Africa, Ambassador Chen Xiaodong in South Africa, took to Twitter to brag that once again, his country seemingly outperformed the United States in evacuating its nationals from a conflict zone in North Africa. Chen's Tweet was ...
Mexican President Says He Has Proof of Fentanyl Smuggling From China
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday that he has proof that fentanyl is being smuggled into his country from China, contrary to Beijing’s denials. “We have the evidence. A cargo arrived from a port in China, a container, at ...
BYD Chairman Discuss Manuacturing, Sales Expansion With Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister
The chairman of the world's largest electric vehicle company, China's BYD, met with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà in Hanoi late last week to discuss the company's plans to expand in the Southeast Asian country. BYD announced plans to build ...
Ghanaian Students Returning from China Face Unique Challenges…and Opportunities
More African foreign students are studying in China than anywhere else in the world. But do these qualifications get them jobs back home? A new webinar series by the Afro-Sino Centre of International Relations (ASCIR) featuring the China-Trained African Professionals (CTAP) ...
China Unexpectedly Backs Sri Lanka Debt Plan, Clearing the Way for Desperately-needed IMF Rescue Funds
After months of delays and obfuscation, the China Exim Bank suddenly and unexpectedly reversed course this week and agreed to fully support Colombo's debt restructuring plan. President Ranil Wickremesinghe broke the news on Tuesday when he told parliament that China Exim would ...
Qin Gang’s Press Conference Offered Many Global South Takeaways, Between the Punches Thrown at the U.S.
Qin Gang's first press conference as foreign minister on the sidelines of the National People's Congress now underway in Beijing will be remembered for his warning to the United States that if Washington really wants to pick a fight with China, then that's what they'll get.
The China Debt Story in Nigeria Makes Headlines Even When It Shouldn’t
Nigeria marked an important milestone this week when its total public debt topped 49 trillion naira or $108 billion. Curiously, the editors at the popular online news site Legit thought that the country's $4.15 billion debt to China was worth mentioning in the story's headline.
eSwatini PM Visits Taiwan, Reaffirms Diplomatic Support
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen welcomed eSwatini Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini during an official visit to Taipei. The prime minister expressed the Kingdom's support for Taiwan's admission to the United Nations and criticized China's efforts to coerce the island through "any ...
Latin America Was Once an Afterthought for China… Not Anymore
In just the past twenty years, China's trade with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean surged 26-fold to almost half-a-trillion dollars. The region is also now a major destination for Chinese foreign investment and becoming a critically important new front ...
China Sends Personnel, Aid to Assist With Quake Recovery in Türkiye
China announced a series of measures to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Türkiye and Syria in response to Tuesday's devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 8,000 people. Beijing is still a relatively new actor in being able to provide rapid response ...
Paris Club Calls Out China Over Sri Lankan Debt Relief
The Paris Club of wealthy creditor states turned up the pressure on China to resolve the current impasse that's blocking debt relief for Sri Lanka and other developing countries. “The Paris Club members as well as Hungary and Saudi Arabia urged other official ...
Chinese Tourist Flight Given Hero’s Welcome in Cambodia
In a sign of how eager Southeast Asian countries are to welcome back Chinese visitors, the first flight from China since outbound travel resumed was given a ceremonial welcome when it landed on Tuesday in the Cambodian capital Phenom Penh. Cambodia ...
Africa is Now a VERY Popular Destination For Western Ministers and High-Ranking Diplomats
For years, China was largely alone in regularly dispatching its foreign ministers and high-ranking diplomats to tour Africa. That is no longer the case as U.S., European and Russian diplomats are fanning out across the continent faster than they have in years. ...
South Africa Turned Down Invitation for Join Naval Exercises With U.S., Choosing Russia and China Instead
South Africa is apparently not interested in conducting joint naval exercises with the United States, opting instead to proceed with controversial exercises later this month with both Russia and China. U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Chase Patrick, Director, Maritime Headquarters, U.S. Naval ...
Ren Hanjun, a visiting professor at Peking University, posted a commentary on WeChat that was shared tens of thousands times entitled "Wars are easy to start, difficult to end."
The following is a transcript of a commentary posted on WeChat by Ren Hanjun, a visiting professor at a Peking University think tank who also posts video commentaries on international affairs on his WeChat channel 老任财富故事会 (Lao Ren’s Wealth Stories). This particular post about the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran went viral ...
Beijing Says Chinese Among Casualties In Myanmar Factional Fighting
Beijing confirmed there were Chinese casualties in Myanmar as fighting escalates between ethnic militias and the military-ruled government along the border with China. Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin did not say whether the Chinese were killed or wounded, though local media in ...
U.S. Leads Multilateral Military Drills in Philippines as China Tensions Simmer
Troops from the Philippines, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are set to conduct a series of joint training exercises across the Philippines as tensions between China and other countries in the region remain on edge. The UK will join as an ...
U.S.-China Meeting on Middle East
Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun met with Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China. They discussed the Gaza crisis and the wider situation in the Middle East, according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. (CGTN)
Kenya Wildly Overpaid for Chinese-Built Railway: Politician
As increased debt payments eat into Kenya’s budget, the business executive and 2022 presidential contender Jimi Wanjigi alleges that the country overpaid by more than 100% for the Standard Gauge Railway. The controversial project, built by China Road and Bridge Corporation, has ...
How Illegal African Timber Ends Up in Home Depot
At least 1.2 million doors sold to U.S. consumers between 2017 and 2022 at the massive home improvement chain Home Depot came from threatened forests in Equatorial Guinea via China. This is the finding of a new Environmental Investigation Agency report on the trade in okoume, a kind ...
Truckers Strike Paralyzes Chinese Copper/Cobalt Shipments From the DR Congo
Truckers in the DR Congo have brought the all-important copper and cobalt trade to a standstill over their refusal to drive unless logistics firms pay an additional $700 risk allowance fee. The strike that began late last month has now ...
Why Rock Bottom Prices for EV Battery Metals Bolsters China’s Longterm Strategy to Dominate Critical Minerals
South Africa's Impala Platinum announced voluntary buyouts this week in a bid to cut costs as the mining company grapples with persistently low metal prices. With the price of palladium down 40% this year and platinum off 14%, the challenge facing Impala ...