Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Day: November 9, 2023
China Warns Against Maritime ‘Bloc Confrontations’ as Region Swells With Military Activity
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said maritime disputes should be settled through dialogue and warned against “bloc confrontations” just hours before the kickoff of major military exercises by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea in the Philippines. The comments also come ...
U.S. Commits Half a Billion Dollars to Sri Lankan Port To Take On China
The United States will lend $553 million for a new deep-water shipping container facility in Sri Lanka’s Port of Colombo. The project will be the largest undertaken by the U.S. foreign development agency, the Development Finance Corporation (DFC), as it challenges China’s ...
Hal Brands on the Politics of “America’s Absurd Pledge to Defend a Decaying Rust Bucket”
The confrontation between China and the Philippines over disputed territory in the South China Sea is getting very little attention in the United States, where everyone is much more focused on the war in Gaza and former President Donald Trump's ongoing trial in New York.
Changan Becomes Latest Chinese Automaker to Break Ground in Thailand
Changan, one of China’s Big Four automakers, held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for its first assembly plant in Thailand, following other Chinese car sellers in a rapid expansion into Southeast Asia. The new manufacturing facility is located in Thailand’s auto hotspot ...
Xinhua Lays Out China’s Approach in the Middle East
Since the Hamas attacks on Israel triggered a growing conflict, China’s position has come in for a lot of discussion around whether it will mediate in the crisis, as offered earlier. However, China has so far largely followed a cautious approach, sticking ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Inside the Chinese-Built Party School in Tanzania
When Tanzania’s Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School, which was built and financed by China was launched in 2022, it drew a lot of attention. It's an academy aimed at training officials from Southern Africa’s six ruling liberation movements, a group ...