Day: July 8, 2024
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Somali Pirates Demand Ransom for Chinese Vessel
Somali pirates who hijacked a Chinese fishing boat have demanded a ransom payment for the vessel and its 18 crew members, police and local officials said on Saturday. It was not immediately clear when the ship was taken hostage by gunmen wielding ...
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Philippines Defines Its Sea Routes to Defend Interests
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signed laws on Friday defining the country's sea waters and imposing fixed lanes for foreign ships, sparking a sharp riposte by China that summoned Manila's envoy. The Maritime Zones Act marks out waters that fall within Manila's ...
WEEK in REVIEW: Philippines Begins Combat Drills Amid South China Sea Tensions
Nigerian special police forces arrested 113 suspected cyber criminals, mostly from China and Malaysia, following a massive raid on Saturday at a building in the capital Abuja. The suspects are believed to be involved in large-scale hacking and other criminal activities. The Chinese embassy in Nigeria has not ...
Indonesia’s New Leader Heads to China as Five-Nation Tour Begins
Indonesia's new president headed to China for a state visit on Friday, starting a five-nation tour that could include a meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as he seeks to balance relations with major powers on his first foreign trip. Prabowo ...
China Says Xi to Travel to Peru, Brazil Next Week for APEC, G20 Meetings
Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Peru and Brazil next week for meetings of APEC and the G20, Beijing's foreign ministry said Friday. Xi will go to Lima from November 13 to 17 and Rio de Janeiro from November 17 ...
How Will Trump’s Return to Power Impact China-Africa Ties?
The re-election of former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to significantly alter U.S. foreign policy, including its approach to Africa. As seen during Trump’s first term, U.S. engagement with the continent is likely to decrease, with a stronger emphasis on ...
Trump 2.0 and U.S.-China Competition Across the Global South
By Chris Alden, Felix Brender, and Lukas Fiala While U.S. elections have commonly captured the world’s attention, it is safe to say this week’s result has perhaps been one of the most anxiously anticipated outcomes both within the U.S. and in ...
Commodities Face Economic, Geopolitical Complications in China
Mixed economic messages from Beijing and complex geopolitics are complicating global minerals and commodities trade. As Chinese markets reopened after last week’s holiday, iron ore prices slid back from a five-year high as the market reevaluated stimulus measures announced last week. Investors ...
China Says Premier Li Qiang to Visit Laos, Vietnam This Week
Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Laos for meetings with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) officials as well as Vietnam this week, Beijing's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Li will attend the ASEAN summit meetings and "pay an official visit to ...
China Ally Kiribati Criticizes Beijing Missile Launch
Kiribati's pro-China president has said his nation "does not welcome" Beijing's recent test firing of a ballistic missile in the Pacific, rare criticism from a staunch regional ally. In a social media post, Taneti Maamau's office stated that the South Pacific ...
From Rich Soil to Flooded Plains: The Toll of Indonesia-China’s Nickel Ambition
Flash floods hit North Maluku, a province in the eastern part in Indonesia, for four days last July. Home to nickel-focused industrial activities of the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP), the floods swept across several villages nearby. Heavy rains ...
Beyond Railways and Ports: China’s Evolving Lending Strategy in Africa
Chinese lending to African countries rebounded in a big way in 2023 after seven consecutive years of decline. Last year, Chinese lenders approved loans totaling $4.61 billion to African borrowers, a dramatic increase over the $922 million lent in 2022, according ...
Palestinian Responses to the Beijing Declaration
By Raphael Angieri On July 23, 2024, in a development feted by Chinese state-run media as a triumph of the country’s Middle East diplomacy, representatives of 14 Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, jointly signed the “Beijing Declaration to End Division and ...
Chinese Foreign Minister Hits the Phones to Stave Off Mideast Conflict
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently spoke by phone with his counterparts in Egypt and Jordan in a renewed Chinese diplomatic push to avoid an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently spoke by ...
FOCAC 2024: Three Trends to Watch at This Year’s Africa-China Summit
As leaders from across Africa prepare to gather with their Chinese counterparts for the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), all eyes will be on the evolving dynamics of this crucial relationship. The summit, a cornerstone of Sino-African diplomacy for the past two decades, offers key insights ...
FOCAC 9: A New Five-Point Strategy for Africa-China Relations
As we approach the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), it's time for African nations to reimagine their engagement with China. This upcoming summit is a watershed moment, as this will be the first FOCAC meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the well-established patterns of exchange between ...
China Notches Steady Export Growth in July as Imports Surge
China's exports grew slightly slower than expected in July while imports surged, official figures showed Wednesday, as the world's second-largest economy charts an uneven recovery. Overseas shipments expanded 7% on-year last month, according to China's General Administration of Customs.
Israeli Media Reacts to the Beijing Declaration
By Amanda Xinyi Chen On July 23, 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his visit to the United States, where he delivered a forceful address to the U.S. Congress to drum up American support for his country’s war in the Gaza Strip. ...
Chile’s Largest Steelmaker Suspends Production, Blames China
Chile's largest steel plant announced on Wednesday that it had suspended operations because it could not sustain itself financially despite new tariffs on Chinese steel meant to protect local production. The Chilean government described the Huachipato plant's decision as "irresponsible." At ...
Panama Dismantles ‘VIP’ Chinese Migrant Route in Darien Jungle
By Juan José Rodríguez Panamanian border police arrested 15 people Wednesday connected to a criminal organization that helped smuggle Chinese migrants across the Darien jungle via a "VIP route" with fewer challenges to traverse. The ...
Xi Calls on World Powers to Help Russia, Ukraine ‘Resume Direct Dialogue’
By James Edgar Chinese President Xi Jinping told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday that world powers should help Russia and Ukraine re-start direct negotiations during a visit to Beijing branded a "peace mission" by the European leader.
Why the Philippine-Japan Defense Pact Matters
More than 70 years after Japan's invasion and occupation of the Philippines during World War II, the countries on Monday signed a defence pact that allows them to deploy troops on each other's soil. The agreement was finalized during high-level defense ...
Philippines and Japan Sign Key Defense Pact
The Philippines and Japan signed a key defense pact on Monday that will allow the deployment of troops on each other's territory as they boost ties in the face of China's growing assertiveness. The Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) was finalised in ...
Philippines, Japan on Verge of Key Defense Pact
By Pam Castro The Philippines and Japan are set to sign on Monday a key defence pact that will allow the deployment of troops on each other's territory. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign ...
El Niño Triggers Food Crisis in Southern Africa
The brutal drought has been brought on primarily by El Niño. This natural, recurring weather phenomenon raises surface temperatures across parts of the Pacific Ocean. These warmer patches impact weather patterns globally, including by lowering rain levels in Southern Africa.
China FM to Attend BRICS Meeting in Russia Next Week: Ministry
China's top diplomat Wang Yi will visit Russia next week for a gathering of counterparts from the BRICS group of emerging economies, Beijing said Friday. Wang will meet with other foreign ministers for talks "on issues of common concern such as ...
Environmental Activist ‘Detained’ in Uganda, NGOs Say
An environmental activist in Uganda opposed to a huge oil drilling project headed by French giant TotalEnergies has been detained by soldiers, two NGOs said Friday. Stephen Kwikiriza has not been heard from for three days, according to the International Federation ...
Philippines Accuses Chinese Boats of ‘Dangerous’ Actions in High-Seas Medevac
By Pam Castro As two Philippine vessels meet on the high seas to transfer a sick Filipino soldier, China Coast Guard boats shadow, block, and bump them, according to a video released by the Philippine Coast Guard on Friday.
China’s Xi Hails Brazil Ties as VP Alckmin Visits Beijing
Xi Jinping hailed China's friendship with Brazil on Friday, telling visiting Vice President Geraldo Alckmin that their ties "go far beyond the scope of bilateral relations." Beijing is the South American country's top trading partner, exceeding $180 billion in each-way trade ...
Chinese Mobile Phone Giant Transsion Delivered Outstanding Financial Results, But Investors Still Ditched the Stock. Why?
Transsion, the world's fourth largest phone company that dominates the device market across large swathes of the Global South, shed a stunning $2 billion of its market cap in a single day last month after investors dumped the company's stock en masse. What's ...
Blame the U.S. for the China-Philippines Standoff in the South China Sea, Says Prominent Chinese Scholar
One of China's foremost international relations scholars recently articulated what's now become conventional wisdom in Beijing about the underlying cause of the surging tensions with the Philippines in the South China Sea. Jin Canrong, vice dean of the School of ...
A Year and a Half After Its Last Ambassador Left New Delhi, China Finally Names New Envoy to India
The Chinese government on Tuesday formally named veteran Foreign Ministry official Xu Feihong to become the next ambassador to India, ending a 15-month vacancy that contributed to the deterioration of diplomatic ties between the two Asian giants. China has been without an ...
U.S., Philippine Troops Sink China-Made Vessel in War Games
U.S. and Philippine forces sank a decommissioned China-made Philippine Navy ship Wednesday during South China Sea war games simulating an attack on an enemy vessel, officials said. The exercises are being held near the city of Laoag, around 400 kilometers south ...
Indonesia’s Role in the Burgeoning South China Sea Crisis
Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto will take office later this year at a critical time when regional tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea are surging. And this won't be just a foreign policy ...
China-Laos Railway Brings Higher Mobility, Employment As Profit Concerns Linger
A group of Thais boarded the high-speed train between Boten and Vientiane, the capital of Laos. They had just finished a tour in China before crossing to the Boten station, about five minutes from the China-Laos checkpoint. The carriage was half empty because it was the last ...
Massive Show of Force in the South China Sea as Rivals Conduct Naval Drills
Warships from the U.S., Japan, and Australia joined the Philippine Navy on Sunday for maritime exercises intended to facilitate improved naval cooperation among the four countries and to send a clear message to China. This was the first time these four ...
FT: Biden Administration Plans to Send a Clear Warning to Beijing Over South China Sea
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to use this week's unprecedented trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan to send a clear warning to China not to push too far in the South China Sea, according to an exclusive report by Financial Times correspondent Demetri ...
Sourcing China-Free EV Battery Metals Will Be on the Agenda at This Week’s U.S., Japan, Philippines Summit
The Philippines' large nickel reserves, a key metal used to manufacture electric vehicle batteries, will be high on the agenda at this week's first-ever summit among the leaders of the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines that will begin on Thursday in Washington, D.C.
Vietnam’s Powerful Legislative Leader in China for Talks in Which Both Sides Seek to Reassure the Other
Vietnam's powerful legislative leader, Vương Đình Huệ, kicked off a five-day visit to the Chinese capital on Monday with a meeting with President Xi Jinping. Huệ was received by Xi almost as if he were a visiting head of state, which may, ...
Chinese EV Exports to Brazil Surge to Avoid New Tariffs
Brazilian imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles surged by almost 50% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to last year. BYD and other Chinese automakers are rushing to get their vehicles into the market ahead of new import duties that will ...
Argentina’s President Sounds a Lot More Pragmatic About China Than He Did Last Year
Argentina's President Javier Milei provided new clarity on his government's approach to managing ties with China, which were thrown into confusion when he came to power last year. Milei broke with his predecessors who fostered close, cordial ties with Beijing. That ...
Taiwan Slams Bolivia for Quake Solidarity With China
Taiwan's foreign minister lashed out at Bolivia on Saturday for expressing solidarity with China following an earthquake that struck the island Beijing views as its own. At least ten people were killed and more than 1,100 injured by the magnitude 7.2 ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio Plans to Introduce Legislation to Sharply Boost Tariffs on Chinese Vehicle Imports
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio said he plans to introduce legislation to extend the current tariffs on Chinese cars to those made in other countries, namely Mexico. "America’s existing tariffs, once effective, are now insufficient to counter China’s newest strategies," Rubio said. (AUTOMOTIVE NEWS)
A Call for African & Latin American Countries to Share Notes on Dealings With China
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed this week the triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) conference that will take place later this year in Beijing will, in fact, be a leaders summit. Before the FOCAC ...
China Proposes Billion-Dollar Revamp of the Legendary Tazara Railway
The competition between the United States and China to refurbish some of Africa's decrepit railways intensified this week when the Chinese government presented a billion-dollar proposal to rebuild the Tazara railway linking Zambia's Copperbelt to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam. ...
Zambia Expresses Optimism It Can Allay Chinese Concerns Over Debt Deal
The Zambian Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said he's hopeful his country's three-year debt restructuring odyssey can finally be resolved sometime before June. Musokotwane was cautious about providing any specific timetable but said on Wednesday that he's nonetheless optimistic he can resolve Chinese concerns ...
Chinese Auto Brands Zoom Past U.S., EU, and Japanese Competitors in South Africa
The latest auto sales data for South Africa reflects the growing prominence of Chinese brands: They are not yet at the top of the table, but they are moving up fast, and more Chinese competitors are rapidly entering the market. In ...
Just Two Chinese Companies Account for More Than 50% of the Global EV Battery Market
Chinese companies remain firmly in control of the global electric vehicle battery market, with two companies accounting for more than half of the industry's entire production last year. Battery giant CATL and EV manufacturer BYD together had 53% of the total ...
China Rejects Philippine Cyber-Attack Accusations
The Chinese Foreign Ministry pushed back against claims by the Philippines government that hackers in China attempted to break into Manila's most sensitive computer networks. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin condemned the accusation on Wednesday and echoed earlier remarks by the ...
Major Wall Street Investors Are Moving Money From China to India
Wall Street was once in love with China and plowed tens of billions of dollars into the country, helping to fund decades of growth. Now, that love affair is coming to an end as the Street's big players shift their attention and their money to India.
COSCO Halts Shipments to Israel in Response to Red Sea Attacks, Chinese Diplomats Renew Calls for Ceasefire
China's state-owned shipping giant COSCO will halt all operations in-and-out of Israel in response to the worsening security situation in the Red Seas, according to Israeli news site Globes. Sunday's announcement by the company is a major setback for the ...
Europe-Asia Shipping Costs Surge Due to Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
The cost of shipping a standard 40-foot container from Asia to northern Europe now costs around $4,000, a whopping 173% increase from just a few weeks ago. Average freight costs from the rest of Europe to/from China have gone up almost ...
3 Reasons Why China Didn’t Join the U.S.-Led Coalition to Counter Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
There was some dismay/confusion in the U.S. and Europe when China opted not to join the multinational coalition to combat Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. A lot of Western analysts supposed, incorrectly, that it would be in China's economic ...
The BRICS Got Bigger in 2024 But Not as Big As Expected
Five new countries joined the BRICS bloc at the beginning of the year, marking a dramatic expansion for the fourteen-year old group. With the admission on January 1 of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Ethiopia, and Egypt, the loosely-formed group is now ...
Beijing Leans Into Ties With Myanmar’s Military Government as Ethnic Rebels Capture More Territory Near Chinese Border
Senior Chinese officials wrapped up a series of high-level talks with the leadership in Myanmar over the weekend amid a worsening insurgency that is now spilling over the border into China. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong concluded a three-day ...
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 ...
Xi Calls on World Powers to Help Russia, Ukraine ‘Resume Direct Dialogue’
By James Edgar Chinese President Xi Jinping told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday that world powers should help Russia and Ukraine re-start direct negotiations during a visit to Beijing branded a "peace mission" by the European leader.
Why the Philippine-Japan Defense Pact Matters
More than 70 years after Japan's invasion and occupation of the Philippines during World War II, the countries on Monday signed a defence pact that allows them to deploy troops on each other's soil. The agreement was finalized during high-level defense ...
Philippines and Japan Sign Key Defense Pact
The Philippines and Japan signed a key defense pact on Monday that will allow the deployment of troops on each other's territory as they boost ties in the face of China's growing assertiveness. The Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) was finalised in ...
Philippines, Japan on Verge of Key Defense Pact
By Pam Castro The Philippines and Japan are set to sign on Monday a key defence pact that will allow the deployment of troops on each other's territory. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign ...
El Niño Triggers Food Crisis in Southern Africa
The brutal drought has been brought on primarily by El Niño. This natural, recurring weather phenomenon raises surface temperatures across parts of the Pacific Ocean. These warmer patches impact weather patterns globally, including by lowering rain levels in Southern Africa.