Month: January 2025
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China’s Global Initiatives: More Questions, Fewer Answers
By Lukas Fiala With the Xiangshan Forum, Beijing’s premier security summit, having taken place in September, I’ve been wondering about the state of the Global Security Initiative (GSI). It is common knowledge that it’s rather difficult to understand the implementation of ...
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Inside the Bid: How Chinese Power Projects Are Procured in Africa
Behind every power plant is a crucial decision: who gets to build it, and how. Whether a project is delivered on time and on budget often hinges on how it was procured. Was it awarded through a competitive bidding process or negotiated behind closed doors? Were contractors ...
Zambia’s Lawsuit Against Sino-Metal Sparks Chinese Social Media Storm
An environmental disaster caused in February by the collapse of a tailings dam at the Chinese-owned Sino Metals Leach Zambia copper mining site triggered a series of public health concerns. International media, particularly in the West, covered the fallout extensively,
Eye-Rolling Through the Apocalypse
November’s COP30 gathering in Belém, Brazil, marks three decades since COP1 in Berlin in 1995, and raises a sobering reminder of how deep we’ve sunk into a climate morass of our own making amid non-stop warnings. The evacuation of millions of people and the deaths ...
China-Central Asia Weekly News: Multi-Sector Integration and Strategic Depth
This is a free preview of the upcoming Critical Minerals Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in 2026. China's engagement with Central Asia is shifting toward a more comprehensive economic integration model that combines traditional infrastructure development ...
The Tailings Dam that broke at Sino-Metals site in Zambia by News Diggers
An environmental disaster caused in February by the collapse of a tailings dam at the Chinese-owned Sino Metals Leach Zambia copper mining site triggered a series of public health concerns. International media, particularly in the West, covered the fallout extensively, prompting the U.S. Embassy ...
U.S. Aid Freeze Creates New Opening for China in Africa
The Trump administration's decision to issue a 90-day freeze on most foreign assistance worldwide will have a disproportionate impact on a number of African countries that rely heavily on U.S. aid. The State Department's "stop-work" ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: China Agrees to Take Back Deported Nationals from the U.S., Says Foreign Ministry
India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Beijing on Sunday for two days of talks with his counterpart, Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong. The two, who were both ambassadors to each other's countries, are expected to discuss the resumption of direct flights and the easing of visa restrictions ...
Philippines President ‘Very Disturbed’ Over Chinese Spy Claims
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said Friday he is "very disturbed" by the surveillance of the country's military following a series of arrests of alleged Chinese spies. Five men were arrested last week after they allegedly used drones and high-resolution camera equipment ...
Philippines Offers Deal to China: Halt Sea Aggression and U.S. Missiles Will Be Removed
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated on Friday that he is willing to remove a U.S. missile system from the Philippines if China ceases what he described as "aggressive and coercive behavior" in the disputed South China Sea. The U.S. ...
Kenya’s E-Bike Revolution: How KIRI EV is Powering Change with Chinese Tech
On the bustling streets of Kenya, motorcycles—commonly known as boda bodas—are more than just a mode of transport. They are the backbone of daily commerce, ferrying passengers and goods across cities and rural landscapes. Now, an electric revolution is taking hold, ...
Chinese Officials Visit Thai-Myanmar Border For Scam Talks
Chinese and Thai officials visited the Thai-Myanmar border region in Tak province on Wednesday to discuss how to tackle Chinese scam gangs embedded across the border in the Myanmarese city of Myawaddy. They are reportedly planning a joint center dedicated to cracking down on the problem.
China Dismisses Reports It’s Withdrawing from Controversial Canal Project in Cambodia
The Chinese embassy in Cambodia dismissed reports that Beijing is withdrawing from a controversial canal project in the Mekong River as “complete nonsense.” The groundbreaking ceremony for the $1.7 billion 180km Funan Techo canal project was held in August, but since ...
Tracking Chinese Mineral Engagement Along the Belt and Road
China’s centrality in the global critical minerals sector is frequently bemoaned in Western capitals, but what’s less understood is how China got there. A new report by AidData, a research center at the College of William and Mary, came out this week and tracks mineral-related deals ...
Trump Reiterates BRICS Tariffs Threat
U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated Thursday his threat to place 100 percent tariffs on BRICS nations, as the deadline loomed for him to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Trump had previously threatened 100% tariffs on BRICS nations—a bloc including Brazil, ...
Could China Provide the Renewable Energy Investment Indonesia Needs?
By Joan Aurelia During his first state visit as Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto oversaw the signing of a $10 billion investment deal in Beijing last November. While the agreement spans sectors such as health, biotechnology, manufacturing, food security, and finance, renewable energy ...
New Zealand Beefs with Kiribati as China Looks On
New Zealand will review all its development aid to the Pacific island of Kiribati, following the cancellation of a meeting between its Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Kiribati’s President Taneti Maamau. Peters said the cancellation - about a week before the scheduled meeting - reflects a larger lack ...
Maldives’ Free Trade Agreement with China Triggers Fight with India
India is reportedly reconsidering an aid package aimed at stabilizing the economy of the Maldives because the island nation signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with China. The Indian press reported that New Delhi feels President Mohamed Muizzu didn’t push through sufficient economic reforms. The FTA with China ...