Day: January 12, 2025
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Xpeng in Talks with Malaysia’s EPMB for EV Production in 2026
China's EV maker Xpeng said Friday it is in negotiations to partner with Malaysia’s EP Manufacturing Bhd, or EPMB, to begin mass production of electric vehicles in Malaysia in 2026. The company said it plans to leverage EPMB’s existing capacity ...
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Indonesia to Resume U.S. Tariff Talks After Reports Deal at Risk
Indonesia will send a negotiating team to Washington next week to resume tariff talks with the United States. Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said Friday The move follows reports that a July trade framework is at risk. Airlangga said ...
An “Emotional Shift” in Israel? Rapprochement with Taipei during the Gaza War
By Amanda Chen On October 28, Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te (賴清德) made headlines when he publicly referred to Israel as a “valuable model” for Taiwan’s defence. He delivered the remark during a dinner in Taiwan organised by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee ...
A Senior Xi Adviser Visits Indonesia, Bringing Beijing’s Long Game Into Focus
One of China’s highest-ranking political figures, and among President Xi Jinping’s closest ideological advisers, visited Jakarta last week, in a move that underscored Beijing’s deepening interest in its relationship with Indonesia. Wang Huning, one of China’s most influential political ...
China’s Role in Africa’s Industrialization: Obstacle, Partner, or Both?
Africa’s industrialization push is colliding with the defining economic question of this era: how can any country or region climb the manufacturing value chain so long as China dominates industrial production of pretty much, well, everything?
U.S., Japan Defense Chiefs Say China Harming Regional Peace
By Hiroshi Hiyama Beijing's actions are "not conducive to regional peace", Japan's defense minister and U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said Friday.
What the U.S. Strategy Debate Gets Wrong About China
By Lukas Fiala Over the last week, all of us have pored over the latest U.S. National Security Strategy. As many have pointed out, one of the most striking developments is the shift towards recognising the Western Hemisphere as a primary ...
Myth and Misperception: Does Shared Communism Tie Vietnam to China?
In this edition of Myth and Misperception, I want to take a deep dive into one of the most contentious debates on Vietnam’s foreign policy: what role does ideology play in the country’s foreign policy? As a communist party-state, Vietnam officially adheres to Marxism-Leninism in every ...
Chinese Detainees Riot in Thai Detention Center, 15 Charged
Hundreds of Chinese nationals accused of fleeing online scam hubs in Myanmar rioted inside a Thai immigration detention center Wednesday night. The Chinese detainees riot came as Thailand and China were stepping up deportation back to China. The disturbance involved ...
China’s Top Diplomat to Visit Middle East This Week
China's top diplomat Wang Yi will begin a tour of the Middle East on Friday for bilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Beijing said Thursday. Wang will visit from 12 to 16 December for talks with ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Nvidia China Deal Tests U.S. Export Rules
China convened representatives from 43 countries at the United Nations in New York to establish the Group of Friends of Global Governance, a group dedicated to the implementation of China’s Global Governance Initiative. In a joint statement, the group said: “We emphasized that the international community must address ...
China’s Premier Import Expo Creates More Space for Global South, But Hurdles Remain
The China International Import Expo (CIIE), which concluded early this week, was mainly taken as a litmus test of Beijing’s trade relations with conventional partners amid ongoing tariff disputes. Chinese importers signed $83.5 billion in import deals at the expo in Shanghai. ...
China Pushes Back on Mexican Tariff Plans
China’s Foreign Ministry has lodged its opposition to plans by the Mexican government to impose a range of tariffs on Chinese imports. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters on Tuesday that Beijing “firmly opposes moves taken under coercion to impose restrictions on China or hurt China’s legitimate ...
From Blueprint to Power Plant: Lessons from Chinese Power Projects in Africa
After tracing the arc from planning to procurement, financing to construction, this final installment in Part 1 of The Porcelain Jar at the End of the Rainbow pauses to reflect. What have we learned, not just about China’s engagement in Africa’s power sector, but about the systems, choices, and ...
Why China’s Ability to Make a $6 Toaster is a Big Problem for the Global South
China is breaking the rules of development. Typically, as countries progress up the value chain, they transition from agriculture to light industry, then to heavy industry, and ultimately to high-technology and services. And as they move up the value chain, this ...
U.S.-China Tensions Weigh on Lisbon’s Web Summit
By Daxia Rojas and Tom Barfield Global tech leaders packed Lisbon's annual Web Summit Tuesday to talk artificial intelligence, robots and startups -- all under the shadow of global tensions over cutting-edge hardware and software and the resources needed to build ...
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: Training, Tensions, and Transitions as Africa’s EV Push Gains Momentum
This is a free preview of the upcoming Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. Electric vehicle (EV) training is one of the major missing links when it comes to e-mobility adoption in different African ...
China to License Rare-Earth Exports to Screen Security Risks
China’s Commerce Ministry on Sunday says rare-earth export licenses will screen security risks, not halt trade nor impose an export ban. Compliant civilian applications “will get approval,” with a “very limited” supply-chain impact. It says partners were notified in ...
China Accuses U.S. of ‘Double Standards’ Over New Tariffs Threat
China accused the United States of "double standards" on Sunday, after President Donald Trump threatened an additional 100 percent tariff on the world's second-largest economy. Trump reignited his trade war with China on Friday, accusing Beijing of imposing "extraordinarily aggressive" new ...
China EVs in Indonesia: Chery Tops September, Local Assembly Rises
The competition among China's EVs in Indonesia tightened in September. Indonesia’s automakers’ association, Gaikindo, announced that Chery tops September, BYD still leads the year, and the contest is shifting from imports to local assembly. Local assembly can cut taxes ...
Philippines Says Chinese Ship Rammed Government Vessel in Disputed Sea
Manila's coast guard accused a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming a Philippine government vessel anchored near an island in the South China Sea on Sunday. Confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels occur frequently in the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing ...
China-Central Asia Weekly News: Building Skills and Local Capacity
This is a free preview of the upcoming China-Central Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in 2026. China's engagement with Central Asia is entering a new phase that extends far beyond the traditional Belt and ...
China’s Battery Breakthroughs May Leave Some Developing Countries Behind
Chinese researchers and firms are accelerating the race towards the next generation of battery technologies, and this will undoubtedly reshape the fortunes of countries heavily reliant on cobalt and nickel exports. Today, most electric vehicles utilize lithium-ion batteries that are made ...
Nigeria Moves to Build Solar Manufacturing Industry, But Reliance on China is Inevitable
Nigeria imported Chinese solar panels last year with a combined capacity of 1,721 megawatts (MW)- enough to power roughly half a million homes. The country now ranks as Africa’s second-largest importer, trailing only South Africa and ahead of Morocco and ...
Localizing Cautiously: BYD’s Strategic Approach to Kazakhstan’s EV Market
Kazakhstan has long courted electric vehicle makers to localize passenger car production, hoping to follow in Uzbekistan’s footsteps. Yet the real breakthrough may come from a different direction. Chinese electric vehicle manufacturing giant BYD’s plan to start with buses—rather than cars—marks a subtle but ...
Tianjin Summit in Review: The Winner Takes It All (But Not Much)
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 “We should continue to unequivocally oppose hegemonism and power politics, practice true multilateralism,” Xi declared in Tianjin last week. Yet for many of the leaders in the room, multilateralism appears to chiefly mean “more of me” ...
China–Indonesia Launch Yuan–Rupiah Settlements, QR Payments
China and Indonesia on Thursday launched a local-currency settlement framework for bilateral transactions. Both countries also began a two-way trial of cross-border QR code payments. The central bank chiefs called the steps important milestones. Bank Indonesia said the local-currency scheme ...
China’s Gradual but Growing Security Influence in Africa
China is steadily expanding its security presence in Africa through deeper military ties, weapons sales, and multinational deployments as UN Peacekeepers. In fact, China is now the largest arms supplier to Sub-Saharan Africa, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace ...
Philippines to Protest Over China’s ‘Nature Reserve’ Plan
The Philippines said Thursday it will file a diplomatic protest and slammed as “illegitimate and unlawful” China’s plan to declare a “Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve” at Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea. China rejected what it called “unreasonable” accusations and dismissed Manila’s “so-called” ...
Marcos Downplays Taiwan Comments After Chinese Pushback
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. downplayed recent comments linking the Philippines to a possible conflict over Taiwan, following an angry reaction from China. During his visit to India last week, he said that “there is no way that the ...
China’s Solar Expansion in Indonesia Still Relies on Coal
In West Java, a province just east of Jakarta, Indonesia, a sprawling industrial park is rising. Backed by Chinese cement giant Hongshi Holding Group, the $5 billion complex promises to produce the solar panels and batteries that the world desperately needs to combat climate change.
China Starts Brunei Muara Port Expansion to Double Capacity
China has begun a US$278 million worth of Brunei’s Muara Port expansion, the country’s leading maritime gateway, in a push to deepen Southeast Asia trade links as Chinese exports to the region climb and shipments to the U.S. slide. Details: ...
Xi Says China, Brazil Can Model ‘Self-Reliance’ for Global South
China's President Xi Jinping told his Brazilian counterpart Tuesday the two countries could set an example of "self-reliance" for emerging powers, as trade and geopolitical challenges mount. The two leaders have both sought in recent months to present their countries as ...
The New Protectionism Toward China and Climate Change
By Kevin P. Gallagher For decades now, China has advanced a big push in both policy innovation and public investment to become the global leader in low carbon technology trade. While deploying these innovations is beginning to transform the Chinese economy, ...
Australia PM in China to Boost Trade Despite Regional Angst
By Peter Catterall Anthony Albanese arrived in Shanghai on Saturday to kick off his second visit to China as Australian prime minister, seeking to bolster recently stabilised trade ties even as geopolitical tensions remain high. ...
U.S. and China Have ‘Positive’ Meeting at ASEAN Foreign Minister Talks
By Leon Bruneau and Jan Hennop U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a "positive" meeting in Malaysia on Friday, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the rival powers.
Critical Minerals Weekly: China’s Rare Earth Reset, Copper Overcapacity, and Zimbabwe’s Big Lithium Gamble
This is a free preview of the upcoming Critical Minerals Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in Summer 2025. After months of strategic restrictions, China has agreed to resume rare earth exports to the U.S. as ...
Panama Urges U.S. Not to Involve It in Disputes With China
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday asked the United States to refrain from dragging the Central American country into its "geopolitical conflict" with China. The appeal came after the U.S. embassy in Panama City announced a project to replace communications ...
Kenya’s FM Pushes China for Fast Approval of Financial Assistance Package
Kenya's top diplomat, Musalia Mudavadi, hoped that his visit to China this week would prompt Beijing to speed up approval of a large financial package that his government is counting on to build new roads and extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the Ugandan border.
Wang Yi Conducts Speed Diplomacy With Nine African Foreign Ministers
China's top diplomat Wang Yi conducted another one of his signature rounds of speed diplomacy with foreign ministers from at least nine African countries on the sidelines of a ministerial gathering this week in central Hunan province. Specific details of the ...
Africa Now Has Duty-Free Access to the China Market, Now What?
Last year, in January, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called on China to do more to open its vast market to African goods by removing trade tariffs for the entire continent. This week, Museveni got what he asked for when China removed ...
In a Swipe at the U.S., China Removes Tariffs for Nearly Every African Country
China will remove all trade tariffs on imported goods from 53 African countries in a move that starkly contrasts with U.S. President Donald Trump's pro-tariff agenda. Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced the policy on Wednesday at the conclusion of a gathering ...
Is BYD’s Acceleration a Win for Latin America?
By Sally Jabiel A new world order is being contested in the electric vehicles sector. While the trade war between the United States and China rumbles on, the Chinese electric carmaker BYD has already pulled ahead in the race against its ...
Chinese EVs Price Wars Domino Effect on Africa’s Nascent EV Market
Faced with rising fuel costs, vehicle buyers in Kenya and Ethiopia are turning to affordable electric alternatives from Chinese manufacturers such as Changan, Neta, Wuling, and Xiaohu. These compact EVs, well-suited for taxi services and short-distance travel, are gaining ground as practical replacements for traditional ...
Security and Trade Top Agenda in Fifth China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Meeting
While India and Pakistan battled one another in the Kashmir region over the weekend, in nearby Afghanistan, diplomats from the ruling Taliban government, Pakistan, and China met on Saturday for security and economic talks. This fifth round of trilateral talks focused on ...
Chinese Information Warfare Tech Gave Pakistan the Advantage, Says Top Indian Security Analyst
India's boisterous 24-hour cable news outlets and social media channels were filled this weekend with post-mortems over what many felt was a disappointing performance by the Indian military in the ongoing conflict with Pakistan. Most debates centered on the effectiveness of India’s ...
Chinese Information Warfare Tech Gave Pakistan the Advantage, Says Top Indian Security Analyst
India's boisterous 24-hour cable news outlets and social media channels were filled this weekend with post-mortems over what many felt was a disappointing performance by the Indian military in the ongoing conflict with Pakistan. Most debates centered on the effectiveness of India’s ...
China’s Low-Key Deterrence Prevented India-Pakistan Escalation, Say Scholars
By Han Zhen, CGSP China Editor Just one day before India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire over their latest flare-up in Kashmir, Chinese scholars Mao Keji and Chen Zhuo offered a prescient analysis of what they say is Beijing’s evolving role as ...
China Tries Quiet Diplomacy, but U.S. Secures India-Pakistan Ceasefire
A fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire reached on Saturday between India and Pakistan appears to be holding despite accusations from both sides that the other is violating the agreement. While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance were working directly ...
China Tries Quiet Diplomacy, but U.S. Secures India-Pakistan Ceasefire
A fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire reached on Saturday between India and Pakistan appears to be holding despite accusations from both sides that the other is violating the agreement. While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance were working directly ...
China’s “DeepSeek Moment” for Military Tech Arrived in the Skies Over Kashmir
There was a palpable sense of euphoria in China this weekend as Chinese-made J-10C and JF-17 fighter jets saw combat for the first time over the disputed Kashmir region — and performed impressively. The J-10C’s successful use of electronic jamming and ...
Kazakhstan to Dredge Port for Key China-EU Trade Route
Kazakhstan will start dredging part of the Caspian Sea around its main port to increase capacity for a crucial transport route linking Asia and Europe, a spokesperson told AFP on Monday. The Trans-Caspian trade route, also known as the "Middle Corridor", ...
Kazakhstan to Dredge Port for Key China-EU Trade Route
Kazakhstan will start dredging part of the Caspian Sea around its main port to increase capacity for a crucial transport route linking Asia and Europe, a spokesperson told AFP on Monday. The Trans-Caspian trade route, also known as the "Middle Corridor", ...
Viral Article Sparks Rare Online Reflection in China: “Why Do We Look Down on Indians?”
A recent article titled “I Never Call Indians ‘A San’” (《我从来不用“阿三”称呼印度人》) has triggered rare self-reflection on Chinese social media over deep-rooted prejudice toward people from other Asian and Global South countries. Published by the WeChat account Basic Common Sense (基本常识)—a ...
25,000 Small Town Residents in Turkey Accidentally Get High, Chinese Netizens Can’t Stop Laughing
This week, Chinese news outlets picked up a bizarre story from Turkey that instantly went viral across social media platforms. The delayed report, originally from April 18th, described Turkish police's attempt to destroy 20 tons of seized cannabis in an ...
Viral Chinese Video Sparks National Debate: Is Egypt Turning from the U.S. to China?
While China and Egypt’s first-ever joint air force exercise “Eagle of Civilization” in April 2025 initially flew under the radar—mostly discussed only among military enthusiasts—a video from the popular stream platform Bilibili has brought the issue into mainstream discourse. The video, ...
China Hosts Latin American Leaders in Move to Deepen Ties
China on Monday prepared to welcome Latin American leaders to Beijing for a major summit, seeking to draw the region closer in response to the trade war with the United States. Beijing has stepped up economic and political cooperation with Latin ...
Xi Jinping and China’s Defense Chief Set to Visit Vietnam to Seek Strategic Gains Amid U.S. Tariffs Fallout
Xi Jinping and China’s Defense Minister are ramping up diplomatic and military engagements in Vietnam as the fallout from Trump’s tariffs continues to ripple across Southeast Asia. Their aim? to strengthen ties with one of the region’s most influential neighbors, seeking ...
China Minister Says U.S. Tariffs Will ‘Inflict Serious Harm” on Poor Nations
China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told the head of the World Trade Organization that U.S. tariffs will "inflict serious harm" on poor nations, according to a ministry statement released Saturday. Washington and Beijing have been trading salvos of increasingly higher tariffs ...
China Says to Host Russia, Iran for Nuclear Talks This Week
China will host Russia and Iran for trilateral talks on Tehran's nuclear program on Friday, Beijing's foreign ministry said. "The three parties will exchange views on the Iranian nuclear issue and other issues of mutual interest," a foreign ministry spokesperson said ...
China Reacts to ICC Arrest of Former Philippine President
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed a subtle dig at the International Criminal Court following Interpol’s arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte will face charges of crimes against humanity in the Hague for numerous allegations of extrajudicial killings under his anti-drugs campaign in the late 2010s. ...
China’s Port Presence in Africa
China has built extensive ports and logistics facilities around the African coast. These serve Africa's ambitions to boost exports and the Belt and Road Initiative’s focus on multimodal connectivity through infrastructure provision. A new report from the Pentagon-linked Africa Center ...
Modi’s Visit to Mauritius Attempts to Counterbalance China’s Regional Influence
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is in Mauritius this week to sign two agreements to expand Indian maritime cooperation with the small Indian Ocean island. The deals are seen as a way for Mauritius to allay its powerful ally’s concerns about growing Chinese sway in the Indian Ocean, ...
Thailand’s Fruit Exports Hit $6.51 Billion in 2024, Durian Leads as China Remains Top Market
Thailand’s fruit exports soared to $6.51 billion in 2024, with the overwhelming majority, 97.4%, heading straight to China, according to the Trade Policy and Strategy Office TPSO. Fruit was the most valuable agricultural export last year, with durian, longan, mangosteen, ...
UAE to Launch DeepSeek-Inspired AI Models: Senior Official
By Talek Harris The United Arab Emirates is planning to launch new artificial intelligence models inspired by China's DeepSeek, a senior official told AFP, calling the system's disruptive emergence "fantastic news." Faisal Al Bannai, the ...
China Provides Funding for Cambodian Demining as USAID Retreats
The Chinese government will give $4.4 million to advance the clearance of landmines in Cambodia. This follows the freeze in USAID funding dedicated to removing landmines left from the Vietnam War era. Cambodia is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
Review of India’s Chinese Investment Law Not Likely Soon: Senior Official
India’s Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said his government probably won’t review its law restricting Chinese investments soon. The law dates to the deadly 2020 border clash that sent the relationship into crisis. He said both sides are taking ...
Vietnam Moves Forward with Large Railway Project Connecting to China
The Vietnamese government plans to use local resources and Chinese loans to finance a $7.7 billion, 403-kilometer railway project linking it to China. The Lao Cai-Hai Phong railway will connect to Hanoi and China’s Kunming. According to a pre-feasibility study submitted to the government by the Minister of Transport, ...
Enduring Disillusionment: The Israeli Media Debate on China in 2024
By Amanda Chen and Leonardo Bruni China was largely an afterthought for much of the Israeli media in 2024. Amid a year marked by the aftermath of the October 7 attack, wars on several fronts, and the plight of the Israeli ...
Gutting Aid, U.S. Cedes Soft Power Game to China
By Shaun Tandon When President Donald Trump froze nearly all U.S. foreign aid, Cambodia was forced to suspend workers removing dangerous mines from the country -- until China stepped in with the necessary funding. In ...
China Battery Giant CATL Starts Hong Kong Listing Process
Chinese battery giant CATL started the application process on Tuesday to be listed in Hong Kong and named seven banks as overall coordinators, according to stock exchange filings. CATL, which produces more than a third of the EV batteries sold worldwide, ...
Biden To Hold Trilateral Call With Japan, Philippines Leaders
U.S. President Joe Biden will have a trilateral telephone call with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos early Monday, Marcos's spokesman said Sunday. The call was supposed to have been held on Sunday but has been postponed ...
Manila Deploys Coast Guard Ship to Counter China Patrols
The Philippines said Sunday it had deployed a coast guard ship to challenge Chinese patrol boats attempting to "alter the existing status quo" of the disputed South China Sea. Beijing claims most of the strategic waterway despite a 2016 international tribunal ...
Q&A: ‘Tariffs Could Kill Chinese Investments in EVs in Mexico’
By Alejandra Cuéllar Since his election victory in November, United States president-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to slap tariffs on the country’s top trade partners, pledging to make this one of his first acts upon taking office on 20 January.
Brazil’s Unions See Potential and Pressures From Chinese Carmakers
By André Duchiade The rapid expansion of the market for electric vehicles in Brazil, particularly Chinese cars, is transforming the country’s automotive industry and could have an impact on workers and production chains, say Brazilian trade unionists in the sector.
BRICS Aims to ‘Build’ Global Ties as Trump Takes Office: Brazil
By Juan Sebastián Serrano Brazil will seek to build relationships and not worsen an already tense global mood while holding the rotating presidency of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, a top official told AFP. ...
File image of an artisanal miner carrying raw ore at Tilwizembe, a former industrial copper-cobalt mine, outside of Kolwezi, the capital city of Lualaba Province in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe/File Photo
By Maxwell Akalaare Adombila and Ange Kasongo The U.S. has made progress in its push to prise Congo's strategic minerals from China's orbit, but conflict, contested licences and compliance demands are still slowing Washington's advance into a region its rival dominates, diplomats and ...
Biden To Hold Trilateral Call With Japan, Philippines Leaders
U.S. President Joe Biden will have a trilateral telephone call with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos early Monday, Marcos's spokesman said Sunday. The call was supposed to have been held on Sunday but has been postponed ...
Manila Deploys Coast Guard Ship to Counter China Patrols
The Philippines said Sunday it had deployed a coast guard ship to challenge Chinese patrol boats attempting to "alter the existing status quo" of the disputed South China Sea. Beijing claims most of the strategic waterway despite a 2016 international tribunal ...
Q&A: ‘Tariffs Could Kill Chinese Investments in EVs in Mexico’
By Alejandra Cuéllar Since his election victory in November, United States president-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to slap tariffs on the country’s top trade partners, pledging to make this one of his first acts upon taking office on 20 January.
Brazil’s Unions See Potential and Pressures From Chinese Carmakers
By André Duchiade The rapid expansion of the market for electric vehicles in Brazil, particularly Chinese cars, is transforming the country’s automotive industry and could have an impact on workers and production chains, say Brazilian trade unionists in the sector.
BRICS Aims to ‘Build’ Global Ties as Trump Takes Office: Brazil
By Juan Sebastián Serrano Brazil will seek to build relationships and not worsen an already tense global mood while holding the rotating presidency of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, a top official told AFP. ...