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Australia Says China Anxiety, Geography Driving Closer Indonesia Ties

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday that security anxiety over China was partly driving deepening ties with Indonesia in a region riven by rivalry between Beijing and Washington. His visit to meet counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin in Jakarta came weeks after ...

Namibia Shows Off Newly-Acquired Chinese Drone

Namibia may have quietly revealed a significant addition to its defense arsenal during a military parade this week: what appears to be a Chinese-made Aisheng ASN-209 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The drone was seen this week during the Namibian Defense Force’s ...

China Tops Favorability Rankings in Africa, Outpacing U.S. and EU, New Survey Shows

China is viewed more positively than any other global or regional power in Africa, according to a new survey conducted across 29 countries by Afrobarometer, the continent’s leading public opinion measurement agency. The findings, released this week, show that 60 percent ...

“Vietnam’s Just a Pathway of China” to the U.S., Says Commerce Secretary

The pressure on Vietnam in the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China went up significantly on Wednesday when Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made it very clear that eliminating all trade tariffs on U.S. goods will not be enough to satisfy the Trump administration. ...

Troubled Chinese EV Maker Casts Shadow Over Africa’s Affordable Electric Car Market

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers are increasingly shipping their products to African countries, where first-time car owners are turning to more affordable models from lesser-known Chinese manufacturers, such as Neta and Xiaohu. While the small manufacturers have struck a ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

BRICS Announces Numerous New Initiatives

The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education.
The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and references to “unilateralism” and other coded criticism are also relatively scarce. Rather, the communique keeps the focus on the BRICS’ vision of the strengthening and reform of the global multilateral system ...

Europe’s Green Mining Regulations May Push Africa Closer to China

While Europe’s environmental policy to limit carbon emissions is well-meaning and aims to fight climate change, it could actually make things worse for Africa. Instead of helping the continent to develop its industries, EU policy might instead give China more control over access to valuable mineral resources, ...

Vietnam, U.S. to Speed up Trade Talks: Hanoi

Vietnam and the United States have agreed to speed up trade talks, Hanoi said Thursday, as it announced $600 million in deals to buy U.S. agricultural products. Vietnam has the third-biggest trade surplus with the United States, after China and Mexico, ...

China Lead Mine Plan Weighs Heavily on Myanmar Tribe

Hundreds of protesting Myanmar tribespeople march up a hillside to a cavernous facility where a Chinese joint venture's giant milling machines stand ready to grind up the rocks of their ancestral homeland for lead ore. Demand for the heavy metal is ...

China Outraged Over U.S. Veto of Gaza Ceasefire Resolution at UN Security Council

By Gregory Walton UN Security Council members criticized the United States Wednesday after it vetoed a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza, which Washington said undermined ongoing diplomacy. It was ...