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Southeast Asia Digest: Caught Between U.S. Tariff and China Shadow

This is a free preview of the upcoming Southeast Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in Summer 2025. This week in Tariff Negotiations with the U.S.:

Understanding China’s Role in Africa’s Power Sector: A New Series from The China-Global South Project

China is helping build nearly one in every five power plants operating in Sub-Saharan Africa today, yet most people know very little about how these projects come together. As electricity demand rises and traditional development partners pull back, China’s influence is becoming even more significant.

Rio to Host BRICS Summit Wary of Trump

A summit of BRICS nations will convene in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday and Monday, with members hoping to weigh in on global crises while tiptoeing around U.S. President Donald Trump's policies. The city, with beefed-up security, will play host to ...

China Says No Ambition to Build South Pacific Military Base

China's embassy in Fiji has insisted Beijing is not seeking a military base in the South Pacific, saying aid pledged to developing island nations came with "no political strings attached". Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka warned this week against any Chinese ...

South American Bloc Looks to Asia, Europe in Face of Trump Trade War

By Martin Raschinsky and Tomas Viola South America's Mercosur bloc sought Thursday to expand its markets in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war, with Brazil calling for closer ties with dynamic Asian economies.

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Plugging into African Agency

After several years of declining funding, the African end of the Belt and Road Initiative seems to be roaring back. The newest Griffith University/Green Development Finance Center data on the Belt and Road Initiative shows that engagement with Africa jumped by 395%, while a few big projects boosted engagement in Nigeria alone more than twelvefold.
These shifts indicate a window of opportunity for African electrification. 60% of Africans still ...