Day: July 25, 2025

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Amid Fuel Shortages, Cuba Looks to China for Energy Solutions

Cuba is in the middle of a profound energy crisis — and China sees an opening. As Havana struggles with crumbling infrastructure, dwindling oil imports, and a decades-long economic downturn, Beijing is stepping in to fill the void left by its traditional allies, Russia and Venezuela. The ...

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 ...

Thailand-Cambodia Clash Draws China, U.S. Into Mediation Push

A 24-hour burst of rockets and artillery on the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict has done more than kill civilians and send 100,000 people fleeing; it has set off a diplomatic sprint that pits China’s offer of “impartial” mediation against a U.S. treaty ally’s insistence on going it alone. ...

French Fighter Jet Purchase in Indonesia Met with Online Push for Chinese J-10s

Indonesia’s $8.1 billion deal to purchase 42 Rafale fighter jets from France marks a significant step in the country’s military modernization. However, the agreement has also attracted attention in another arena: Indonesia’s information space, where narratives—not just policies—are shaping perceptions of national defense, trade, and foreign ...

China’s Vital, Yet Poorly Understood Role in Africa’s Energy Sector

After a two-to-three-year hiatus following the pandemic, Chinese money is once again flowing into the African energy sector. Billions of dollars in new investment and construction contracts for power facilities were registered in the first half of the year, particularly in ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Confusing Developments in “Development”

This week I’m in Brussels, where I took part in a workshop on how the EU should shape its development strategy in response to China’s global influence.
I have joked in the past that it feels like I’ve attended this same ‘EU, Africa, and External Development Partners’ conference for ten years straight. 

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