Day: August 5, 2025
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The Perception Problem: Why Central Asians Remain Skeptical of Chinese Investment
Over the past decade, China has poured billions into the Central Asian countries, financing infrastructure, renewable energy, agriculture, and digital technologies, while presenting itself as a reliable development partner. Central Asian governments, eager for investment and diversification, have embraced China as a strategic ally in trade and ...
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The G20 Summit and the Half-Life of a Joke
When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most ...
China-Central Asia Weekly News: New Seaport Development, BYD Battery Localization in Uzbekistan, and Healthcare Cooperation
This is a free preview of the upcoming Critical Minerals Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in 2026. Chinese engagement with Central Asia is advancing through a combination of transport infrastructure development, automotive industry expansion, and medical ...
In Congo’s Cobalt Belt, a Chinese Miner’s Waste Leaves Villages Poisoned and Furious
By Camille Lafont Carrying her sore-pocked daughter across her decaying field, Helene Mvubu says she is one of thousands to have fallen victim to the toxic waste defiling the Democratic Republic of Congo's mining capital. ...
China Faces Rising Local Debt and Weak Land Revenues
China’s local government debt has reached unprecedented levels as a weak real estate market slashes land-sale revenues that cities once depended on. According to a report that cited Nikkei Asia, total debt raised directly by local governments and via ...
After Review, Pentagon Confirms Submarine Sales to Australia
The Pentagon said Thursday it has endorsed the tripartite AUKUS security pact with the United Kingdom and Australia, which would involve Canberra's acquisition of at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines within 15 years. The administration of Donald Trump said earlier this ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: China May Be Training an AI to Support Port Network
The first shipment of 200,000 tons of iron ore from the massive Simandou iron ore mine departed Guinea on Tuesday. The mine took years of off-and-on development and $24 billion in investment, including in port and rail facilities. Simandou has one of the largest iron ore deposits in ...
What a Routine Hunan Delegation Says About China’s Evolving Africa Strategy
A delegation from Hunan province met with officials from the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry this week in Nairobi for what appeared to be pro forma discussions about enhancing trade and cooperation between the East African country and the central Chinese province.
China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Unit to Build 70 MW Solar Plant to Power Lithium Processing in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe-based Prospect Lithium, a unit of Chinese mining giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, announced that it will begin construction on a new 70 megawatt off-grid solar facility that will be used to power early-stage lithium processing. The company invested $400 million to build ...
Copper’s Bull Run Faces Reckoning as China Weighs Production Caps
There's been a dramatic turnaround in the price of copper on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, with the red metal suffering its largest one-day loss in three weeks on Tuesday. What's unusual here is that just last week, prices of the red ...
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: Chinese, Vietnamese Automakers in Africa’s EV Race as Local Innovation Gathers Pace
This is a free preview of the upcoming Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. This week, the enhanced technology features of some Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) are proving a challenge after claims that embedded ...
China Kicks off Program to Import More Foreign Goods
China on Tuesday launched a programme to encourage its citizens to buy more imports, as Beijing pushes a long-term plan to turn the country into a major consumer nation. Premier Li Qiang and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao announced the start of ...
China-Built Frigate for Cambodia Clears Trials; Second Ship at 50%
One of two China-built frigates for Cambodia has completed assembly and passed technical trials, with a second vessel halfway built, former Cambodia defense minister Tea Banh said in a Facebook post dated Oct. 3. Tea Banh said the frigate is ...
Indonesia Lifts TikTok License Suspension as App Shares Data
Indonesia lifted its suspension of TikTok's local operating license after the social media platform shared data requested by the government about recent protests, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs said. Indonesia has the second-largest audience on TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, ...
Chinese Youth Fear India Will Seize Job Opportunities Under New K Visa
A recent commentary from College Daily, the largest media platform for Chinese students overseas, examines how China’s newly launched K visa, set to take effect on October 1, is already drawing unusual attention abroad—particularly in India. Major Indian outlets are referring to it as “China’s H-1B,” ...
From U.S. Tariffs to Chinese Tables: How Brazil’s Beef Sector Adapted to China’s Changing Appetite
An article on China Meat Food Network 中国肉类食品网 examines how U.S. tariff policies have disrupted Brazil’s beef exports and how China’s growing appetite for high-quality, affordable beef has helped Brazil weather the storm. After the United States imposed a 50% ...
Inside China’s African Rail Projects: A Translator’s Unexpected Video Diary
A young Chinese man working as a bilingual English–French translator on Guinean infrastructure projects has found an unusual way to connect with Chinese youth. On the video platform Bilibili, he opened an account to document life on construction sites. To his audience’s surprise, his videos reveal rare, ...
China’s Overseas Bullet Train: Malaysians Still Top Foreign Riders
China’s first overseas high-speed rail in Indonesia, the Whoosh bullet train, is carrying a steady flow of foreign passengers, and Malaysians continue to account for the largest share, the operator said. In less than two years since its inauguration in ...
Crude Deals or Clever Design? Unpacking China’s Resource-Backed Finance in Africa
It is not every day that a highway is paid for with barrels of oil. Yet in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, that is exactly how some of the region’s largest infrastructure projects are being financed. Instead of tapping their treasuries or issuing sovereign bonds, governments are ...
Chinese Firms Pay Price of Jihadist Strikes Against Mali Junta
Jihadists allied to Al-Qaeda have launched a blitz of raids on Malian industrial sites run by foreign firms, especially Chinese, as a tactic to undermine the ruling junta. While present across wider west Africa, the powerful Group for the Support of ...
Revealing Reactions to China’s Festival of Optics
In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in ...
Kenya Caught Uncomfortably Between the U.S. and China
The Kenyan government is under mounting pressure from the United States over its close ties with China. Influential lawmakers in Washington are furious over comments made by President William Ruto during a visit to Beijing earlier this year, where he said ...
Malaysia Opens First EV Plant with Backing from China’s Geely
Malaysia’s Proton launched its first electric vehicle assembly plant on Thursday with backing from China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The country aims to position itself as a regional hub for EV production. The facility is located in the Automotive High-Tech ...
China Backs Malaysia’s BRICS Bid, Laos Reiterates Interest
China has pledged full support for Malaysia’s full membership into BRICS, while Laos has reaffirmed its interest in joining. The moves underline Southeast Asia’s growing engagement with the bloc, which has expanded its membership in recent years. ...
Philippines’ Marcos Strikes Defense Deals in India
The Philippines and India signed a raft of security deals Tuesday aimed at strengthening strategic ties between the nations as they navigate tensions with China across the Asia-Pacific. President Ferdinand Marcos, on a five-day visit to India, was accorded a red carpet ...
Chinese Car Exports to Mexico and UAE Surge
China’s three top markets for automotive exports saw different outcomes in the first half of the year. New data released by the Chinese auto tracker Yiche showed that exports to Mexico surged by 31%, largely due to the popularity of affordable BYD models like the Seagull.
Tariffs Forcing “China+1” Rethink
The Trump administration’s tariffs are undoing an economic model that has driven development across Southeast Asia. The last few years have seen the rapid expansion of Chinese companies to neighboring countries, as anti-Chinese trade barriers rose across the Global North. Now, crackdowns on transshipment are forcing ...
China’s Hainan Islamic Pilgrimage Stopover Reveals Bigger Plans
China is quietly transforming the island of Hainan, located 20 kilometers offshore in the South China Sea, into a strategic transit hub for Muslim pilgrims from Southeast Asia, starting with Indonesian travelers seeking to make the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, known as Umrah.
BRICS Nations to Gather Without Xi, Putin
By Facundo Fernández Barrio BRICS leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday, with the bloc depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years.
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 ...
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 ...
Negotiations Underway to Free Chinese Hostage in Eastern DR Congo
Congolese authorities in the far eastern Kalemie Territory along Lake Tanganyika near the border with Tanzania are negotiating with a group of bandits who kidnapped a Chinese national and a local woman in late April. The unknown group of assailants is ...
Amid Surging Tensions in South Asia, China Steadily Shifts Its Position to Align With Pakistan
China is conveying mixed signals in its response to the surging tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, a small town in the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir. Although Pakistan denies any knowledge of ...
Negotiations Underway to Free Chinese Hostage in Eastern DR Congo
Congolese authorities in the far eastern Kalemie Territory along Lake Tanganyika near the border with Tanzania are negotiating with a group of bandits who kidnapped a Chinese national and a local woman in late April. The unknown group of assailants is ...
Negotiations Underway to Free Chinese Hostage in Eastern DR Congo
Congolese authorities in the far eastern Kalemie Territory along Lake Tanganyika near the border with Tanzania are negotiating with a group of bandits who kidnapped a Chinese national and a local woman in late April. The unknown group of assailants is ...
How to Deter Kidnappers and Win Staff Loyalty: Security Lessons for Chinese Merchants in Africa
A Chinese business owner in South Africa was recently kidnapped, underscoring the growing risks faced by expatriate entrepreneurs. In response, the WeChat public account 南非天天报 (South Africa Daily News) published a comprehensive guide offering local Chinese merchants practical advice to avoid such threats. ...
Behind the Abaya: Chinese E-Commerce Eyes Persian Gulf’s Hidden ‘Her’ Economy
Narratives surrounding “veiled luxury” beneath the black abayas are electrifying Chinese e-commerce players. Frustrated by the U.S. markets due to the tariff, Chinese e-commerce players are turning to the Middle East's untapped “Her” economy. Viral ...
Pro-Pakistan but Anti-War: Chinese Social Media Reacts to India-Pakistan Tensions
As India-Pakistan tensions rise, Chinese social media leans pro-Pakistan—but not pro-war. On the contrary, many influential voices call for restraint, arguing that India’s aggressive stance stems more from domestic politics than genuine military intent. Two viral articles—each with over 10,000 views—offer ...
Cambodia Opens China-Backed Ream Naval Base to All, Amid Western Scrutiny
Cambodia officially reopened its China-backed Ream Naval Base on Saturday, positioning itself at the heart of Southeast Asia's escalating maritime power contest. While upgraded with Chinese military support, Phnom Penh insists the base is open to warships from ...
Trump’s Tariffs Target ‘China Plus One’ Export Hubs; ASEAN Pursues Unified Response
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday that Malaysia will consult ASEAN member states to form a collective response to the United States' new reciprocal tariffs, stressing the need to uphold fairness in international trade. Anwar said he has ...
Australia to Buy Darwin Port Lease From Chinese Firm: PM
Australia plans to buy back control of its strategic northern port of Darwin from the current Chinese leaseholder, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday. China's Landbridge group was granted a 99-year lease on the port in 2015, a widely criticised decision ...
Thailand Maintains Neutral Stance Amid China-U.S. Rivalry, Urges Stronger ASEAN Ties
As China’s influence grows across Southeast Asia, Thailand is carefully treading a fine line, choosing not to side with either Beijing or Washington. At an event on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai explained that Thailand's foreign policy needs ...
China Says to Hike Defense Spending by 7.2% This Year
By Oliver Hotham and Ludovic Ehret China's defense spending will rise by 7.2 percent in 2025, the same as last year, Beijing said on Wednesday, as its armed forces undergo rapid modernisation and eye deepening strategic competition with the United States. ...
Connecting the Dots: DRC Mineral Geopolitics
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is reportedly lobbying the U.S. for greater backing against incursions by the Rwandan-backed M23 militia in return for access to critical minerals. Recent press reports cited a classified letter by Aaron Poynton, an executive appointed by the DRC government to boost ...
China’s $249 Billion 2025 Military Budget: Modernization, Tensions, and Comparisons
On Wednesday, China announced a 7.2% increase in its 2025 national defense and military budget, bringing total military spending to $249 billion. This marks the 10th consecutive year of single-digit growth in defense expenditure, a pattern Beijing maintains is measured ...
BYD’s $5.6 Billion Share Sale to Power Worldwide Expansion
The Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD raised $5.6 billion in the largest Hong Kong share sale in four years. The cash injection will boost BYD’s “capacity to further advance its technological capabilities and accelerate its overseas expansion,” according to the filing. ...
A Taste of Tradition in Nairobi’s Oldest Chinese Restaurant Without Chinese Chefs
It’s lunchtime in Nairobi, and the city buzzes with energy. I arrive at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC), a landmark in the heart of the City in the Sun. But today, I’m not here for a conference or a meeting—I’ve ...
Ports Sale Offers Panama Way out of Trump Row: Experts
By Juan José Rodríguez The decision by Hong Kong firm CK Hutchison to sell its Panama ports to a U.S.-led consortium provides the Central American country with a convenient way out of its standoff with President Donald Trump, experts said Tuesday. ...
Hong Kong Firm Offloads Panama Ports After Trump Pressure
Under fierce pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, the Hong Kong firm Hutchison said it had agreed to sell its lucrative Panama Canal ports to a U.S.-led consortium Tuesday. CK Hutchison Holdings said it would offload a 90 percent stake in ...
Will Trump’s Paris Exit Turn China Into Indonesia’s Climate Partner?
The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord has raised global climate uncertainty, but Indonesia could be ground zero for its geopolitical impact. This is because of the country’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) agreement with the G7. The $20 ...
Pakistan’s President in Beijing Amid China’s Asian Outreach
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in China on Tuesday for a state visit that will include meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The trip is part of a diplomatic blitz between China and Asia, with four leaders visiting Beijing in one week.
Thailand Cuts Power to Scam Hub on Myanmar Border Ahead of PM’s Visit to Beijing
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra embarked on a four-day visit to China on Wednesday, soon after Thai authorities cut the cross-border power supply to Shwe Kokko, a town in Myanmar said to house huge scam operations staffed by victims of trafficking. The ...
Thailand Hits Back: Cuts Power, Internet, and Fuel to Myanmar Online Scam Crime Hubs
Thailand is taking unprecedented action against transnational cybercrime syndicates by cutting electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to key crime hubs in Myanmar, starting today. Starting this morning, Thai authorities shut down essential services to five locations across the border in ...
Two Chinese Oil Workers Kidnapped in Niger
Unidentified gunmen ambushed a vehicle carrying staff from the Chinese state-owned oil major CNPC near Niger's Agadem oil field, killing two local security guards and taking two of the Chinese nationals hostage. The incident, according to French news reports, took place ...
U.S sanctions delay Mauritania Boat Contract With Chinese Company
The Mauritanian government canceled a contract with a unit of the Chinese state-owned conglomerate Poly Group to sell patrol boats in response to mounting pressure from the United States, according to a report in Africa Intelligence. The subsidiary, Poly Technologies, ...
Western, Chinese 5G Rivals Poised to Clash Over New Deployment in Morocco
Telecom service providers from Europe and the United States will soon face off against rivals for China over a new tender to build out Morocco's 5G network, according to a report in Africa Intelligence. The National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency will ...
China Slams U.S.-Philippines Joint Air Patrol, Tensions Rise Again in South China Sea Disputed Waters
The skies over the South China Sea saw heightened military activity on Tuesday as the Philippine Air Force and the United States Air Force carried out a joint air patrol. This operation immediately drew angry response from China. Coinciding with ...
A Taliban security personnel operating an anti-aircraft gun keeps watch for Pakistani airstrikes near the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Nangarhar province on February 27, 2026 following overnight cross-border fighting between the two countries. Photo by AIMAL ZAHIR / AFP
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared "open war" against Afghanistan on Friday amid a surge of fighting between the two South Asian neighbors. Pakistan said it's retaliating against Afghanistan for a series of attacks, including a suicide bombing in early February that killed at least 36 people ...
Philippines’ Marcos Strikes Defense Deals in India
The Philippines and India signed a raft of security deals Tuesday aimed at strengthening strategic ties between the nations as they navigate tensions with China across the Asia-Pacific. President Ferdinand Marcos, on a five-day visit to India, was accorded a red carpet ...
Chinese Car Exports to Mexico and UAE Surge
China’s three top markets for automotive exports saw different outcomes in the first half of the year. New data released by the Chinese auto tracker Yiche showed that exports to Mexico surged by 31%, largely due to the popularity of affordable BYD models like the Seagull.
Tariffs Forcing “China+1” Rethink
The Trump administration’s tariffs are undoing an economic model that has driven development across Southeast Asia. The last few years have seen the rapid expansion of Chinese companies to neighboring countries, as anti-Chinese trade barriers rose across the Global North. Now, crackdowns on transshipment are forcing ...