Day: August 21, 2025
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Chinese Woman Who Faked Nationality to Become Philippine Mayor Jailed for Trafficking
A Chinese woman who faked Philippine nationality to become a town mayor was sentenced Thursday to life in prison on human trafficking charges, a Manila regional court said. Alice Guo, who served as mayor of a town north of the capital, ...
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An Exhibition of ‘Civilizations’ in Beijing, and the Narrative China Is Quietly Writing
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 The Where Civilizations Meet exhibition at Beijing’s National Museum of China drew to a close this month. Showcasing artifacts from member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, it was, at least on the surface, a celebration ...
Malaysia Steps Up South China Sea Patrols Amid China Tensions
Malaysia has stepped up patrols in the South China Sea and lodged diplomatic protests over China’s island-building activities, taking firmer steps to protect its maritime claims while trying not to spark unintended incidents, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Wednesday.
Chinese Nationals’ Role in Africa’s Illicit Weapons, Mining, and Money Flows
There's mounting evidence from the United Nations and others that Chinese organized crime syndicates are moving more of their operations from countries in Southeast Asia to Africa. These groups are contributing to a surge in illicit crypto mining, scam centers, illegal wildlife trafficking, ...
It’s Time to Reflect on China’s Global Economic Role (Again)
By Lukas FIala Whenever the AidData team at William & Mary publishes one of their landmark reports, it’s time for us to sit down, read and think. And with the publication of their latest findings this week, they’ve given us a ...
Why the West Gets Vietnam Wrong: The Myth of Pro-U.S. and Pro-China Camps
Welcome to Myth and Misperception! It has never been more urgent to understand China’s relations with the Global South and how they impact the United States. Unfortunately, many observers in the West do not have a firm understanding of these relationships due to an absence of native ...
China, Zambia Kick-Start Revamp of Mineral Railway
China and Zambia launched on Thursday a $1.4 billion project to modernize a railway line that will transport minerals from the copper-rich southern African country to Indian Ocean ports for export. The upgrade comes as the United States and other partners ...
China and Russia Align with Iran as Nuclear Deal Runs Out
China and Russia joined Iran in declaring the official end of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, and UN Resolution 2231. The three countries sent an official letter to the United Nations on ...
China Hawk Takaichi Named Japan’s First Woman PM
By Kyoko Hasegawa with Mathias Cena in Nara Japan got its first woman prime minister on Tuesday after Sanae Takaichi, a China hawk and social conservative, forged an 11th-hour coalition deal. Japan's fifth premier in ...
Indonesia Rejects U.S. Bid to Ban Chinese Ships in Tariff Talks
Indonesia Rejects U.S. Bid and pressing U.S. trade officials to allow the use of Chinese-flagged or China-built ships for its Washington-bound exports, warning that it “don’t want to give in to all their demands” as the two sides finalize a 19% tariff deal, senior officials said. ...
China Signals Support for Indonesia HSR; Debt Under Review
China said it is ready to help keep Indonesia’s Jakarta–Bandung high-speed line running smoothly as Jakarta opens talks to restructure project loans. In Beijing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun emphasize that when evaluating high-speed rail projects, Indonesia and China ...
China’s Manufacturing Dominance Leave Developing Nations With Fewer Paths to Grow
Senior members of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) are gathering this week in Beijing for their annual plenum where they are going to put the finishing touches on the country's next year five year plan (FYP). This will be the 15th ...
U.S., Australia Sign Rare Earths Deal as Trump Promises Submarines
By Danny Kemp with David Williams in Sydney U.S. President Donald Trump signed a deal on rare earth minerals Monday with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and said Washington's key ally would get its coveted nuclear-powered attack submarines. ...
Australia Chides China Over Mid-Air Incident
Australia on Monday rebuked Beijing for "unsafe" military conduct, accusing a Chinese warplane of dropping flares near an Australian surveillance plane over the South China Sea. The Australian Poseidon was flying a surveillance patrol over the South China Sea on Sunday ...
China and the U.S. Put Malaysia’s ASEAN-First Neutrality to the Test
China is Malaysia’s largest trading partner, and the United States is its biggest export market. Kuala Lumpur says it will keep both close. Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz calls the approach “pragmatic neutrality,”. ...
China–ASEAN to Align AI Data, Launch Safety Network in 2026
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) pledged to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence AI. The commitment was announced at a ministerial roundtable held during the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo last Friday. They proposed an “AI+” action plan and a ...
Kenya in Talks with China to Convert Debt to Yuan
Kenya’s Treasury Secretary John Mbadi said his government is in talks with Chinese counterparts to convert the denomination of its debt to China from U.S. dollars to Chinese renminbi. “The moment we move from the U.S. dollar to the renminbi, automatically, ...
China Talks BRI, Mining with Afghanistan, Pakistan
China invited Afghanistan to formally join its Belt and Road Initiative and would like to deepen cooperation on mining. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the Afghan capital of Kabul for talks with Taliban government leaders. He also participated in trilateral talks with Afghan and Pakistani counterparts. ...
Inside the Fine Print: Understanding Finance Contracts in Chinese-supported Power Projects
Every power plant begins long before a single shovel hits the ground. Before turbines are ordered, before concrete is poured, and well before the lights ever flicker on, a dense legal and financial architecture must first be assembled. For state-backed Chinese infrastructure projects in Africa, that ...
Africa’s EV Trade Siege and What’s Blocking the Future
The electric vehicle (EV) sector in many African countries faces critical challenges, slowing down the adoption of electric mobility. Some of these challenges are intra-African trade barriers, which make it hard to do cross-border trade. ...
New Zealand Spy Service Warns of China Interference
New Zealand's spy service warned Thursday that China is the most active power engaging in foreign interference in the country, including through front organisations. New Zealand faces the "most challenging national security environment of recent times," the country's intelligence agency said ...
India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile That Can Reach Anywhere in China
India said Wednesday it had successfully test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile which, when operational, should be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to any part of China. The Agni-5 missile was successfully launched in India's eastern Odisha state, with authorities saying ...
Why Vietnam Will Never Join a U.S. Coalition Against China
Listen in on many of the foreign policy discussions about Vietnam that take place at think tanks and government seminars in Washington, D.C., and you'll hear this sense of optimism that "Hanoi is on our side." They see Vietnam's historical suspicions ...
U.S. Treasury Chief Says China Talks Could Cover Iran, Russia Oil Buys
The next round of U.S.-China talks could include Chinese purchases of Russian and Iranian oil, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday, a move that would shift the focus of trade negotiations into national security issues. U.S. President Donald Trump has ...
China–Africa Green Trade, Clean Tech Transfer Essential for Lasting Partnership
China's latest entry into Egypt, where it will establish a $658 million industrial complex focused on producing phosphoric acid using locally extracted phosphate ore, enhances the African nation's manufacturing profile. The China-Egypt industrial complex move follows promises China made ...
How China Pays to Shape the Narrative in East Africa
In this new era of reduced advertising and declining readership, East African newspapers, such as The Star in Kenya, are thrilled when entities like the Chinese government approach them for long-term paid partnerships. Last week, the paper signed a year-long deal ...
Trump Threatens To “End” the BRICS if it Ever Challenges U.S. Dominance
U.S. President Donald Trump took aim again at the BRICS group, threatening to "end" the bloc if it took measures that challenged the current supremacy of the U.S. dollar in international trade. "When I heard about this group from BRICS, six ...
Chinese BRI Investments and Construction Contracts Smash New Records in the First Half of 2025
The value of Chinese investment and construction contracts in Belt and Road Initiative countries surged in the first six months of 2025 to a record $124 billion, more than what was spent for the whole of last year. The findings by
Vietnam, China Launch First Joint Army Drill Amid U.S. Tension
China and Vietnam are conducting their first-ever joint ground forces training this month in the Guangxi Zhuang, a border area in southern China. The drill is seen as signaling a deliberate expansion of military engagement between the two Communist-led neighbors. ...
Japan-U.S.-Philippines Coast Guards Simulate Crisis Amid China Threat
By Andrew McKirdy Helicopters buzzed in the shadow of a smouldering volcano, and boats rescued dummies from the sea this week in a show of maritime unity by Japan, the United States, and the Philippines. ...
As Bolt and Uber Dominate, Kenyan Startup Pushes Local Alternatives
Ride-hailing in Africa has long been dominated by global giants like Uber and Bolt—especially in Kenya, East Africa’s tech innovation hub. But as the electric vehicle movement gathers momentum, a new wave of local startups ...
Chinese Battery Giant’s Splashy IPO Highlights New Energy Tensions
Shares in Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL) surged after the world’s largest maker of batteries made an eye-popping initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong. Stocks in the world’s largest battery-maker are up by 16% after it raised $4.6 billion in the world's largest share listing this ...
China to Host Pacific Island Leaders, Seeking Closer Ties
China's top diplomat will host leaders from Pacific Island nations next week for a summit, Beijing announced on Wednesday, as it seeks closer ties with the strategic region. Leaders and diplomats from 11 Pacific Island nations, including Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Papua ...
Foxconn to Expand India Focus With $1.5 Billion Investment
Key iPhone maker Foxconn is making a $1.5 billion investment to expand its focus on India as Apple looks to mitigate geopolitical and tariff risks by shifting production away from China. The Taiwanese tech giant said its Singapore-based subsidiary had picked ...
China Says It Backs Pakistan in Defending ‘Sovereignty’
China said on Tuesday it supports Pakistan in defending "national sovereignty and territorial integrity", after a ceasefire ended four days of fighting with India over a deadly attack in Kashmir. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said China welcomed the two countries ...
Leasing, Swapping, Surviving: Kenya’s Startups Hack the EV Tax Trap
E-mobility startups in Kenya are rethinking how to do business in a country where prohibitive taxes are slowing the adoption of electric vehicles. To stay afloat—and expand—companies like Rideence and Ebikes Africa are leveraging Chinese electric vehicle (EV) technology while building creative business models around ...
Why U.S. Farmers Have Good Reason to be Nervous About China’s Shift to Brazil for Agricultural Products
China's move to end its reliance on U.S. agricultural imports began during the first Trump administration in the late 2010s and has accelerated rapidly in years, prompting a lot of U.S. farmers to fret whether that once lucrative business will ever come back.
Chinese, Brazilian Officials Discuss Building New Transcontinental Railway to Peru Megaport
Nearly a dozen officials from the China State Railway Group and China's Transportation Ministry spent last week in Brasília holding talks about building a massive transcontinental rail line that would link Brazil to the Chinese-operated Chancay megaport in Peru. The discussions are ...
Lula’s Upcoming Meetings With Putin, Xi Likely to Rile Washington
Brazil's already strained ties with the United States are likely to fray even more when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva travels in a few weeks to Moscow and Beijing for separate talks with his Russian and Chinese counterparts. The primary focus ...
As Trump Looks Away, Brazil Moves Closer to China
China and Brazil have ramped up their engagement in recent months at a breathtaking scale and speed. Yet, little of what's happening is making it into mainstream news coverage, and even well-informed observers are struggling to keep up with the flurry of announcements coming from Beijing and ...
China Slams ‘Appeasement’ of U.S. as Nations Rush to Secure Trade Deals
By Sam Davies China on Monday hit out at other countries making trade deals with the United States at Beijing's expense, vowing countermeasures against those who "appease" Washington in the blistering tariff war as its neighbors rush to secure favorable terms ...
Iranian Foreign Minister to Visit China on Tuesday: Spokesman
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to visit China on Tuesday, the ministry said, ahead of a third round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States. The visit to China, which was a signatory to a since-abandoned 2015 ...
Chinese Executive Linked to Bangkok Building Collapse Arrested
Thai authorities said they have arrested a Chinese executive at a company that was building a Bangkok skyscraper which collapsed in a major earthquake, leaving dozens dead. The 30-storey tower was reduced to an immense pile of rubble when a 7.7-magnitude ...
Trump Eyes Gutting U.S. Diplomacy in Africa, Cutting Soft Power: Draft Plan
By Sebastian Smith The United States would drastically reduce its diplomatic footprint in Africa and scrap State Department offices dealing with climate change, democracy and human rights, according to a draft White House order. The executive ...
Gunmen Attack Chinese-Owned Power Plant Site in Chile
Gunmen attacked a Chinese-owned hydroelectric plant under construction in Chile Sunday, setting fire to dozens of trucks and heavy earth-moving equipment, police said. The Rucalhue power plant is being built by Rucalhue Energia Spa, a unit of China International Water and ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Mining Disaster in Zambia
Millions of Zambians along the Kafue River are coming to grips with the devastating environmental impact brought about by a massive acid spill from a Chinese-run copper mine. A tailings dam broke on February 18th, sending 50 million liters of toxic ...
China’s Durian Market Heats Up as Indonesia Challenges Thailand and Vietnam
China’s insatiable appetite for durian fuels a high-stakes competition among Southeast Asian suppliers, with Indonesia now pushing to enter the lucrative market. Long dominated by Thailand, with Vietnam rapidly expanding its footprint, the sector is poised for further disruption ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: BYD Unveils EV Charging as Fast as Pumping Gas
Reuters reports that the Trump administration’s proposed fees on Chinese-made ships are starting to affect U.S. exports. U.S. coal and agricultural products are accumulating as exporters struggle to find ships to send goods abroad. The administration has plans to impose levies of up to $1.5 million on Chinese-made ...
Battle for Khartoum Wrecks Chinese-Built Oil Refinery in Sudan
By Abdelmoneim Abu Idris Ali The once-pristine white oil tanks of Sudan's largest refinery have been blackened by nearly two years of devastating war, leaving the country heavily dependent on fuel imports it can ill afford.
U.S. Sanctions Houthi-Linked China Oil Refinery
The United States on Thursday sanctioned a China-based oil refinery that purchased Iranian oil worth around $500 million from Houthi-linked ships as the White House ramps up pressure on Iran. In a statement, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it was sanctioning ...
Bridges, Yes, Bandages, No: China Won’t Fill America’s Aid Shoes
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 If former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson thought a week was a long time in politics, a single day in Trump’s America now feels like a political eon. This column was originally meant to dissect the implications of ...
China Says Philippine Aircraft ‘Illegally’ Flew Over Disputed Sea
Beijing accused the Philippines on Friday of "illegally" sending three aircraft into airspace over the disputed South China Sea, adding to longstanding territorial tensions between the two countries. China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has brushed off competing ...
Philippine Police Arrest Over 450 in ‘Chinese-Run’ Scam Center Raid
Philippine police arrested more than 450 people in a raid on an allegedly Chinese-run offshore gaming operator in Manila, the country's anti-organized crime commission has said. Initial interrogations suggested the suburban site had been operating as a scam center, targeting victims ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: China Boosts Domestic Mining for EV and Battery Minerals
China dismissed accusations that a PLA Air Force helicopter behaved recklessly when it came within 3 meters of Philippines aircraft over the South China Sea on Tuesday. The Communist Party-run newspaper Global Times said Manila "once again staged a clumsy political show" when it allowed journalists from the ...
Navigating U.S.-China Rivalry: Africa’s Strategic Response in the Trump Era
The U.S.-China relationship is at a critical inflection point as Donald Trump tries to reset ties with his counterpart Xi Jinping. The U.S. President has repeatedly said he wants to negotiate a comprehensive trade agreement that would, in his view, lead ...
Beware False Idols: The Pitfalls of Copy-Paste Development Models
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 At this year’s Munich Security Conference, the U.S. put on such an antagonistic performance that China barely had to lift a finger to win brownie points. All Beijing had to do was sit back, radiate calm, and ...
China-Brokered Ceasefire in Myanmar
China’s Foreign Ministry announced a ceasefire agreement between Myanmar’s ruling military junta and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) on Monday. The agreement triggered a cessation of fighting from Saturday. The MNDAA is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance of ...
Trump’s Executive Orders, China, and the Global South
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a raft of executive orders on his first day in office that will significantly shift the United States’s relationship with the developing world. The orders, while framed as promoting the interests of the U.S. voters, will ...
Putin and Xi Praise Ties, Hours After Trump Sworn In
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping praised their deepening cooperation in a video call on Tuesday, hours after Donald Trump's inauguration as United States president. The Republican has promised to take a hard line on Washington's adversaries since ...
China Says Committed to WHO, Paris Climate Deal After U.S. Pulls Out
By Peter Catterall China vowed on Tuesday to continue participating in two cornerstone multinational arrangements -- the World Health Organization and Paris Climate Accord -- after newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump ordered withdrawals from them.
Germany Calls Trump’s Vow to Take Panama Canal “Unacceptable,” Dismisses Concerns About China
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump's "unacceptable" pledge to seize the Panama Canal, which the returning U.S. president repeated in his inaugural address. Baerbock was asked in an interview about Trump's comments Monday on the waterway and ...
Myanmar Junta Says It Deported Over 50,000 Scam Center Workers to China
Myanmar's ruling junta said Tuesday it had deported to China more than 50,000 people suspected of involvement in online scam operations since October 2023, as it made a rare call to neighboring countries to intervene. Scam compounds have mushroomed in Myanmar's ...
Japan PM Urges Trump To Pursue ‘Free and Open’ Pacific
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday congratulated Donald Trump on his return to the White House, urging him to work towards a "free and open" Asia-Pacific region. Japan and the United States, once World War II foes are today key ...
Low Expectations in Beijing of Trump’s Second Coming
By Matthew Walsh Chinese people on the streets of Beijing said Monday they were keeping expectations low about Donald Trump, as his second White House stint could push China-U.S. ties into a new era of uncertainty.
Philippines Arrests Chinese Man for ‘Spying’ on Military Camps
Philippine security officials said on Monday they had arrested a Chinese software engineer suspected of spying on Filipino military and police camps. The arrest comes as maritime confrontations between the Philippines and China over contested reefs and waters in the strategic ...
Former Top U.S. Diplomat for Africa Returns for New State Department Role
The top diplomat for Africa during the first Trump administration, Tibor Nagy, announced on X that he will rejoin the State Department for a new, expanded role that has yet to be announced. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Nagy was among the first Trump ...
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 ...
Kenya in Talks with China to Convert Debt to Yuan
Kenya’s Treasury Secretary John Mbadi said his government is in talks with Chinese counterparts to convert the denomination of its debt to China from U.S. dollars to Chinese renminbi. “The moment we move from the U.S. dollar to the renminbi, automatically, ...
China Talks BRI, Mining with Afghanistan, Pakistan
China invited Afghanistan to formally join its Belt and Road Initiative and would like to deepen cooperation on mining. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the Afghan capital of Kabul for talks with Taliban government leaders. He also participated in trilateral talks with Afghan and Pakistani counterparts. ...
Inside the Fine Print: Understanding Finance Contracts in Chinese-supported Power Projects
Every power plant begins long before a single shovel hits the ground. Before turbines are ordered, before concrete is poured, and well before the lights ever flicker on, a dense legal and financial architecture must first be assembled. For state-backed Chinese infrastructure projects in Africa, that ...
Africa’s EV Trade Siege and What’s Blocking the Future
The electric vehicle (EV) sector in many African countries faces critical challenges, slowing down the adoption of electric mobility. Some of these challenges are intra-African trade barriers, which make it hard to do cross-border trade. ...
New Zealand Spy Service Warns of China Interference
New Zealand's spy service warned Thursday that China is the most active power engaging in foreign interference in the country, including through front organisations. New Zealand faces the "most challenging national security environment of recent times," the country's intelligence agency said ...
India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile That Can Reach Anywhere in China
India said Wednesday it had successfully test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile which, when operational, should be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to any part of China. The Agni-5 missile was successfully launched in India's eastern Odisha state, with authorities saying ...