Uzbekistan’s national rail operator announced the launch of a new multimodal transport route linking China and Afghanistan via Central Asia. The route involves container cargo transport by rail from China via Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan. From there, the cargo would be moved by truck through Turkmenistan to the city of Herat in Afghanistan. The 7,400-kilometer route would avoid shipping goods through Iran. (HASHT E SUBH DAILY)
Australia and Fiji have agreed to a new political and security cooperation agreement. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that the “Vuvale Union”, a treaty building on a 2019 cooperation pact, will be accompanied by $22 million in energy funding. Australia has signed similar security and policing deals with several countries, including Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Nauru, and Indonesia, amid anxiety about Chinese influence. (BLOOMBERG)
Luosang Jiangcun, a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior member of the National People’s Congress, will visit Djibouti and Uganda to represent China at presidential inauguration ceremonies. He will be in Djibouti on 9 May and in Uganda on 12 May. Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh will be sworn in for his sixth term in office, while Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni will enter his seventh. (CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY)
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s $1 trillion-strong sovereign wealth fund, has opened a second office in mainland China. The new Shanghai office will facilitate outbound deals with China, as part of a drive to pull more Chinese investment into Saudi Arabia. This follows news that the UAE is looking to consolidate the Chinese assets of two wealth funds in order to boost business with China. (BLOOMBERG)
China Harbor Engineering Company and Sichuan Construction Engineering Group will lead two Chinese consortia building a new $5 billion road project in Saudi Arabia. The 130-kilometer road will link Abha in Saudi Arabia’s Aseer province with the southwest province of Jazan. The project includes 26 bridges and tunnels, as well as infrastructure supporting multi-modal transportation. (ZAWYA)
Mozambique is reportedly planning to convert $1.4 billion of Chinese debt to renminbi. This follows similar moves from Kenya, while Zambia and Ethiopia are reportedly also in debt conversion talks. It will boost the global use of the RMB, which currently makes up 2.2% of global currency reserves. (SEMAFOR)
China announced it is relaxing phytosanitary restrictions on citrus fruit imported from South Africa. Updated rules now mandate shorter cold storage at slightly higher temperatures. The updated measures will likely spur more exports from South Africa. The country is one of the world’s leading exporters of lemons, and shipments were limited because the colder temperatures damage the fruit. (PRODUCE REPORT)
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company signed a memorandum of understanding with two Chinese companies to restart and expand two strategic but underperforming oil refineries. The deal will involve Sanjiang Chemical Company Limited and Xingcheng (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. in the revival and operations of the Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries and in building gas processing facilities. (APA NEWS)
Brazil is reportedly close to reaching its annual quota for beef shipments to China. In January, Beijing imposed a quota on imports from the world’s biggest producer of beef to shield domestic farmers. This triggered a rush from Brazilian exporters, which now means the limit may be reached before the mid-year mark. Once the quota has been reached, additional shipments will be hit with a 55% tariff. (BLOOMBERG)
The Chinese shipping giant COSCO has inaugurated a direct shipping route between ports in China and South Korea and the Libyan port of Benghazi. The first cargo ship arrived in Libya this week. The service will run twice a month, and its route through the Red Sea avoids the Strait of Hormuz. Libya plans to develop Benghazi’s Julyana Free Zone as a logistics hub by leveraging the extra traffic. (LIBYA HERALD)
Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mahmoud Esmat, met with a team from the Chinese machinery manufacturer SANY Group on Monday to discuss establishing a factory for wind turbine parts. The company could also implement 2,000 megawatts of wind power using locally made components. (EGYPT INDEPENDENT)
China Energy Construction Marine Energy Research Institute has signed a deal to build Turkiye’s largest offshore wind farm to date. The 1.5 GW facility will be constructed jointly with Tukla Energy Group and SMZ Engineering. The deal covers financing, construction, and operation. (TGS4C)
President Lai Ching-te arrived home on Tuesday from Eswatini, saying Taiwan would not give in to pressure after having to take a circuitous route to avoid airspace controlled by countries aligned with Beijing’s One China Policy. Lai reportedly flew aboard an Eswatini A340 government plane. (REUTERS)
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman began a three-day visit to China on Tuesday, marking his first official trip to China since the new government in Dhaka took power in February. Rahman will likely seek emergency energy assistance from China, while Beijing is eager to foster closer ties as a hedge against India. (CHINA DAILY)
Pakistan commissioned the first of eight Hangor-class Chinese-made submarines, a key milestone in Islamabad’s drive to modernize its navy. The new submarines carry a crew of 38, with additional capacity for special forces, and are equipped with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with her Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, on Monday on the second leg of a five-day overseas tour that also included a stop in Vietnam. The trip is widely seen as an effort by Takaichi to counter China in the Asia-Pacific in the areas of critical minerals, energy, and maritime security. (REUTERS)
China accused the Philippines of landing personnel on a disputed reef in the South China Sea on Sunday, as Manila said it would dispatch ships to drive off Chinese vessels it said were conducting research illegally. The exchange extends a run of heightened tension between Beijing and Manila over Sandy Cay, an unoccupied sandbar in the South China Sea. (REUTERS)
The Pakistani government moved quickly on Sunday to persuade a Chinese trading company to reverse its decision to shutter operations in the Gwadar Free Trade Zone, citing the country’s stifling bureaucracy. The zone is a major part of the embattled China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that Islamabad is desperate to retain Chinese investors and government engagement. (ARAB NEWS)
