Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
As Iran Faces Its Gravest Crisis in Decades, China Stays on the Sidelines
China’s relationship with the Middle East is a perennial topic in discussions about China’s role in the Global South, especially at moments of crisis. Now, despite its publicly touted close relationship, as the Islamic Republic faces perhaps the most serious crisis in its 45 year history, including ...
analysis
Why Greenland is the New Front in the U.S.–China Resource Rivalry
By Lukas Fiala After a showcase of U.S. military might in Venezuela, the longstanding back-and-forth about a potential U.S. intervention in Greenland continues apace. With President Trump announcing earlier this week that the U.S. would acquire Greenland “one way or ...
Russia, China Unlikely to Back Iran Against U.S. Military Threats
By Fabien Zamora with Ludovic Ehret in Beijing While Russia and China are ready to back protest-rocked Iran under threat by U.S. President Donald Trump, that support would diminish in the face of U.S. military action, experts told AFP.
China-Southeast Asia in 2026 Depends on Beijing’s Ability to Rise to the Occasion
Southeast Asia’s relationship with China is set to face a convergence of diplomatic, political, and societal pressures in 2026. While Beijing remains one of the region’s most influential actors, its expanding economic footprint intersects with governance challenges and public discontent in several countries.
China’s 2026 Challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean
2025 was a rather tumultuous year for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Donald Trump’s return to the White House exacerbated geopolitical dynamics in the region, particularly in the realm of the U.S.-China strategic competition. From tariffs to claims that China ...
Iranians attend a pro-government rally in Tehran, Iran, January 12, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
China’s relationship with the Middle East is a perennial topic in discussions about China’s role in the Global South, especially at moments of crisis. Now, despite its publicly touted close relationship, as the Islamic Republic faces perhaps the most serious crisis in its 45 year history, including direct threats by the ...
China-Central Asia in 2026: From Resource Access to Structured Interdependence
2025 marked an important inflection point in China-Central Asia relations. Not because China’s presence in the region was new, since Beijing has been a significant economic actor for more than a decade, but because the composition and structure of that engagement began to change in more visible ...
APEC Offers China a Chance to Revitalize Integration
By Christopher Findlay and Wenxiao Wang As the chair of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2026, China has a chance to revitalize Asia-Pacific integration around services and the digital economy. With services accounting for most output and employment across ...
Vietnam’s VinFast and the “China Plus One” Paradox
By Zhang Shiyao VinFast, Vietnam's largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, wrapped up 2025 with strong momentum: its domestic deliveries more than doubled in 2025, reaching 170,000 units - roughly one third of the country’s total car sales. With new ...
2026: Africa-China Relations in a World Shaped by North-South Geopolitics
When talking about Africa–China relations, one is always moving along a sliding scale. There are myriad interactions with Chinese entities that concern only individual African countries, segueing into trends affecting the whole continent and sliding further into global dynamics shaping the developing world, of which Africa is ...
China’s Clean Tech Charm Offensive Wins Global South Hearts and Minds
By Chris Aylett and Bernice Lee Air travellers making the descent into Islamabad, Nairobi, or São Paulo may be struck by the sight of solar panels scattered liberally over the rooftops. Regular visitors to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city, will probably have ...
China: The Indispensable Partner of Maduro’s Venezuela
By Peter Catterall China was the dominant buyer of Venezuelan oil under deposed president Nicolas Maduro, the fulcrum of a symbiotic partnership that propped up the South American economy and gave Beijing regional influence. But ...
China’s Rhetoric Is Clear on Venezuela. Latin America’s Response Is Not.
While the dust from the U.S. military operation in Caracas to oust Nicolás Maduro has yet to settle, early Chinese reactions already offer useful food for thought. The views expressed across Latin America, largely absent from both Chinese and Western commentary, also help contextualize how China’s relationship ...
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: Driving Kenya’s First Locally Built Electric Car as BYD Dethrones Tesla and China’s ICE & EV Dual Strategy
This is a free preview of the upcoming Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. African countries are embarking on an unprecedented bout of techno-social evolution brought about by Chinese electric vehicle (EV) technologies that ...
Survey: Indonesians See China as an Opportunity, Not an Ally or Threat
Global debates about China’s rise often revolve around military flashpoints or ideological rivalry. Far less attention is paid to how societies in influential middle powers actually perceive Beijing’s growing role. Indonesia—home to more than 270 million people, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, and a country with a long ...
CGSP Take: How Does the Venezuela Crisis Affect China’s Relationship with the Global South?
By Cobus van Staden, CGSP Head of Research, China has sharply criticized the Trump administration’s incursion into Venezuela and its detention of President Nicolás Maduro. During his regular press conference on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson ...
Q&A: Maduro’s Fall Tests China’s Influence in Washington’s Backyard
The United States government's rationale for last Friday's military incursion into Venezuela to detain President Nicolás Maduro has evolved over the months from combating narco-terrorism to asserting control over the country's vast oil reserves. But amid the varying justifications for the intervention was a concern about China's ...
U.S. Strike in Venezuela Intensifies Chinese Media Debate Over Taiwan
Washington’s intervention in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro have sent shockwaves across Chinese social media, triggering surprise, anger, and unease. Beyond that, a more intriguing conversation emerged - Taiwan. U.S. forces carried out the lightning strike on Caracas ...