Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
The Real Victor: The Arab Media Debate on China and the Iran War
By Francesca Daniele On March 11, 2026, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2817. Proposed by Bahrain and backed by fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as well as Jordan, the resolution condemns “in the strongest terms” Iran’s ...
analysis
On Iran Truce, All Sides Want Bigger China Role, but Does China?
By Shaun Tandon For decades, the United States has cast itself as the guarantor of stability in the Middle East, allying militarily with Gulf Arab states as well as Israel and brushing aside global rival China's aspirations for a greater role. ...
The Panama Paradox: China’s Escalation Ladder and the Rise of Logistics Coercion
More than two months ago, Panama’s Supreme Court annulled a long-standing contract that allowed Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison to operate the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the Panama Canal. The decision essentially removed a Chinese-linked company from two of the most ...
China’s Mining and Port Power in Peru Draws Renewed U.S. Attention
By Lucinda Elliott and Marco Aquino As Peru heads into the first round of its presidential election on Sunday, Washington is mounting its most assertive push in years to shore up influence in the major copper producer that has become a ...
Guinea Iron Ore Project Tests China’s ‘Transition Finance’ Credibility
By Deng Yaowen In January 2024, China Baowu Steel Group issued the first tranche of a bond that raised CNY 10 billion ($1.45 billion) on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Media reports described it as one ...
A drone view of the Panamanian‑flagged Crimson Delight vessel sailing through the Panama Canal as the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said on Thursday it is closely monitoring a surge in detentions of Panama‑flagged vessels in China, a development that appears linked to a Panama court ruling against Hong Kong‑based CK Hutchison, in Gamboa, Panama, March 27, 2026. REUTERS/Enea Lebrun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
More than two months ago, Panama’s Supreme Court annulled a long-standing contract that allowed Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison to operate the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the Panama Canal. The decision essentially removed a Chinese-linked company from two of the most strategically important nodes in ...
Guinea Iron Ore Project Tests China’s ‘Transition Finance’ Credibility
By Deng Yaowen In January 2024, China Baowu Steel Group issued the first tranche of a bond that raised CNY 10 billion ($1.45 billion) on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Media reports described it as one ...
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: Chinese EVs’ New Lifeline in Africa, Asia and Latin America as Oil Volatility Grows
This is a free preview of the upcoming Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. With this edition, we start our expansion from covering EV adoption in Africa to tracking electrification across the Global South. ...
U.S. War Against Iran Gives Beijing Intelligence Dividend
By Sophie Wushuang Yi Operation Epic Fury has given Chinese military planners something no simulation can replicate: a live stress-test of American high-end warfighting capacity in a prolonged, high-intensity conflict against a determined regional power. The more consequential question ...
China’s Copper Import Slump Marks a Shift in Market Power – ROI
By Andy Home A two-week ceasefire in the Iran war has dispersed some of the macroeconomic gloom enveloping the copper market, but there may be an even bigger problem for copper bulls. China, ...
Three New Polls Show China is Edging Past the U.S. as the World’s Partner
Worry about the Trump administration’s decision-making is leading the public around the world to see China as an increasingly attractive counter-option. This is the main takeaway from three large public opinion polls released recently. The annual Gallup poll of 130 ...
The Strait Test: How the Hormuz Crisis Reframed China’s Energy Offer for SE Asia
The Two Sessions, China’s most important annual political gathering, where leaders unveil economic targets and policy priorities, closed in Beijing earlier this month just as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran was intensifying. The timing was not coincidental. The 15th Five-Year ...
Experts Say China Is Studying U.S. Power in Iran War and Its Limits
There's been a lot of speculation in U.S. and European policy analysis circles over what lessons China is taking away from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. The debate largely divides along two broad categories. On one side, popular in Washington, D.C., ...
Tonga’s Debt to China Hinders Rebuild Four Years on From Eruption
By Ben Strang More than four years on from one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in history, Tonga is struggling to improve its infrastructure as it pays off a massive Chinese loan. When Hunga ...
China Is Helping Build Africa’s Cities, but Its Approach Sidelines Local Urban Planners and Residents
By Ding Fei As African cities experience some of the fastest urban growth rates in the world, China has become a major bilateral financier for urban infrastructure. From Nairobi’s elevated expressways to Lagos’s airport upgrades and Addis Ababa’s ...
China’s Zero-Tariff Promise to Africa Masks a Deepening Trade Imbalance
In a message to African heads of state gathered in Addis Ababa for the African Union's 39th summit last February, Xi Jinping announced that beginning May 1st, China would implement a “zero tariff” policy for the 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations. The message ...
Myth and Misperception: Does Vietnam Need a U.S. Security Guarantee to Deter China?
In this edition of M&M, I want to examine one of the most common claims not only in Vietnam’s foreign policy circle but also in that of the United States. The United States is a Pacific power with an extensive network of alliances and bases across the ...
A China-Backed Dam in Indonesia Tests the Limits of Compliance
A Chinese-backed hydropower project in Indonesia is emerging as an example of a growing challenge in Beijing’s overseas investments. Compliance with host-country regulations may no longer be enough to shield projects from disruption, scrutiny, or reputational risk. The Batang Toru hydropower ...