Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
China, Japan, and the Global South
This week saw a notable new wrinkle in one of the key geopolitical soap operas of our time. For the first time since the Second World War, Japan launched “an offensive weapon” outside of its territory, triggering immediate fury in Beijing. ...
analysis
Africa’s Lobito Corridor Chief Says Business, Not Geopolitics, Drives Strategy
By François AUSSEILL The chief executive of the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) project to link southern African mines to an Angolan export port says his priority is the business of the operation, not the geopolitical tussle over Africa's minerals.
Lobito Corridor: Africa’s Mega-Project Facing Delivery Test
By François AUSSEILL The Lobito Corridor mega-project linking three African countries is shifting from blueprint to proving ground in the global race for critical minerals. Linking Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, ...
Iran War Jolts Foshan, China’s Well-Oiled Manufacturing Hub
By Mary YANG with Tommy WANG in Hong Kong Vacuum cleaners and vapes could get more expensive if the Iran war drags on much longer, Chinese factory owners and traders warn, as the world's manufacturing hub reels from "crazy" costs. ...
Zambia Cancels RightsCon, and the Blame Game Quickly Turns to China but Evidence Points Closer to Home
There's been a lot of anguish over the past several days following the Zambian government's surprise decision to cancel Rightscon, a long-running conference devoted to digital rights that was supposed to get underway on Tuesday. The immediate narrative that spread quickly ...
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi waves as she departs from a RAAF base in Canberra on May 5, 2026, after a three-day official visit to Australia. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP)
This week saw a notable new wrinkle in one of the key geopolitical soap operas of our time. For the first time since the Second World War, Japan launched “an offensive weapon” outside of its territory, triggering immediate fury in Beijing. The firing of a ...
Africa’s Lobito Corridor Chief Says Business, Not Geopolitics, Drives Strategy
By François AUSSEILL The chief executive of the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) project to link southern African mines to an Angolan export port says his priority is the business of the operation, not the geopolitical tussle over Africa's minerals.
Lobito Corridor: Africa’s Mega-Project Facing Delivery Test
By François AUSSEILL The Lobito Corridor mega-project linking three African countries is shifting from blueprint to proving ground in the global race for critical minerals. Linking Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, ...
Iran War Jolts Foshan, China’s Well-Oiled Manufacturing Hub
By Mary YANG with Tommy WANG in Hong Kong Vacuum cleaners and vapes could get more expensive if the Iran war drags on much longer, Chinese factory owners and traders warn, as the world's manufacturing hub reels from "crazy" costs. ...
Zambia Cancels RightsCon, and the Blame Game Quickly Turns to China but Evidence Points Closer to Home
There's been a lot of anguish over the past several days following the Zambian government's surprise decision to cancel Rightscon, a long-running conference devoted to digital rights that was supposed to get underway on Tuesday. The immediate narrative that spread quickly ...
More Nepalis Turn to Chinese EVs, Evading Global Fuel Shocks
By Anup Ojha As global fuel markets reel from the Middle East war, motorists in Nepal are increasingly turning to electric vehicles, with high demand putting a strain on dealerships. Electric microbus driver Purushottam ...
South Africa’s Film Sets Swap Diesel for Chinese Solar in Green Energy Shift
By Kate Bartlett Solar panels are replacing diesel generators on some major film sets in South Africa, as streaming giants come under growing pressure to clean up one of the film industry's dirtiest habits — its addiction to diesel generators. ...
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: China EV Boom, Local Assembly and Lithium Processing Reshaping Africa, Global South Supply Chains
This is a free preview of the upcoming Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. The 2026 Beijing Auto Show is underway this week, running until May 3. The rundown is highlighting pricing discrepancies between ...
How China Block of AI Deal Could Stop ‘Singapore-Washing’
By Katie Forster, with Isabel Kua in Beijing When is a Chinese AI startup not a Chinese AI startup? When it's based in Singapore, or elsewhere, to distance itself legally and politically from Beijing. The ...
Chinese Protesters Demand Cambodia Unfreeze Accounts With Scam-Linked Firm
By Suy Se Waving their national flags, dozens of Chinese nationals protested outside Cambodia's central bank on Monday, demanding the unfreezing of accounts they opened with a financial services firm linked to cyberscamming. Some demonstrators ...
Myth and Misperception: Does History of Occupation and Invasion Impact Vietnam’s China Policy?
In this edition of M&M, I want to investigate one of the biggest myths in Vietnam-China relations – historical animosity. Many Vietnam watchers based in Vietnam and abroad often argue that because of the complicated history of China’s occupation and invasion of Vietnam, Vietnam will be ...
China’s Strategy of Staying Out of Iran
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 When China and Russia vetoed the UN Security Council’s Strait of Hormuz resolution on 7 April, after weeks of increasingly plaintive calls for Beijing to “do more” over Iran, a familiar argument resurfaced: if ...
The Emerging China-Global South Energy Nexus
This month brought quietly momentous news: for the first time ever, the world’s share of renewable energy surpassed that generated by burning coal. China is one of the world’s biggest consumers of coal and is therefore partly responsible for bringing ...