Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
The Rise of “Bully Diplomacy” in Critical Minerals
If Trump’s cold, realpolitik, interest-driven critical minerals diplomacy is unlikely to fundamentally shake China’s dominance of the global critical minerals supply chain, it may nevertheless begin to shift certain fault lines and push Chinese interests into spaces where they had previously gone largely unchallenged. ...
analysis
China Remains Undeterred in the Grey Zone
By Sean Mullins The final days of 2025 saw Taiwan surrounded by Chinese warships, aircraft and coast guard vessels in what the Chinese Ministry of Defense described as a serious warning to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and foreign interference. ...
Can Chinese Agricultural Tech Work for Kenya?
By Duncan Mboyah Many Kenyan farmers work fertile land close to fast-growing urban markets. But they are struggling as rainfall gets less predictable, heat stress rises and pests and diseases spread. For smallholders, a single ...
As U.S. Engagement Wavers, Southeast Asia Finds a New Climate Partner in China
As aid from the United States and other Western countries dwindles and global trade tensions rise, Southeast Asia’s urgent need for green energy is finding a ready banker and builder in China. Experts caution that this shift is reshaping the region’s economic and strategic landscape at the ...
Looking Beyond “Useful Africa” at the Mining Indaba
With U.S.-South Africa ties in the deep freeze, it was notable to see the sheer size of the U.S. delegation sent to this week’s Mining Indaba in Cape Town – one of the most prominent industry gatherings and one of the few where the Global South ...
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum during the announcement of the creation of a critical mineral reserve, in the Oval Office at the White House, February 2, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
If Trump’s cold, realpolitik, interest-driven critical minerals diplomacy is unlikely to fundamentally shake China’s dominance of the global critical minerals supply chain, it may nevertheless begin to shift certain fault lines and push Chinese interests into spaces where they had previously gone largely unchallenged. In ...
How China Plans to Dominate Global Trade Long After Trump
By Joe Cash China sees an opening to turn President Donald Trump's tariffs to its advantage by reshaping global trade in ways that would insulate its $19 trillion economy from U.S. pressure for the foreseeable future.
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: Africa’s EV Minerals Processing Shifts Manufacturing as Electricity Revenues Grow
This is a free preview of the Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. From Kenya’s green number plates to South Africa’s industrial incentives, a number of African governments are moving beyond small electric vehicle ...
Foreign Cars Flow to Russia Through China, Skirting Ukraine War Sanctions
By Alessandro Parodi, Gleb Stolyarov and Alexandr Reshetnikov Tens of thousands of cars are being exported from China to Russia under gray-market schemes that often circumvent Western and Asian government sanctions and automakers' commitments to exit the Russian market, according to ...
Panama and the New U.S. Strategy to Counter China in Latin America
The Panama Supreme Court’s ruling against Hutchison Ports in late January was not merely an isolated legal event; it was the successful proof-of-concept for a new geopolitical weapon. What appears on the surface to be a dispute over contracts from ...
Taiwan Leader Warns Countries in Region ‘Next’ in Case of China Attack: AFP Interview
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te warned that countries in the region would be China's next targets should Beijing seize the democratic island, as he insisted that Taiwan must dramatically shore up its defences. Speaking to AFP in his first interview with a ...
Can Africa Win as the West and China Scramble for Minerals?
By Clyde Russell Two multi-billion-dollar rail projects in Africa. One headed west, the other east. One backed by Western countries, the other by China. Both are aiming to ship vast quantities of critical minerals. Welcome to the new scramble for Africa. ...
The China Factor Missing From the Headlines at This Year’s African Mining Indaba
The mining industry’s most important annual gathering is underway this week in Cape Town, South Africa, where corporate and government elites are convening for what is typically a routine, largely unremarkable business conference. This year is a little different.
U.S. Moves to Counter China in Bangladesh, Plans to Pitch Defense Alternatives
By Krishna N. Das The United States is concerned about China's expanding presence in South Asia and is planning to offer Bangladesh’s next government U.S. and allied defense systems as alternatives to Chinese hardware, Washington's ambassador to Dhaka told Reuters.
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: Africa’s EV Future at Risk as Oil, Policy and Power Clash
This is a free preview of the Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. This week brings new insights into why an electric vehicle revolution is a non-starter in many African countries. Key factors include ...
China Set to Widen Footprint in Bangladesh as India’s Ties Decline
By Tora Agarwala China’s influence in Bangladesh, boosted by the 2024 ouster of New Delhi‑aligned leader Sheikh Hasina, is likely to deepen after this week's election, although politicians and analysts say India is too large a neighbor to be sidelined completely.
China’s Export Surge to Africa in 2025 Complicates Efforts to Rebalance Trade
In 2025, trade between China and Africa reached $348 billion, a 17.7% increase from 2024. As in the previous year, this growth was largely driven by rising Chinese exports, which amounted to $225 billion, compared to $123 billion in imports from the African continent.
U.S. Challenges Chinese Control in Race for African Minerals
By Maxwell Akalaare Adombila The U.S. is using offtake deals and state-backed funding to compete in the short term with China in securing supplies of African copper, cobalt and other critical minerals, diplomats, executives and analysts said ahead of this week's Indaba.