Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
U.S. Targets Attempts to Dodge Trump Tariffs With China in Crosshairs
By Beiyi Seow As President Donald Trump ramps up tariff threats on U.S. trading partners, his administration is taking aim at a tactic said to be used by Chinese companies to dodge the levies by moving goods through third countries.
analysis
Power, Policy, and Partnership: Mapping China-Azerbaijan Energy Ties
As Azerbaijan accelerates its transition toward renewable energy, Beijing’s clean energy ambitions are finding fertile ground. The country aims to nearly double its installed power generation capacity by 2030—targeting 6.5 GW of combined solar, wind, and hydropower—with renewables expected to make up at least 30 percent of ...
A Display of Power, Not Partnership, in Washington
This is a is a long overdue column that I intended to write back in March after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa left Washington after that now infamous joint press conference in the Oval Office where he was ambushed by U.S. President Donald Trump for challenging the ...
When Ideology Meets Inflation, Argentina’s Milei Turns to China
The cry “Cambio! Cambio! Cambio!” rings out along Calle Florida, the bustling commercial artery of Buenos Aires. Dozens of unofficial money changers—many of them migrants from Chile, Venezuela, and Bolivia—line the street, calling out to passersby. They offer mercado azul, or the “blue market” exchange rates, trading ...
Huawei Out, Washington In: Panama’s 5G Reset
When the U.S. Embassy in Panama announced in June that telecommunications equipment from Huawei—a Chinese tech giant—would be replaced with “secure American technology” at 13 sites across the country, it was more than a routine tech upgrade. It was a clear signal.
Visitors visited Huawei's booth at the 2025 Mobile World Congress in Shanghai, China on June 18, 2025. (Photo by Long Wei / CFoto / CFOTO via AFP)
When the U.S. Embassy in Panama announced in June that telecommunications equipment from Huawei—a Chinese tech giant—would be replaced with “secure American technology” at 13 sites across the country, it was more than a routine tech upgrade. It was a clear signal. The move, ...
BRICS Announces Numerous New Initiatives
The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education. The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and ...
Inside China’s Power Play: Understanding the Institutions Behind Africa’s Energy Projects
China’s role in African power generation is substantial. Chinese-backed projects account for approximately 23 GW of installed generation capacity across at least 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – nearly 20 percent of the region’s total. This footprint reflects more than just a financial commitment; it signals ...
Indonesia’s Over-Reliance on China is a Warning for Other Global South Countries
Indonesia thought it was building a future. Instead, it built someone else’s supply chain. Last month, China imposed a 20% anti-dumping tariff on stainless steel from Indonesia, accusing Jakarta of undercutting prices and threatening Chinese producers. The penalty will remain ...
After the Revolution, Bangladesh Warms to China as India Fumes
By Sheikh Sabiha Alam with Arunabh Saikia in New Delhi Protests in Bangladesh that toppled the government last year triggered a diplomatic pivot, with Dhaka warming towards China after neighboring India was angered by the ousting of its old ally Sheikh ...
Why Was Xi a No Show at BRICS?
There's been a lot of speculation as to why Chinese President Xi Jinping opted to stay home from a BRICS summit for the first time and instead sent Chinese Premier Li Qiang in his place. Some suggested that it was because
How the U.S. and China Misread Southeast Asia in the Tariff War
Southeast Asia is not the world's workshop or a passive trade partner. As the U.S.-China tariff war escalates, the region is asserting a new kind of agency, trade independence rooted in national interest. Economies like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, at the end of the day, choose ...
China’s Hainan Islamic Pilgrimage Stopover Reveals Bigger Plans
China is quietly transforming the island of Hainan, located 20 kilometers offshore in the South China Sea, into a strategic transit hub for Muslim pilgrims from Southeast Asia, starting with Indonesian travelers seeking to make the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, known as Umrah.
BRICS Nations to Gather Without Xi, Putin
By Facundo Fernández Barrio BRICS leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday, with the bloc depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years.
Southeast Asia Digest: Caught Between U.S. Tariff and China Shadow
This is a free preview of the upcoming Southeast Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in Summer 2025. This week in Tariff Negotiations with the U.S.:
Understanding China’s Role in Africa’s Power Sector: A New Series from The China-Global South Project
China is helping build nearly one in every five power plants operating in Sub-Saharan Africa today, yet most people know very little about how these projects come together. As electricity demand rises and traditional development partners pull back, China’s influence is becoming even more significant.
China’s Copper Smelting Boom Backfires Amid Global Supply Strains
Over the past decade, China positioned itself as a leader in copper refining, accounting for more than half of global capacity. Its strategy designed to secure control over key critical minerals meant to power everything from clean energy grids to electric vehicles, defense equipment, and construction ...
Lithium Prices Are Crashing, But Some Producers Are Doubling Down. Why?
There is a puzzling shift unfolding in the global lithium market. Prices have collapsed by over 70% from their 2022 highs to around $12,000 per tonne, and yet, against all market logic, some Chinese lithium giants are not retreating. Instead, ...