Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
South Pacific Countries Balk at China’s Comprehensive Proposal, Dealing Visiting FM Wang Yi Rare Public Setback
Midway through Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's 10-day South Pacific tour and the trip, so far, is not going according to plan. Normally on these kinds of high-profile extended diplomatic excursions to strategically important regions, Chinese officials work hard to ensure that all parties are in alignment ...
The End of Strategic Ambiguity on Taiwan: A Reset or Repeat for U.S.-Global South Relations?
By Mariah Thornton “Yes, that's the commitment we made.” These words from President Biden during an official visit to Japan marked the end of U.S. strategic ambiguity on the Taiwan question. That question is: would the U.S. defend Taiwan if China ...
A Letter From an Observer in Africa to the Pacific Islands on How to Take Advantage of Your New Relationship With China
As China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi kicks off his visit to seven Pacific Island States amid a collective freakout from Western powers, Africans may be feeling a sense of deja vu. To be sure, some aspects of Wang’s approach differ from ...
The China-Mediterranean Observer: Assessing the Impact of the Chinese Defense Minister’s Recent Visit to Iran
We start this issue of the ChinaMed Observer reporting on the visit to Iran made by the Chinese Minister of Defence, Wei Fenghe. During the visit on April 27th Wei met with several high-ranking Iranian officials, including President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, Minister of Defense General Mohammad-Reza Gharayi ...
What Do the African Development Bank Annual Meetings Mean for Chinese Energy Finance in Africa?
By Oyintarelado (Tarela) Moses This week, the African Development Bank (AfDB) convenes its annual meetings in Accra, Ghana under the theme of Achieving Climate Resilience and a Just Energy Transition for Africa. As countries throughout the region experience the effects ...
What Do We Mean by ‘Global South’?
By Lukas Fiala and Hugo Jones This week, the China-Africa project formally rebranded to become the Global South Project. As authors of this similarly titled newsletter, we at China Foresight see this as an opportunity to critically reflect upon how we ...
Q&A: Africa’s Role in China’s Global Military Expansion: Defense Expert Unpacks a Thorny Issue
The head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, on Tuesday added to the growing alarm in Washington DC defense circles about the global reach of China’s military. Speaking in front of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, Aquilino said China is building capacity ...
Building a Shared Future for All Life Along the Belt and Road Initiative
By Rebecca Ray This Sunday, May 22, marks International Day for Biological Diversity, and this year the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has chosen a theme of “building a shared future for all life.” China’s role ...
Kenyan Court Orders Government to Publish Chinese Loan Contracts For SGR
Two civil society activists in Kenya, Khelef Khalifa and Wanjiru Gikonyo, have won a massive victory in their longshot campaign to force the government to release its contracts with Chinese creditors for the multi-billion dollar Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). The Attorney General and two ...
Southward Bound
Over the last few months, you may have seen a few changes around these pages. While our focus has always been (and will always be) on Africa, you probably spotted the odd Southeast Asian or Middle Eastern, or Latin American story cropping up.
Why Africans Should Keep an Eye on the U.S.-ASEAN Summit
Nobody would blame Africans for not focusing on this week’s summit between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN.) After all, the continent is dealing with a few prior priorities: creeping debt distress in key states largely ignored by the international community, ...
African Legislators Make Vain Appeal For Debt Cancellation
Legislative leaders from across Africa issued a joint appeal on Tuesday for creditor nations to cancel some of the continent's outstanding debts. The parliamentarians are meeting this week in Abuja for the first-ever gathering of the Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments ...