Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
The Reality of Educational Soft Power
Last week was a bloody one in Johannesburg. Wits University, where I used to teach and where I’m currently an affiliate, has seen weeks of student protests. On Wednesday, a standoff turned violent. As the police opened fire with rubber bullets, a bystander stepped out of a ...
Will Chinese-Made COVID-19 Vaccines Find Acceptance in Nigeria?
It is widely accepted that vaccination is one of the most important achievements in public health. Yet, in the face of this ‘consensus’, vaccines are constantly challenged by individuals and groups on religious, and even political grounds. The determinants around vaccine ...
The Transsion Phenomenon in Africa
Too often, the discussion about Chinese tech in the Global South, particularly in places like Africa, focuses primarily on just two companies Huawei and ZTE. It's not surprising given that in recent years both have been the focus of so much attention in Australia, the U.S., and ...
The View of China-Africa Relations from Washington
We’re thrilled to feature our conversation with Tibor Nagy, the former Assistant Secretary of State for Africa for the Trump administration on the latest episode of the China in Africa Podcast. It was a real honor to speak with someone who had been so instrumental ...
China, Africa and the Internet, Again
The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa recently discussed African elections and, not surprisingly, the conversation became about China. The lawmakers latched on to a narrative that the Chinese Communist Party is actively trying to ...
It’s Been One-Year Since the First COVID Case in Africa: China’s Contribution & COVID Year in Review
On February 14th, 2020, Africa’s first COVID-19 case was reported in Egypt. Since then, there has been widespread speculation about why Africa has not experienced a mass COVID-19 outbreak. At Development Reimagined, our analysis reveals there is no single ‘Africa story’, and that decisive African leadership across ...
Washington’s Schizophrenic China-Africa Debate
There are two totally different conversations going on in Washington, D.C. these days about how to frame China's engagement in Africa. Down at the State Department and even at the Pentagon, there's a concerted effort underway to evolve U.S. policy away from the confrontational approach of the ...
Vaccine Crossroads
At present we’re in a moment of both hope and fear. The vaccines are finally rolling out, and with them, we’re seeing a glimmer of a post-COVID world. But is that only a mirage? The decisions that will decide that answer are being made now. A ...
RIP “Chinese Debt Trap Diplomacy” (2017-2021)
Four years after Indian academic Brahma Chellaney first introduced the concept of Chinese "debt-trap diplomacy," the now widely-debunked theory appears to be flaming out. But it had quite a run. Chellaney's idea was that ...
Exploring China’s Role in Fighting Poverty and Food Insecurity in Guinea-Bissau
Since 1998, the Chinese government has partnered with the Guinea-Bissau Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement the Sino-Guinea-Bissau Agricultural Technical Cooperation Project (ATCP). Operating in two-year implementation phases, the overarching objective of this intervention was to strengthen agricultural development ...
Vaccine Deliveries in Africa Gain Momentum With New Shipments From Covax, China and J&J’s New Jab on the Way
The world's first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines supplied by the WHO-led Covax alliance landed at Kotoka International Airport in Accra on Wednesday adding new momentum to the pace of vaccine deliveries on the continent. This particular batch included 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine that was manufactured ...
China Benefits from the West’s Shortsighted Vaccine Policy
Focusing on China-Africa issues on a daily basis now means a daily dose of vaccine news (in lieu of an actual vaccine dose.) This morning I gamely waded into a great new Slate explainer on the vaccine crisis, only to promptly lose my mind. The article outlined ...