Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
It’s Time to Talk About All That Debt
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took the initiative on Tuesday to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room: with Africa's economies spiraling downwards due to the worsening COVID-19 crisis, how are they ever going to be able to pay back all that money they owe ...
Ethiopian PM Abiy Puts Debt Relief on the COVID-19 Agenda. Now the Multi-Billion Dollar Question is How Will China Respond?
Confronted with an "existential threat," Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued an urgent plea to G20 countries for immediate debt relief. The "dramatic decline in exports, disruption of global chains, and the sudden drying up of travel of tourism are sure to wreak havoc to our economies,"
China’s Former Ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, is Officially Gone
Despite his reputation as brash, outspoken and confrontational, Lin Songtian, the former Chinese ambassador to South Africa, quietly left the country on Monday. His sudden departure is a bit surprising given the enormous role he played in shaping ...
COVID-19: A Breakthrough Moment for China’s Soft Power in Africa
After months of waiting anxiously, reports of the COVID-19 virus spreading across is now a daily occurrence. As of today, there are 1198 confirmed cases in 41 African countries. Most of Africa's 1.3 billion people live in ...
Why Jack Ma’s Donation is the Knock-Out Punch in the U.S.-China Soft Power Fight Over COVID-19 in Africa
Leaders across Africa, from Ethiopia to Rwanda, took to Twitter this weekend to express their appreciation to Chinese philanthropist Jack Ma for his massive donation of supplies to each African country in the fight to contain the spread of ...
Zimbabwe Hopes Chinese Technology Can Help Revive its Ailing Agricultural Sector
Zimbabwean farmers have long relied on traditional knowledge systems to read the climate and decide when to head for the fields at the start of what they consider the rainy season and prepare for planting. However, despite successive poor harvests caused ...
Reflections on Lin Songtian’s Reported Departure from South Africa
18-hours before the story broke on The Daily Maverick website, we heard rumors that China's outspoken, high-profile ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, had been recalled. "Holy ^%#*$! That's huge!" I said to myself when I first heard about the news.
Daily Maverick: China’s Brash Outspoken Ambassador to South Africa “Recalled”
Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Lin Songtian is reportedly being recalled to Beijing according to a report in the Daily Maverick newspaper. The article quotes unnamed sources within South Africa's Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) suggesting that Ambassador Lin will leave as soon as Monday.
African Governments Now Have to Worry About Becoming Collateral Damage in the Rapidly Escalating U.S.-China Feud Over COVID-19
Just as every African government is now contending with the terrifying prospect of a deadly viral outbreak while scrambling to deal with deteriorating economic conditions at home, policymakers also have to confront the possibility of being dragged into a rapidly escalating dispute between the United States and ...
The China-Mediterranean Observer: Rising Alarm Across MENA About the Economic Impact of COVID-19
In February, the number of COVID-19 cases was still limited in the Mediterranean region. Hence, the media of the countries in the wider Mediterranean region mostly focused on the economic impact of the virus. Interestingly, some commentators in the Gulf, framed the appearance of the virus as ...
Angolan Economy Set for COVID-19 Blow
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a severe impact on the global economy, from aviation and tourism to car sales. Already, markets have been upended, with commodities like oil being especially hit. With its economy still reliant on oil exports, Angola’s expectations to end a 4-year recession in ...
U.S. vs. China in the Battle of Perceptions
Providing global "public goods" in health, security and other areas has long been a responsibility taken on by the United States. Now, though, as the United States struggles to contain the COVID-19 outbreak at home and with its "America First" foreign policy doctrine, Washington is less inclined ...