Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
In Bolivia, China’s Lithium Extraction Plans Went to the Polls and Lost Badly
Bolivia’s presidential elections have thrown the future of its lithium sector into doubt — and the country’s relationship with China has gone along with it. The first round of voting in late August ended two decades of rule by leftist party Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), and now, ...
China–Central Asia Weekly Digest: Vocational Training, Cultural Centers & Governance Programs
This is a free preview of the upcoming China-Central Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in late 2025. This week’s developments highlight how China is deepening its engagement with Central Asian societies through education, culture, and ...
China “Unstoppable,” Says Xi With Kim, Putin at His Side
By James Edgar North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin flanked Chinese President Xi Jinping at a massive parade in Beijing on Wednesday, capping a week of diplomatic grandstanding by the Chinese president and his allies against ...
Q&A: China’s EV in Southeast Asia: Growth or Dependency Trap?
A few weeks ago at the Indonesian auto show, I stood near a cluster of visitors crowding around new electric cars EVs. I noticed three questions that came up repeatedly as people leaned in to quiz the sales reps: How far can it go? Will it last? ...
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: BYD Thailand Exporting to Europe, Limited Infrastructure Slows Ghana’s EV Adoption and Chinese EV Imitations Go Rogue
This is a free preview of the upcoming Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in Summer 2025. The African electric vehicle (EV) market is projected to grow by 25 percent annually over the next ...
Critical Minerals Weekly Digest: China’s Grip is getting Tested as the West Ramps Friend-shoring
This is a free preview of the upcoming Critical Minerals Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in Summer 2025. Policy shifts this week widened Washington’s definition of “critical minerals,” as state-owned companies and trading houses stepped up ...
What a Ukraine Deal Would Mean for China’s Energy Security
In August, President Trump hosted a marathon of meetings aimed at delivering on a Ukraine-Russia peace deal. Previously, the Trump Administration hinted at reducing or lifting sanctions on Moscow as part of a final deal. A Ukraine peace deal that rolls back sanctions on Russia may undercut ...
Indonesia Trade Surplus Masks a Persistent China Deficit Problem
China has tightened its hold on Indonesia’s economy, emerging as the largest buyer of non-oil exports (22.64%) and the largest source of non-oil imports (40.35%) of Indonesia's trade from January to July 2025. China is Indonesia’s top buyer of non-oil ...
China and Russia Use Eurasian Gathering to Push Back Against the West
By Isabelle Kua Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin took turns Monday to swipe at the West during a gathering of Eurasian leaders for a showpiece summit aimed at putting Beijing front and centre of regional relations.
Pacifist Japan Struggles to Boost Troops as China Anxiety Grows
By Hiroshi Hiyama Sporting dark face paint and clutching a gun, teenage soldier-in-training Takuma Hiyane crawls across a field on Japan's Okinawa, the front line of the nation's defence as anxiety grows over China's territorial ambitions.
Putin and Modi in China for Summit Hosted by Xi
President Xi Jinping gathered the leaders of Russia and India among dignitaries from around 20 Eurasian countries on Sunday for a showpiece summit aimed at putting China front and center of regional relations. Security was tight in the northern port city ...
Don’t Expect Concrete Results From the SCO Summit – That’s Not the Point
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is gearing up for its annual summit on Sunday, and the same old criticisms are resurfacing: too big, too divided, too vague. And there’s truth to that. What started as a six-member organization in 2001 (consisting ...