Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: Africa’s Unconventional EV Shift as Ethiopia Plans Lithium Processing, Building EVs Locally
This is a free preview of the upcoming Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. This week, there’s more proof that Africa’s electric mobility shift will not be conventional. To ease the electric vehicle (EV) ...
China Hawk Takaichi Named Japan’s First Woman PM
By Kyoko Hasegawa with Mathias Cena in Nara Japan got its first woman prime minister on Tuesday after Sanae Takaichi, a China hawk and social conservative, forged an 11th-hour coalition deal. Japan's fifth premier in ...
China’s Manufacturing Dominance Leave Developing Nations With Fewer Paths to Grow
Senior members of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) are gathering this week in Beijing for their annual plenum where they are going to put the finishing touches on the country's next year five year plan (FYP). This will be the 15th ...
Indonesian J-10C Plan: Interoperability and Strategic Independence
The Indonesian J-10C plan has sparked a broader debate about how Jakarta maintains its strategic independence while ensuring all systems are aligned and interoperating smoothly. The rumor started with a line that sounded casual enough: Indonesia’s new Chinese-made J-10C fighter ...
China’s Power Paradox: Record Renewables, Continued Coal
By Sara Hussein Call it the China power paradox: while Beijing leads the world in renewable energy expansion, its coal projects are booming too. As the top emitter of greenhouse gases, China will largely determine ...
Chinese Demand Boosts Brazilian Coffee Exports and Challenges Small Producers
Since 2018, São Paulo–based businesswoman Carla Guindani has been eyeing the Chinese market. That year, she was invited by ApexBrasil, a Brazilian government agency dedicated to promoting exports, to exhibit family farming products at the Shanghai International Food Exhibition. At the time, Guindani was head of a ...
Q&A: The Political Implications of the Sino-Metals Disaster in Zambia
When the Sino-Metals Leach, a Chinese-owned copper processing company, experienced a tailings dam collapse in February in Zambia, the government, through the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, dismissed reports that 1.5 million cubic meters of acid waste had been released. Officials also claimed that water ...
Chinese Companies Power Ethiopia’s Bid to Become Solar Manufacturing Hub
Three Chinese companies are pouring more than half a billion dollars into Ethiopia’s nascent solar manufacturing sector, underscoring Beijing’s growing role in shaping Africa’s clean energy future. Shanghai-listed CSI Solar, majority-owned by Canadian Solar Inc., plans to invest $250 ...
Africa’s Energy Future: China’s Role and the Power of Data
As Africa confronts persistent energy gaps and mounting development challenges, China’s growing role in the continent’s electricity sector has far-reaching economic and geopolitical implications. Understanding the scope and impact of Chinese investment is crucial—not only for powering Africa’s industrial and social ...
Afghanistan, Pakistan and (the Limitations of) China’s Neighborhood Engagement
By Lukas Fiala and Saniya Kulkarni The recent escalation between Afghanistan and Pakistan has demonstrated once more the potential for instability in China’s neighborhood. With both sides reaching an initial truce on Wednesday after a series of strikes, Beijing is ...
Indonesia Deepens Ties With China to Grow $3 Trillion Halal Market
Indonesia is strengthening its position as a global center for halal business, a market currently worth $3 trillion and projected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2030. Halal refers to products and practices that comply with Islamic law, including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and financial services, ensuring they ...
As Chinese Imports Flood In, Ethiopia’s Weavers Fight for Survival
By Dylan Gamba Behind the looms of a workshop in the heart of Addis Ababa, dozens of weavers deftly repeat the same motions to craft traditional dresses -- a centuries-old skill now threatened by Ethiopia's economic hardships.