Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
FOCAC and China’s Global Messaging
This year’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was partly aimed at reinvigorating a relationship many had framed as declining. Preceded by new data showing that Chinese project financing in Africa increased after a multi-year fall, China sought to use FOCAC to present an image of its engagement with ...
China Pushes Smaller, Smarter Loans to Africa to Shield From Risks
By Matthew Walsh China's years of splashing cash on big-ticket infrastructure projects in Africa may be over, analysts say, with Beijing seeking to shield itself from risky, indebted partners on the continent as it grapples with a slowing economy at home. ...
5 Takeaways From Xi’s FOCAC Speech
Chinese President Xi Jinping's highly anticipated opening address at the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit on Thursday sent a clear message that Beijing remains firmly committed to its strong ties with African governments and intends to deepen its engagement on the continent.
China’s Xi Promises $50 Billion for Africa Over Next Three Years
By Sam Davies Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday pledged over $50 billion in financing for Africa over the next three years, promising to deepen cooperation in infrastructure and trade with the continent as he addressed Beijing's biggest summit since the ...
Xi Hosts Dozens of African Leaders at China’s Biggest Summit in Years
Chinese leader Xi Jinping will host over two dozen African leaders at a lavish dinner in Beijing on Wednesday, kicking off the city's biggest summit in years with promises of cooperation in infrastructure, energy and education. China, the world's second-largest economy, ...
China Emphasizes Global South Solidarity Before FOCAC Summit
China has called for close cooperation between developing countries in the face of “surging hegemonism” from the United States and its allies. Liu Yuxi, Beijing’s FOCAC ambassador and special envoy for African affairs, said: “In the face of surging hegemonism and ...
Navigating Risk and Relationships: Chinese Loans to Africa in 2023
By Diego Morro, Victoria Yvonne Bien-Aimé and Lucas Engel This week, African and Chinese leaders are gathering in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation amid significant anticipation from observers about the summit’s key priorities and whether ...
FOCAC and the Africa Plus One Summit: Where to Next?
2024’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) takes place against the backdrop of two significant trends. First, the role of the Global South, and debate over whether China should be considered a part of it, has become a more prominent question amidst escalating U.S.-China tensions and an increasingly ...
China Pushes Rivals’ Limits in Regional Disputes
By Isabel Kua and Matthew Walsh China's campaign of confrontation, from remote reefs in Southeast Asia to Taiwan and far-flung Japanese islands, is designed to wear down regional rivals competing with it for contested territories, analysts say.
Key Takeaways From Indonesian Foreign Minister’s Visit to China
This article is co-authored by Yeta Purnama, a researcher at the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) and Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, director of the China-Indonesia desk at CELIOS. On August 23, 2023, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi embarked on a pivotal ...
Filipino Sailors Hold the Line at Flashpoint South China Sea Reef
By Faith Brown with Pam Castro in Manila Sailors aboard two Philippine Coast Guard boats crashed through South China Sea waves, shadowed by Chinese vessels as they attempted to bring desperately needed supplies to colleagues holed up on a ship inside ...
A (South China) Sea of Problems: Twists and Turns in Sino-Filipino Relations
Felix Brender 王哲謙 Last week, tensions in the South China Sea escalated once again, with a collision between Chinese and Filipino vessels, as Manila accused the Chinese coast guard of intentionally ramming the Filipino boat. This incident is, of course, ...