Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
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, ...
Report: Chinese Lending to African Countries Rebounded in 2023
Chinese creditors resumed lending to African countries in 2023, ending seven years of consecutive declines, according to new data from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center. Chinese lenders issued 13 loans to borrowers in eight African countries and two regional financial ...
Without More Transparency, FOCAC Could Become Irrelevant
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit gets underway in Beijing soon, but you'd hardly know that this was once a really big deal. The vibe this year is noticeably different than in the run-up to past FOCACs, when African think tanks released working papers, scholars in ...
Everything You Need To Know About FOCAC 2024
With the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) now concluded, key themes and outcomes from the meeting have come into focus. While China and Africa remain aligned on many critical issues, the balance between their converging and diverging interests shaped the results of FOCAC 2024 in ...
Learning Through Lending: China-Africa Economic Engagement through FOCACs Past and Present
By Lucas Engel As the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) approaches, it is warranted to look back at the trajectory of China-African economic engagement and assess its current state. For China, FOCAC, ...
Chinese Cars Make Inroads in Latin America
By Paulina Abramovich with AFP offices in Latin America Chilean truck driver Claudio Perez was dubious about his first purchase of a Chinese-made family car two years ago. But the price and quick delivery time convinced him, and now he is ...