Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
Debt Standoff At IMF, World Bank Spring Meetings
Finance ministers from around the world have descended on Washington DC for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s Spring Meetings. The Chinese government has confirmed that a top-level Chinese delegation will attend in person -- the first time since the COVID pandemic.
Getting Currency Swaps Right: How China is Filling the Void Left by the West
By Kevin Gallagher, Marina Zucker-Marques and Barbara Fritz A recent World Bank paper – widely echoed by financial outlets – has raised concerns about a supposed Chinese “emerging system of cross-border bailouts”, composed mostly of currency swap agreements. To the authors, Chinese swaps are opaque and costly, ...
IMF, World Bank Losing Patience With China Over Debt Relief Standoff
China's ongoing stand-off with multilateral lenders over debt relief terms for developing countries will be a prominent issue at International Monetary Fund and World Bank's annual week-long gathering known as the Spring Meetings that get underway on Monday in Washington, D.C. ...
Sexy, Sexy Cold War
Years in a media studies grad school have condemned me to always be haunted by the gap between real-life tragedy and its afterlife as a media narrative. In this vein, it recently struck me that the real-life horror, pain, dislocation and ...
Saudi, Iranian Foreign Ministers Sign Deal in Beijing to Restore Diplomatic Ties, Resume Flights
The foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia and Iran made it official to fully restore diplomatic ties and resume direct flights between the once-rival countries. Iran's Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud signed the follow-up statement on ...
Fitch Ratings Dismisses China’s Calls for Multilateral Development Banks to Take Losses on Loans to Poor Countries
One of the world's most important credit ratings agencies, Fitch Ratings, warned investors that China's demands for multilateral creditors to take losses on their loans to developing countries would undermine their all-important credit rating, but added there's not much to worry about since Beijing remains isolated on ...
Malaysian Prime Minister Targets U.S. Dollar, South China Sea During Beijing Visit
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s state visit to Beijing has been marked by both pressure for increased cooperation and security tensions. Anwar promoted an increase of Belt and Road cooperation in the post-pandemic era, calling for the infrastructure-focused initiative to “regain its momentum.” ...
World Bank President Renews Calls for China to be More Transparent in its Lending Practices
The outgoing president of the World Bank, David Malpass, again expressed his concern about the opacity of China's lending practices to developing countries. He told the BBC that Beijing needs to be "more transparent." Malpass's comments are the latest in a ...
Does China Sit Atop the Drone Throne?
By Lukas Fiala On Wednesday, it was reported that China donated four Type PMR-50 UAVs to Benin. Produced by China’s state-owned defense major NORINCO, the PMR-50 is a small, close-range drone and will reportedly support Benin’s counterterrorism efforts, likely by enhancing ...
Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim Arrives in Beijing for Talks With President Xi Jinping
Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Beijing on Wednesday on his first visit to the Chinese capital as Prime Minister. Ibrahim, along with a large delegation of ministers and corporate leaders, have a full schedule of high-level talks and deal signings ...
Lending Data Offers Clue to China’s Global South Influence
A new report led by the U.S.-based research center AidData is drawing global attention this week. It shows that from 2008 to 2021, China spent $240 billion in bailouts and liquidity support to 22 Global South countries. Even though the report focuses ...
Fierce Debate Underway in the DR Congo Over Whether China Has Met Its Infrastructure Development Obligations
The Congolese stakeholders in the controversial Chinese mining joint venture Sicomines are calling for further revisions to the controversial multibillion-dollar resource-for-infrastructure deal. At issue are stark differences in what the Congolese side believes it's owed in terms of infrastructure development and ...