Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
Xi and Modi’s Frosty Encounter At SCO Summit Worrisome For Asia-Pacific Region
There was a lot of speculation, including from us, that this month's pullback of Chinese and Indian troops along their disputed border in the Himalayas was a goodwill gesture to set the stage for a sideline meeting between Xi and Modi at last week's SCO summit in ...
China’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa is Back in the Region Promoting a Very Different Kind of Peace
Xue Bing, China's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, is back in the region, making the rounds to various capitals to meet with senior-level officials. Xue kicked off his latest tour in Eritrea on Friday, where he met with President Isaias Afwerki. Then on Sunday, the Chinese envoy ...
Xi, Putin and Modi in Central Asia
By Lukas Fiala With all eyes on Xi Jinping’s first foreign trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a flurry of commentators have been dissecting the significance of Xi’s meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation ...
Xi-Putin Meeting Looms Large As Chinese President Arrives in Uzbekistan
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in a blaze of media attention, especially around his possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting could have implications for the Ukraine crisis and beyond. Some Western commentators have read the ‘no-limits’ partnership between ...
Xi’s Arrival in Kazakhstan Signals New Phase of Diplomacy
Xi Jinping is back. The Chinese President emerged from nearly three years of diplomatic hibernation on Wednesday when he landed in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan for a one-day visit ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit that will take place at the end of the week ...
China’s Write-Off of 23 African Loans Doesn’t Move the Debt Needle: Report
China’s announcement last month that it is canceling 23 interest-free loans (IFLs) to seventeen African countries covers at most about 1% of African debt to China, according to a new study by Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center. Last month's cancellation announcement drew much media attention, but ...
Ten Years of the Belt and Road: Reflections and Recent Trends
By Min Ye In 2023, China will mark the tenth anniversary of its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the billion-dollar push to fund roads, ports and other critical infrastructure around the world. Ahead of this anniversary, it is important to pause ...
This Week Will Likely Mark the End of Xi Jinping’s 971 Day Absence From International Diplomacy
The last time Xi Jinping traveled abroad was a trip to Myanmar on January 17, 2020. This week, the Chinese president is widely expected to end his nearly three-year absence from international diplomacy when he heads to Central Asia for a ...
China-Global South and the Long Shadow of Empire
Writing is slow on my side today because as someone living in a former British colony, I can't tear myself away from Twitter reactions to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Even as British Twitter is dominated by stiff-upper-lip memorials, Irish, ...
China’s Record Drought Could Be Bad News for the Global South
China is suffering through its hottest summer in history. Climate change-related heatwaves have dried up rivers, caused urban blackouts, and depressed economic output. It is also triggering long-term anxieties about food security. China’s history of ...
Zambia Requests $8.4 Billion Debt Repayment Reprieve
The Zambian government is calling on its external creditors, including China, to provide it with $8.4 billion of debt relief in the next few years. The request was included in a new report published by the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday, the latest step in
How Will Liz Truss’s Election as the UK’s New PM Affect China-Global South Relations?
Liz Truss’s rise to Prime Minister-elect of the United Kingdom is likely to raise tensions with China and increase Great Power competition in the Indo-Pacific region. Truss won an internal Conservative Party election following the resignation of former PM Boris Johnson. ...