Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
China Ramps Up “Mask Diplomacy” in Africa
The Chinese government appears to be taking full advantage of the country's newfound ability to produce extraordinary amounts of masks and other COVID-19 Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and using that gear to advance its diplomatic agenda in Africa and other regions around the world. ...
COVID-19 and the Crisis of National Development
COVID-19’s rapid move from warning sign to global pandemic has yanked the spotlight onto a number of questions humanity has been uneasily avoiding for years. Beyond the human-focused ones like how to keep a global economy running when flights are shut down, it has also drawn attention ...
From Ebola to COVID-19: 4 Lessons China Can Apply to its Response in Africa
Over the last few weeks, we have seen various Chinese actors launch significant campaigns in Africa to help tackle COVID-19. So far, the Chinese government has created numerous online resources to share its experience; sent 12,000 testing kits to multiple African countries and organized ...
Africa’s Knocking on the Wrong Door for Debt Relief
The whole discussion going on today over calls from African leaders to write off or reschedule their countries' debts feels completely disconnected from reality. For some reason, they're focusing all of their attention on the G20 leaders summit that's going to take place today and comments ...
It’s Time to Talk About All That Debt
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took the initiative on Tuesday to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room: with Africa's economies spiraling downwards due to the worsening COVID-19 crisis, how are they ever going to be able to pay back all that money they owe ...
Ethiopian PM Abiy Puts Debt Relief on the COVID-19 Agenda. Now the Multi-Billion Dollar Question is How Will China Respond?
Confronted with an "existential threat," Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued an urgent plea to G20 countries for immediate debt relief. The "dramatic decline in exports, disruption of global chains, and the sudden drying up of travel of tourism are sure to wreak havoc to our economies,"
China’s Former Ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, is Officially Gone
Despite his reputation as brash, outspoken and confrontational, Lin Songtian, the former Chinese ambassador to South Africa, quietly left the country on Monday. His sudden departure is a bit surprising given the enormous role he played in shaping ...
COVID-19: A Breakthrough Moment for China’s Soft Power in Africa
After months of waiting anxiously, reports of the COVID-19 virus spreading across is now a daily occurrence. As of today, there are 1198 confirmed cases in 41 African countries. Most of Africa's 1.3 billion people live in ...
Why Jack Ma’s Donation is the Knock-Out Punch in the U.S.-China Soft Power Fight Over COVID-19 in Africa
Leaders across Africa, from Ethiopia to Rwanda, took to Twitter this weekend to express their appreciation to Chinese philanthropist Jack Ma for his massive donation of supplies to each African country in the fight to contain the spread of ...
Zimbabwe Hopes Chinese Technology Can Help Revive its Ailing Agricultural Sector
Zimbabwean farmers have long relied on traditional knowledge systems to read the climate and decide when to head for the fields at the start of what they consider the rainy season and prepare for planting. However, despite successive poor harvests caused ...