Zimbabwe Elephant Sale to China Sparks Outrage, Prompting New Set-Back for Chinese Public Diplomacy in Africa

Photo via Humane Society International

Up to 30 young elephants were flown overseas this weekend from Zimbabwe, reportedly to zoos in China, prompting widespread anger in Africa, Europe, and the United States. News headlines, conservation groups, and social media users all expressed varying of outrage, dismay, and sadness over the shipment.,

The sale and subsequent controversy represent a major setback for Chinese public diplomacy efforts in the African wildlife space. Since 2017, when China banned the sale of ivory,  Beijing made a concerted effort to repair its image as the main demand-driver for ivory.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Eric Olander

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths
4
Thailand in Last-Minute U.S. Talks as 36% Tariff Looms
5
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
6 From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans

You Might Like

How Effective Crisis Communications Helped Defuse a Potentially Huge PR Disaster for the Chinese in Zimbabwe

Ten years after two Chinese managers at the Collum coal mine in Zambia opened fire and injured 11 workers who were protesting against low pay and poor conditions, a similar situation, ...

Recent Killing of Kenyan Rhinos Highlights Need to Get Wildlife Issues Back on the China-Africa Agenda

The privately-run Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya provided a sobering reminder this week that even though wildlife conservation issues have largely disappeared from the broader China-Africa agenda, the fate of ...

In the Aftermath of Guangzhou, Perceptions of China Sour Among African Civil Society

Chinese efforts to contain the fallout from the recent crisis in Guangzhou appear increasingly ineffectual among a large, and growing, swathe of Africans. Beijing has mounted a robust diplomatic and 

Mechanisms for ‘Telling Chinese Stories Well’: Chinese Influence on Foreign Media

By James Sundquist The “Rise of China” is one of the great stories of this century. But how is this story told? Is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) about South-South cooperation or debt-trap diplomacy? ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP