Author: Cobus van Staden
Dr. Cobus van Staden is an accomplished scholar, journalist, and think tank analyst with more than 20 years of experience in Africa and Asia. Previously, he was the senior China-Africa researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) in Johannesburg. Cobus completed his Ph.D. in Japanese studies and media studies at the University of Nagoya in Japan in 2008. He focused on comparisons of Chinese and Japanese public diplomacy in Africa during postdoctoral positions at the University of Stellenbosch and the SARCHI Chair on African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy at the University of Johannesburg before joining the Department of Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2013. His academic research focused on media coverage of the China-Africa and Japan-Africa relationships, as well as the use of media in public diplomacy in the Global South.
Related Posts
What does Trump 2.0 Offer to Africa?
By Cobus van Staden As the world shifts into gear for the next Trump term, striking new polling results have revealed a split in opinion about the incoming president. An opinion survey of ...
What does Trump 2.0 Offer to Africa?
As the world shifts into gear for the next Trump term, striking new polling results have revealed a split in opinion about the incoming president. An opinion survey of developed and developing countries by the European Council on Foreign ...
Africa-China 2025: Tracking Priorities on Both Sides
2025 marks a quarter-century since the first Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit. Since then, Africa-China engagement has been nothing short of transformational - both changing skylines across the continent and reshaping the role of the Global South in world politics more broadly.
3 Key Trends to Watch for China-Global South Ties in 2025
Trend-predicting – always a dicey enterprise – feels particularly difficult as the Biden administration dries to a crusty stain, and incoming U.S. President Donald Trump waits in the wings huddled in his signature cloud of white-hot incoherence. However, tracking a few ...
2024 Was the Year China Was Everywhere, All the Time
Every year, the team at the China-Global South Project makes a list of what we saw as the significant China-related stories of the last twelve months. This year, the task has been especially tricky. That's not because there is a lack ...
Thailand, China Stage Myanmar Talks
Chinese officials will attend meetings in Bangkok on Thursday and Friday aimed at crafting regional solutions to the crisis in Myanmar. The two meetings are seen as a bold attempt from Thailand to resolve the crisis, which is threatening the ruling military junta’s grip on the country. ...
India-China Meeting Aims to Warm Up Ties as Trump Waits Around the Corner
Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday. The meeting is the latest step in normalizing relations along the two countries’ disputed border. Wang and Doval last met in September, a gathering ...
China Reportedly Ponders Bigger Role in Myanmar
As pressure increases on the military junta in Myanmar, rumors are circling that China could be considering a larger role in the country. The announcement last month that China is considering a joint security company with the junta has spurred speculation that Beijing may be considering a more direct ...
Gautam Adani Pulls Out of Sri Lanka Port Deal Meant to Counter China
The controversial Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has withdrawn from a loan deal with a U.S. government agency for a port terminal in Sri Lanka, aimed at expanding operations at the country’s Colombo port while countering Chinese influence in the region. Adani was ...
China Signals Optimism on Rebuilding Ties with India
China is beaming friendliness to its massive neighbor across the Himalayas following recent high-level meetings between Indian and Chinese officials. The newest was a discussion between Liu Jianchao, the Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, and India’s ambassador to China, Pradeep ...
The Global South is Becoming More Central to China’s Trade
While China’s trade data this month was largely gloomy, it also reflected interesting shifts. A breakdown of the data published by the Chinese publication Guancha showed that trade with key parts of the Global South is trending upwards. For example, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is currently ...
China Will Keep Driving Global Growth: Xi
Chinese President Xi Jinping said China will keep powering global economic expansion and that the country will meet its 5% GDP growth target. The comments come a day after the CPC politburo announced the first monetary easing in fourteen years to boost ...