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.
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Kenyan Election Campaign Targets Chinese Loans
Chinese loans are looming large as Kenya gears up for its presidential election. Aden Duale, an MP for the opposition leader William Ruto’s Kwanza Coalition, singled out loans as a cause of corruption at an election rally during the weekend. Duale said: "We know ...
Communist Party of China Appoints New Diplomatic Head
The Communist Party of China (CPC) has appointed Liu Jianchao as the new head of its International Liaison Department, the Party’s diplomatic arm. Liu is the former ambassador to Indonesia and the Philippines. He also headed the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the body that pursued corruption ...
Kenyan Parliament to Investigate Debunked SGR Rumors
A Kenyan parliamentary oversight committee wants to review the controversial contract for the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway. But rather than addressing the contract’s opacity, it will again focus on the rumor that it puts up Mombasa port as collateral - a rumor that has been debunked repeatedly. ...
Mapping China’s Influence Tools in Africa
How does China build influence in Africa and the wider Global South? A new report from the hawkish U.S. think tank, the National Bureau of Asian Research features prominent researchers’ accounts of different tools, from the secretive United Front Work Department to media, military, and other exchanges. ...
A Letter From an Observer in Africa to the Pacific Islands on How to Take Advantage of Your New Relationship With China
As China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi kicks off his visit to seven Pacific Island States amid a collective freakout from Western powers, Africans may be feeling a sense of deja vu. To be sure, some aspects of Wang’s approach differ from ...
Quad Announces Infrastructure, Shipping Initiatives as China Looms Large
The leaders of the United States, India, Japan, and Australia committed to funneling $50 billion in infrastructure to the Indo-Pacific region and will launch a real-time system to track ships. While China wasn’t mentioned by name, these measures are widely understood as attempts to counter its influence as an infrastructure ...
China’s Foreign Minister to Visit Seven Pacific Island States
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is embarking on a ten-day tour of Pacific Island states this week. Kicking off with the Solomon Islands, the tour will also take Wang to Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor. The trip will run from May 26 to ...
China’s New Ambassador to Rwanda A Man of Mystery?
Wang Xuekun, China's new ambassador-designate has arrived in Rwanda. While most announcements of new Chinese diplomatic postings highlight the ambassador's track record in the region, the Foreign Ministry only listed his birth date and: "He holds a doctor’s degree in engineering and is ...
“Quad” Countries Launch High-Tech Plan to Track Chinese Illegal Fishing
The U.S., Japan, Australia and India, members of the "Quad," unveiled a new initiative on Tuesday that aims to monitor Chinese illegal fishing in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The new system will use satellite technology to provide tracking data on Chinese fishing ...
Zimbabwe’s President and Chinese Business Community Warn of Western Undermining
The Zimbabwean president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and Chinese companies active in the country are both issuing dark warnings that Western governments are paying NGOs to undermine them. This comes against the background of a months-long standoff between Chinese mining and other companies, and a coalition of NGOs alleging labor and environmental abuses.
Chinese Contractors Win Guinea Stadium Bid
The contractors, China Construction Fifth Engineering Division Corp. and China Construction International, won a $298 million contract to build a new soccer stadium in Guinea. While providing stadiums acted as a diplomatic tool for China in the Global South, this seems like a commercial transaction rather than ‘stadium diplomacy.’
Pentagon Recommends New Lead For U.S. Africa Command
The U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin recommended Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley as the new commander of the U.S. Military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM). If formally nominated by the White House and approved by the U.S. Senate, Langley would become the first Black commander from the Marine Corps ...