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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Q&A: Africa’s Role in China’s Global Military Expansion: Defense Expert Unpacks a Thorny Issue
The head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, on Tuesday added to the growing alarm in Washington DC defense circles about the global reach of China’s military. Speaking in front of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, Aquilino said China is building capacity ...
Nigeria’s China-Friendly Transport Minister Resigns to Run for President
Rotimi Amaechi formally resigned on Tuesday from his position as Nigeria’s minister of transportation. The move is in preparation to compete in Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election, scheduled for February 2023. During his tenure, Amaechi oversaw the transformation of the country’s ...
Stalled Chinese Financing Complicates Buhari’s Infrastructure Legacy
Nigeria’s presidential race is officially on, but many are wondering how China will shape the fortunes of the ruling All Progressives Congress, the party of the current front-runner Rotimi Amaechi, the country's former transport minister. President Muhammadu Buhari came to power on the ...
Engagement Between Chinese Policy Banks and African Governments Continue Despite Funding Pull-Back
The current pull-back in infrastructure financing from Chinese policy banks is scrambling the funding options for African infrastructure. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the reduction in lending is permanent or that Chinese policy banks have lost their interest in the continent. This tweet from Ethiopia's embassy ...
“Chinatown is Closed! Close the Shop or We Burn the Shop Down”
A growing anti-immigrant movement in South Africa says it is now targeting not only undocumented immigrants, but even those with residency permits doing low-skilled work. Operation Dudula (“force out” in isiZulu) made clear they are campaigning against both African and Chinese undocumented workers, and that they want to ...
UK Reshapes Foreign Aid Strategy to Confront China
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Is China Planning a New Military Base in Africa? New Paper Weighs the Options
Rumors that China is planning another military base in Africa are rife in Washington at the moment. Now a new paper by Paul Nantulya, a noted expert on Africa-China military links, was published by the Pentagon-aligned Africa Center for Strategic Studies. It unpacks the strategic calculations that underlie the ...
Military Links Between China and Iran More Than Meets the Eye
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Argentina Could Be Joining BRICS
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Regulation, Security Raise Hurdles for Chinese Companies in Somalia: Ambassador
Fei Shengchao, China's ambassador to Somalia, recently sat down with a reporter from the Somali news service Goobjoog, for a rare television interview. In the clips released by the embassy, he addressed problems faced by Chinese fishing companies in navigating Somalian regulation, and ...
Chinese Public Security Officials Meet with Nigerian Delegation on Security
🇳🇬 Officials from China’s Ministry of Public Security met with Nigerian counterparts and representatives from Chinese companies, to discuss ongoing security threats to Chinese nationals in the country. The session particularly focused on repeated kidnappings of Chinese in Nigeria. (SOUTH AFRICAN DAILY -- in Chinese)
U.S. Under Secretary Underplays New Cold War While Leaning Into Battery Metals Race with China
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