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Visa-Free Brazil Lowers the Stakes for Chinese Firms Eyeing Latin America

As Brazil rolls out a visa-free regime for Chinese passport holders, observers see the move as going beyond tourism. It is a catalyst for China’s already flourishing investment in the Latin American powerhouse. Brazil has become a major destination for Chinese ...

As Australia Reconsiders Darwin Port, China’s Media Find Common Cause

Two prominent Chinese media outlets, often seen as occupying opposite ends of the political spectrum, voiced similar concerns over Australia’s call for China to give up Darwin Port - although from different perspectives. Caixin, a business news publication widely seen ...

Africa’s Mining Crackdown Signals a Strategic Shift for Chinese Operators

Citing the Portuguese news site Jornal Notícias, Cape of Good Hope Observations 好望观察, a WeChat public account that tracks African industry, recently drew the attention of Chinese readers to a small incident in Mozambique that went largely unnoticed in English-language media. ...

After the Kabul Bombing, Chinese Social Media Fixates on the Woman Behind the Restaurant

In the days after the bombing of a Chinese restaurant in Kabul, a second wave of attention rippled through the Chinese internet. As videos from the scene circulated in news reports, Chinese netizens began asking a simple question: who owned the restaurant?

Chinese Analysts: Iran Will Endure External Pressure, Even as Internal Strains Mount

For weeks, even as protests rocked the streets of Iran with Donald Trump’s constant military threats, the prevailing narrative from Chinese scholarship was one of endurance; Tehran would not break as easily as the world imagined. That prediction held firm even ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Confusing Developments in “Development”

This week I’m in Brussels, where I took part in a workshop on how the EU should shape its development strategy in response to China’s global influence.
I have joked in the past that it feels like I’ve attended this same ‘EU, Africa, and External Development Partners’ conference for ten years straight. 

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On Chinese Social Media, Kabul Bombing Reframes Afghanistan as a Security Test for Beijing

The bombing of a Chinese restaurant in Kabul, which killed at least seven people, prompted a rare but serious wave of discussion on Chinese social media. The attack was claimed by ISIS-K, Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate, which said it targeted Chinese citizens in retaliation for China’s ...

Türkiye Goes Visa-Free for Chinese Tourists, Then Comes the Price Shock

When Türkiye announced visa-free entry for Chinese passport holders starting January 2, travel plans across China shifted overnight. Searches for “Türkiye travel” surged. Travel platform Qunar reported a 3.2-fold weekly increase, while Tongcheng Travel saw searches jump 235% day on day. ...

From Silence to Deflection: How China’s Internet Framed Thailand’s Deadly Train Accident

When a crane collapsed onto a moving passenger train in Thailand, killing dozens, the tragedy quickly became a major topic on Chinese social media. Discussion was not absent, but it followed a clear and defensive pattern, one that worked less to examine responsibility than to preempt ...

Trump’s Moves on Venezuela and Greenland Follow the Same Strategy, Says Chinese Scholar

Donald Trump declared last week that the U.S. would act on Greenland “whether they like it or not,” a remark that sparked European concern over Danish sovereignty. However, a Chinese scholar argues that the Greenland episode is inseparable from developments in Venezuela, reflecting the same strategic logic ...

U.S. Action Against Venezuela Spurs Blunt Debate Among Chinese Scholars

In the wake of the U.S. military’s seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife earlier this month, a group of influential Chinese scholars has moved quickly into the spotlight, offering blunt assessments of Washington’s intentions and debating how Beijing should respond as great-power rivalry deepens ...

China’s Central Asia Push Runs Into Local Resistance

Official Chinese narratives have long depicted relations with Central Asian countries as uniformly friendly and mutually beneficial. Diplomatically, that image largely holds. Yet recent discussions on the Chinese internet suggest a more complicated reality on the ground where China’s growing economic footprint is increasingly met with local ...

Iran Is Not Going to be the Next Venezuela, Says Chinese Scholar

As Iran undergoes another wave of political protests, a question has been circulating on Chinese social media: could Iran become “the next Venezuela”? The speculation gained traction after the United States took action against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, combined with increasingly tough rhetoric on Iran from U.S. ...
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