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Kidnapping of Chinese Influencer in South Africa Sparks Alarm Over “High-Profile Travel”

A kidnapping in South Africa has sent shockwaves through China’s internet, not only because a Chinese traveler was violently targeted, but because the scheme appears to have been orchestrated with help from a Chinese national. The victim, a top travel influencer with more than 26 million ...

Chile’s Rightward Shift Signals New Risks for China in Latin America, Chinese Commentator Says

As vote totals came in over the weekend in Chile's presidential run-off election, Chinese social media began to anticipate what José Antonia Kast's victory could mean for China. A WeChat account focusing on international affairs tried to analyze how Kast’s ...

Inside the Himalayas’ Last Living Trade Route

A recent in-depth feature published on the Guangzhou-based renowned newspaper Southern Weekly takes readers into Purang (Burang) on Tibet’s remote Ali Plateau, a tri-border junction between China, Nepal, and India, where one of the Himalayas’ oldest trading systems is still alive. And timing matters: 2026 will ...

U.S. Mineral-Driven Intervention in Congo Creates Fragile Peace, Chinese Commentator Says

As the United States inserted itself into Congo’s decades-long conflict, a Chinese WeChat commentator dissects the real motivations behind Washington’s diplomacy and why the so-called peace may be more fragile than it seems.  Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President ...

Kenya Sees a Third Wave of Chinese Investment, Led This Time by Shandong

Over more than a decade in Kenya, the popular WeChat commentator Xiao Nie  “小聂说事儿,” witnessed three waves of Chinese investment. The first came from Guangdong and Fujian, who are small-scale commodity traders. The second was led by Zhejiang entrepreneurs in manufacturing, wholesale, and e-commerce, followed by a ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The G20 Summit and the Half-Life of a Joke

When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...

Why Argentina Is Turning to China’s Natural-Gas Buses in an Age of EV

Argentina recently committed $45 million to purchase 150 natural-gas buses from China’s King Long, a move that may seem counterintuitive to readers accustomed to seeing Latin American cities embrace full electrification. But an article on a WeChat public account focused on Latin America’s economy explains that ...

As Conflict Escalates in Eastern Congo, China’s Mining Giants Confront New Risks Far From the Front Lines

In late November, China’s Foreign Ministry issued a stark warning about the Democratic Republic of Congo: the security situation in the east has deteriorated sharply, with armed clashes, extremist activity and attacks against foreign workers rising again. Congo sits at the ...

A Chinese Upstart Takes On Big Tobacco in Kenya — by Playing It Straight

In a sector long dominated by counterfeit trade and British American Tobacco's (BAT) near-monopoly of the Kenyan cigarette market, a Chinese distributor did something no one expected: it played by the book.  The popular Kenya-based Chinese online commentator Xiao Nie “小聂说事儿,” ...

Africa’s Embrace of Chinese Drones Signals New Economic Opportunities

African countries are increasingly adopting Chinese drone technology, a move that highlights both the potential of drones as a future economic growth driver and China's expanding role in the sector. Rwanda and Senegal, for example, recently signed an air transport agreement to expand cross-border routes and strengthen ...

How a Chinese Couple Built Africa’s Diaper Empire

When Softcare debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on November 10, few outside Asia had heard of it. Yet the “King of African Diapers” saw its shares jump 33% on day one, valuing the company at over $2.57 billion. Unlike the tech startups dominating headlines, ...

Why a Geopolitical Megadam Sparks Panic in India but Barely a Murmur in China

In July, China quietly launched the 1.2 trillion-yuan Metog hydropower project, the largest infrastructure project in human history. The planned Metog hydropower station sits on the “Great Bend” of the Yarlung Tsangpo, where the river drops 2,000 meters within a 50-kilometer ...

Indonesia Moves to Rein In Nickel Boom, but Impact Uncertain, Says Chinese Commentator

As demand for electric vehicles surges, Indonesia, the world’s largest source of battery-grade nickel, has become a focal point of global concern. Rapid and often exploitative mining projects, many driven by Chinese investment, have strained local communities and ecosystems. Now, Indonesia decided to restrict new nickel-smelter investments. ...
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