Remember “no blood for oil”? Decades ago, the slogan emblematized opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Its logic subsequently shifted as the United States experienced a gas and oil revolution thanks to fracking.
It has cycled back into relevance following the Trump administration’s invasion of Venezuela and the seizure of its oil, which, despite its carnivalesque tone, left at least 80 people dead. The Iran war has now ...
Category: Africa
Seeking More Value at Home, Zimbabwe Disrupts China’s Lithium Flow
By Enos Denhere A month after banning raw lithium exports, Zimbabwe is tightening its regulations and ramping up its crackdown on mineral smuggling in a major shake-up that is winning local praise even as it stirs concerns.
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Taiwan Says Cameroon Visas for WTO Summit Riddled With Errors, Will Not Attend
Visas for Taiwan officials to attend a World Trade Organization summit in Cameroon were riddled with errors, leaving Taiwan unable to attend, the island's foreign ministry said, after initially complaining they had been listed as coming from China. The WTO is one ...
Kenya, Uganda Presidents to Meet for Rail Link
The presidents of Kenya and Uganda were set to meet near their shared border Saturday to mark the multi-billion-dollar, long-delayed extension of a Chinese-built railway that has left Kenya heavily in debt. The Standard Gauge Railway, built from 2013 to 2019, ...
Kenya Revives Railway Extension After 6-Year Stall by China Funding Cuts
By Duncan Miriri Kenya will on Thursday restart a multi-billion-dollar railway extension that was financed through revenue securitization, reviving a project that has been stalled for over six years after initial lending from Beijing dried up. The ...
Huge Chinese-Owned DR Congo Cobalt Mine Causing ‘Health Crisis’: Report
Pollution from a massive Chinese-owned cobalt mining and processing plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo has triggered a "public health crisis" for locals, an environmental campaign group said Tuesday. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world's cobalt, ...
Senegal Clears Chinese Firm’s Sanitary Pads After Probe Into Expired Materials
Senegal's minister of health said on Thursday that menstrual pads made by a leading Chinese firm embroiled in a scandal over expired materials were safe for consumers, following an investigation. Products containing expired polyethylene film made by the company Softcare were ...
Zimbabwe Says Fast-Tracked Ban Over Lithium Export Rush
Zimbabwe fast-tracked the entry of a ban on raw lithium exports last week after mining companies engaged in an "unacceptable scramble" to export ahead of the planned entry into force, the government said Tuesday. Securing access to rare earths and other ...
China’s Foreign Minister Tells Israeli Counterpart That Attacks on Iran Must End
China opposes the military strikes launched by Israel and the U.S. against Iran and demands an immediate cessation of hostilities, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar on Tuesday, according to his ministry. "Force cannot truly solve problems; instead, it often creates new ones ...
U.S. Struggling to De-Risk Congo’s ‘War Zone Minerals’ Even After Pact, Sources Say
By Maxwell Akalaare Adombila and Ange Kasongo The U.S. has made progress in its push to prise Congo's strategic minerals from China's orbit, but conflict, contested licences and compliance demands are still slowing Washington's advance into a region its rival
How a Little-Known Chinese Company Conquered Africa’s Cell Phone Market
Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings is now a massive Chinese technology company that few people outside of Africa and certain parts of Asia have heard of. Even in China, the brand, now the world's 5th-largest mobile phone producer, remains largely unknown.
Why Africa is Now a Key Front in the U.S.-China Rivalry
Donald Trump has never thought very highly of Africa, famously referring to the continent as a place of "sh**hole countries." While there's no indication that sentiment has changed, he's recognized that African resources are essential if he wants the U.S. to ...
Can Chinese Agricultural Tech Work for Kenya?
By Duncan Mboyah Many Kenyan farmers work fertile land close to fast-growing urban markets. But they are struggling as rainfall gets less predictable, heat stress rises and pests and diseases spread. For smallholders, a single ...
Dangote Signs $400 Million Equipment Deal With China’s XCMG to Speed up Refinery Expansion
By Isaac Anyaogu Nigeria's Dangote Group has signed a $400 million equipment deal with China's Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group to speed up the expansion of its oil refinery toward a planned 1.4 million barrels per day, the company said on Tuesday.