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 ...
Category: Business
Transsion, Africa’s Mobile Phone Powerhouse, Seeks Hong Kong Listing to Fuel Global Expansion
Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings, the longtime dominant cell phone maker in Africa and other developing regions, filed an application last week with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for a secondary listing. The company already trades on the tech-heavy Shanghai STAR market with ...
BYD Is Third in Indonesia as November Sales Fall
China’s BYD has climbed into Indonesia’s top three car brands by monthly wholesale sales, and top six on yearly sales to date, underscoring how quickly Chinese automakers are gaining ground in a market long led by Japanese rivals. Industry ...
Tokyo Says Chinese Jets Locked Radar Onto Japan Fighters
By Kyoko Hasegawa Chinese military aircraft locked radar onto Japanese fighter jets southeast of Okinawa's main island, Japan's defence ministry said on Sunday. Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have soured following remarks by new Japanese ...
Malaysia Says Search for Long-Missing Flight MH370 to Resume
By Isabelle Leong The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume at the end of December, Malaysia said on Wednesday, more than a decade after the plane disappeared. The nation's Transport Minister, Anthony ...
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: Africa Edges Into the EV Era With Universal Charging Hubs And More Funding
This is a free preview of the upcoming Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. Many African nations find themselves in a paradoxical moment regarding electric mobility. They sit atop some of the world’s richest ...
India Launches $815 Million Plan to Cut Reliance on China for Rare Earth Magnets
India has approved a more than $800 million plan to boost production of rare earth magnets in an effort to secure supplies and cut its dependence on imports from countries like China. Rare earth permanent magnets (REPMs), some of the strongest ...
Thailand Turns to China to Lift Tourism With 1,000 Charter Flights
Thailand is turning to China to drive a recovery in foreign tourism, leaning on a surge of planned chartered flights. The Tourism and Sports Ministry said Thailand expects more than 1,000 charter flights from China, Macau and Taiwan through mid-2026 as authorities target a return to ...
Alleged Abuses at Chinese-Invested Nickel Plant Expose Indonesia’s Weak Labor Oversight
Last month, LBH Makassar, a legal-aid organization in eastern Indonesia that represents workers and low-income communities, delivered an open letter to the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta. The letter describes serious labor violations at PT Huadi Nickel Alloy Indonesia, a Chinese-invested nickel smelter operating in Bantaeng, a ...
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, ...
Indonesia Turns to China’s Yuan to Cut Reliance on the U.S. Dollar
China’s yuan is taking a larger role in Indonesia’s currency markets, as Bank Indonesia opens new yuan-denominated monetary operations. This new facility aims to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar. It also aim to support the fast-growing use of local currencies in trade with China.