After several years of declining funding, the African end of the Belt and Road Initiative seems to be roaring back. The newest Griffith University/Green Development Finance Center data on the Belt and Road Initiative shows that engagement with Africa jumped by 395%, while a few big projects boosted engagement in Nigeria alone more than twelvefold.
These shifts indicate a window of opportunity for African electrification. 60% of Africans still ...
Category: China-Africa
China Expands Media Reach in Kenya With New Distribution Deals
The state-run China Daily newspaper is rapidly expanding its media reach in Kenya with new distribution deals with some of the East African country's largest outlets. Last week, the Chinese newspaper signed a content-sharing agreement with Capital FM, one of ...
Zambian Government Tries to Calm Fears Over Contaminated Water From Chinese Mine Disaster
The Zambian government is seeking to reassure the public that municipal water supplies in communities along the Kafue River are still safe, even though recent tests detected excessive levels of heavy metals following a major environmental disaster at a Chinese-owned copper mine six months ago.
African Countries Should Stop Being Questioned About Their Diplomatic Engagements
No nation should have to defend its right to choose its own diplomatic partners. Yet, in recent years, African countries have increasingly been called to account whenever those partners happen to be China or Russia. When President William Ruto of Kenya ...
South Africa Close to Signing Major Fruit Export Deal With China, Says Ag Minister
South Africa is close to finalizing a major agricultural trade agreement that would significantly expand the range of fruit that could enter the Chinese market. Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said both sides are close on terms, and he hopes that a ...
Chinese-Made Helicopter Under Scrutiny in Crash That Killed Two Ghanaian Ministers
Ghanaian aviation investigators are looking into whether a technical malfunction onboard the Chinese-made Z-9 helicopter led to last Wednesday's crash in the central Ashanti region that killed eight people, including the country's defense and environment ministers. The Z-9, manufactured by the Harbin ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
South Africa Explores China Connections as U.S. Tariffs Loom
South Africa is scrambling to soften the blow of 30% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The measure, scheduled to come into effect on August 7, endangers 30,000 jobs. The government said it is preparing a package to shield businesses from the impact, which will be unveiled ...
Zambian Documentary Slams Chinese Companies’ Environmental Record; Embassy Responds, Accuses Producers of “Hidden Motive”
The Chinese embassy in Zambia denounced an hour-long documentary program made by the independent national daily newspaper News Diggers that detailed extensive environmental and labor violations committed by Chinese mining companies operating in the country.
China Corners the Market on a Little-Known but Crucial Tech Mineral
A Chinese mining and materials giant, Sinomine Resource Group, is ramping up its dominance in the critical minerals sector, with a $400 million investment in Zimbabwe for the construction of the world’s second cesium smelting plant. The move positions Sinomine ...
China’s Vital, Yet Poorly Understood Role in Africa’s Energy Sector
After a two-to-three-year hiatus following the pandemic, Chinese money is once again flowing into the African energy sector. Billions of dollars in new investment and construction contracts for power facilities were registered in the first half of the year, particularly in ...
China Prominent in AFRICOM Testimony
China came up repeatedly in testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services on Tuesday. Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, who is being considered to lead the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), testified that “China is expanding its approach from ...
A PetroChina Insider Reveals About China’s Tumultuous Energy Gamble in Africa
HEADLINE TRANSLATION: "Thirty Years of PetroChina in Africa: Diplomatic Grace or a Long and Arduous Road Ahead?” In a rare and revealing essay published under a pseudonym, a veteran PetroChina executive, known ...
Q&A: China’s ‘Feeling the Stones’ Approach to African Security Takes Shape
Chinese military engagement in Africa is rapidly expanding across all fronts. From peacekeeping deployments and military training programs to private security firms and dual-use infrastructure, Beijing’s approach to African security is layered, evolving, and at times opaque. But it's not clear if there's a grand strategy at ...