China’s Vice President Han Zheng addressed the UN General Assembly on Thursday. Along with retreads of established Chinese positions on Taiwan, Ukraine, and the Israel/Palestine conflict, his comments also provided interesting clues about China’s messaging to the Global South.
First, he called on the international community to “follow the direction of a multipolar world” with the UN at its center. I wonder how opinion within Beijing’s inner circles breaks down around the bipolarity/multipolarity issue, considering ...
Category: China-Africa
Mapping the Emerging Africa-China Landscape
Boston University's Global Development Policy Center published a new policy brief tracking trends in Chinese financing to Africa. It notes the sharp decline in the size and number of loans compared to the 2010s. This point has been made before and ...
The Emerging Talking Points Restructuring the Africa-China Relationship
The last few weeks have been punctuated by both an alphabet soup of big summits (BRICS, ASEAN, G20) and much discussion of the optics of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s presence or absence from them. Amid the fray, a significant shift in Africa-China ...
Nigerian Trader Sparks Online Controversy When He Shows How Much He Bought for Just $63
Nigerian TikTok users couldn't believe what they were seeing when a China-based importer who goes by the TikTok handle @timi_perfection posted a video that laid out everything he bought for just 50,000 nairas (about $63.) Dozens of comments expressed doubt over how much ...
PLA Navy Tour of Africa Stops in the Republic of Congo
A weeks-long tour of Africa by a trio of Chinese warships continued with a stop in the Republic of Congo on Friday, where they were greeted by Defense Minister Richard Mondjo. The PLA Navy ships previously made stops in Nigeria, Ghana ...
Why a Chinese Province’s Trade Plans Could Be a Game-Changer for Africa
“The United States is ‘all in’ on Africa’s future.” This was the line from President Joe Biden at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in December. This linking of Africa and “future” is a tic of our time. It play-acts inclusivity while deftly stepping past the fact that ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Unpacking Han Zheng’s Messaging to the Global South at the UN General Assembly
China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo Kicks Off in Hunan
The biggest annual event in Africa-China trade kicks off in Changsha, Hunan Province, on Thursday, running until July 2. The third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo is notable for two key reasons. First, it signals the full resumption of Africa-China trade relations ...
China’s Horn of Africa Envoy Addresses East African Leaders’ Forum in Djibouti
China's low-profile special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Xue Bing, made a rare public appearance on Monday to address the opening session of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Leaders forum in Djibouti. Xue joined special envoys from Italy, the ...
Trend to Watch: More Hunan Cities Launch Commercial Diplomacy Initiatives in Africa
Representatives from 50 African countries are expected to participate in the upcoming China-Africa Trade Expo that will take place for the third time in the central Chinese province of Hunan beginning on June 29th. The expo serves as an important showcase for ...
Tshisekedi’s Trip to China Was a Total Waste of Time and It’s His Fault
Two somewhat perplexing stories today in the China-Africa space. First, the visit to China by President Félix Tshisekedi is wrapping up in Hong Kong and it appears, at least based on what we know so far, that the trip was a colossal waste of time for the ...
The Growing Influence of Chinese Policing in Africa
While joint military exercises between China and countries like South Africa draw controversy, much less attention is being paid to the role of policing in Africa-China relations. A fascinating new paper by the Africa-China security expert Paul Nantuyla maps the growing ...