With U.S.-South Africa ties in the deep freeze, it was notable to see the sheer size of the U.S. delegation sent to this week’s Mining Indaba in Cape Town – one of the most prominent industry gatherings and one of the few where the Global South gets a prominent voice.
The Trump administration’s famous Afrophobia seems (momentarily at least) tempered by its greed for minerals. It is reportedly walking ...
Category: Crime
U.S. Bars Palau Senate President, Former Marshall Islands Mayor Over China-Linked Corruption
By Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom The United States on Tuesday barred Palau Senate President Hokkons Baules and his family from entering the U.S., accusing him of corruption linked to China, as Washington pushes back on Beijing's effort to boost its influence in the ...
China’s Xi Extends Condolences Over Blast in Pakistani Capital, Xinhua Reports
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolences to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari over last week's deadly explosion in Islamabad. Xi "strongly condemned the violence and terrorist acts against innocent civilians", and said China would support Pakistan ...
As Anti-Scam Crackdowns Continue, Gangs Look for New Hunting Grounds
Around 1,800 Chinese nationals have been detained in the Cambodian authorities’ latest crackdown on scam compounds in the country. The country’s interior ministry said the arrests follow a raid on Saturday on an online fraud hub in Bavet, a city on the border with Vietnam. The arrests ...
China Backs Pakistan’s Anti-Separatism Efforts Following Attacks
China’s Foreign Ministry condemned a recent spate of attacks by militants in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. A series of coordinated attacks from 31 January in more than ten cities left 30 civilians and around 18 security personnel dead. Subsequent battles killed more than 150 fighters.
China Executes 11 Criminals Linked to Myanmar-Based Gangs
China executed 11 criminals from gangs based in northern Myanmar that included key members of telecom fraud groups, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday. The 11 were sentenced to death in September and the executions were carried out by a court ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Scandal Tests Peru’s China Ties as U.S. Scrutiny Intensifies
By Marco Aquino A scandal surrounding undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman by Peru's acting president has shone an unflattering spotlight on the key copper exporter's ties to China at a moment of heightened U.S. scrutiny of Beijing's footprint in the region. ...
Cambodia Defends Deportation of Alleged Chinese Scam Kingpin Chen Zhi
Cambodia publicly defended its decision to deport alleged cybercrime boss Chen Zhi to China, pushing back against questions over due process and sovereignty as scrutiny of the country’s sprawling scam-center economy intensifies. Officials said Chen’s expulsion was carried out on clear ...
Peru President Says Backlash Over Chinese Businessman Meetings Aims to Derail Elections
By Marco Aquino Peruvian President Jose Jeri told lawmakers on Wednesday that calls for his removal over undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman are an attempt to destabilize his government and disrupt upcoming elections. Jeri, who took ...
Peru’s President Asks to Appear Before Congress Amid Scandal Over Meetings With Chinese Businessman
By Marco Aquino Peruvian President Jose Jeri has asked to appear before Congress to "clarify" meetings he held with a Chinese businessman outside of his official agenda, which are being investigated by the public prosecutor in a new political scandal rocking the country. ...
Scam Compound Crackdowns in Cambodia Trigger Run on Embassies
Hundreds of Chinese and other nationals are flooding embassies in Cambodia following intensified crackdowns on scam centers. Escapees from the fraud hubs, which frequently run on trafficked labor, are gathering outside embassies in Phnom Penh to try to arrange repatriation. Similar crowds ...
China Tells Cambodia Scam Hub Disappearances Threaten Ties
China's embassy in Cambodia said on Saturday that a recent spate of disappearances of Chinese nationals into cyberfraud compounds poses a "serious obstacle" to the allies' ties. Ambassador Wang Wenbin urged Phnom Penh to strengthen a crackdown on the illicit industry ...
China Offers Leniency if Cronies of Accused Scam Boss Surrender
China called on Thursday for the criminal associates of accused scam boss Chen Zhi to voluntarily surrender in exchange for lighter sentences, after their alleged ringleader was extradited from Cambodia. Chen has been indicted by the United States on fraud and ...