Félix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, left for a trip to Beijing last week amid sky-high expectations of both new deals and the significant reworking of current agreements widely seen in his country as favoring Chinese actors. None of this happened.
Instead, he returned with a fistful of non-binding MoUs to widespread dissatisfaction back home. Since then, DRC officials have worked overtime to try and spin the trip as a longer-term ...
Category: Railways
There May Actually be An Opening for the U.S. to Spur Development of Angola’s Lobito Corridor
When the United States government announced last month that it was in the midst of conducting due diligence for a $250 million financing package to develop the Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor that connects the copper/cobalt belts in the DRC and Zambia with Angola's Port of Lobito, it raised ...
The Kenyan Government Apparently is Unaware China Doesn’t Finance Railways in Africa Anymore
The Kenyan government is going to make one more attempt to try and persuade China's policy banks to lend them money to extend the Standard Gauge Railway from its current terminus in the Rift Valley all the way to the Ugandan border via Lake Victoria. ...
Key Lessons From Indonesia’s China-Backed Mining & Infrastructure Ventures
Indonesia is a pioneer among developing countries for its efforts in moving up the EV battery metal value chain. Whereas most other countries like the DR Congo and Chile export raw commodities that are processed elsewhere, Indonesia now requires all of ...
Why Many Indonesians Think Jokowi Fumbled Chinese High-Speed Rail Diplomacy, Even As It Nears Completion
The China-backed high-speed train that runs from Jakarta to Bandung, two main cities in Indonesia, is nearing completion, and is slated to begin serving the public in August this year. But after about a decade of planning and construction, the excitement just isn’t there. Not anymore.
South Africa’s Crumbling Railways Are Becoming a Threat to Global Supply Chains
Traffic on South Africa's main railway line that connects the country's urban hubs of Johannesburg and Pretoria with Africa's largest port in Durban operated at just 25% capacity last week -- hobbled by rampant theft, vandalism and damage. The 688-kilometer rail ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
DRC Government Tries to Reframe Underwhelming Beijing Visit
The U.S. Has Got to Find a Better Way to Talk About China
Apparently, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan seems to think the best way to counter China's surging influence in the Middle East is to propose building a massive railway that will connect the Indian sub-continent to the Middle East via Persian Gulf states.
South Africa’s Decrepit Railway Infrastructure is Slowing Iron Ore Shipments to China
More than a million tons of South African iron ore is blocked from leaving the country, mostly bound for China, due to SA's failing railway infrastructure. The local unit of British-South African mining giant Anglo American, Kumba Iron ...
Chinese Scholar on Why Railway Financing Makes Sense for Beijing, Despite Criticism
Chinese-financed railways in Asia and Africa have sparked enormous controversies over whether it was wise for countries like Kenya, Indonesia, Nigeria and Laos to put themselves in so much debt for infrastructure that will take decades to become profitable, if it ever does.
Chinese Contractor Completes 105km Railway Upgrade in Namibia
China Gezhouba Group Corp (CGGC) finished a 107.5km upgrade of a rail line between the Namibian harbor Walvis Bay and the central logistics hub of Arandis on time, despite materials shortages and COVID-related delays. The upgrade doubles transport speeds on the line. ...
China Blocked Kenya From Getting Competitive Bids to Build Costly Railway, Supreme Court Told
Kenya’s Supreme Court hearings into the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) deal are revealing a deal tainted by collusion between Chinese and Kenyan actors. The account emerging from testimony shows that the deal defied oversight from the start. COMPETITIVE BIDDING: Financing depended on China ...