The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education.
The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and references to “unilateralism” and other coded criticism are also relatively scarce. Rather, the communique keeps the focus on the BRICS’ vision of the strengthening and reform of the global multilateral system ...
Category: Railways
Kenya’s FM Pushes China for Fast Approval of Financial Assistance Package
Kenya's top diplomat, Musalia Mudavadi, hoped that his visit to China this week would prompt Beijing to speed up approval of a large financial package that his government is counting on to build new roads and extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the Ugandan border.
Pakistan, Afghanistan Agree to Promote Regional Railway Project
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghanistan’s Acting FM Amir Khan Muttaqi agreed to push forward a regional rail project that would connect the two countries to Uzbekistan. This emerged after a call between the two on Sunday. The call follows ...
Zambia Banks on China-Backed Rail Upgrade to Boost Mining Exports
Two great railroads nearly bisect the southern central belt of Africa, stretching from the Atlantic and Indian oceans respectively, poised to shuttle key metals from the mineral-rich center of the continent to markets abroad. For Zambia, the second-largest copper exporter in Africa, these railways represent the future ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Kenya Courts China While U.S. Sounds Alarm Over Beijing’s Reach in Africa
Kenyan President William Ruto is scheduled to travel to Beijing later this month for an official state visit, where he's widely expected to finalize a long-awaited deal to extend the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the Ugandan border. But ...
New Deal Revives Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway
Kenya’s dream of expanding its Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the Ugandan border could be coming to fruition. A funding deal for the third phase of the railway project was announced following a trip to China by the country’s Finance Minister John Mbadi.
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
China Touts Success of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway But Leaves Out One Very Important Detail
Chinese state media is touting the enormous success of the Beijing-backed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya, which serves as a showcase for the Belt and Road Initiative. The official Xinhua published a report last week that was full of numbers that demonstrate the railway's achievements since it ...
China-Laos Railway Fuels Trade and Record Travel Boom in Early 2025 Amid Scrutiny
Since its launch on December 3, 2021, the China-Laos Railway has handled over 48.6 million passenger trips and 54 million tons of goods as of February 2025. The number is seen as strengthening regional trade and economic integration under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), amid ...
China to Hand Over Full Control of Kenya Railway at the End of the Year
The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) will take full operating control of the Standard Gauge Railway in December 2025, six months past the original deadline, from a Chinese state-owned firm that currently runs the line. It was always part of the plan ...
Vietnam Parliament Approves $8 Billion Rail Link to China
By Alice Philipson and Lam Nguyen Vietnam's parliament on Wednesday approved plans for an $8 billion rail link from its largest northern port city to the border with China, boosting links between the two communist-ruled countries and making trade easier.
Vietnam Moves Forward with Large Railway Project Connecting to China
The Vietnamese government plans to use local resources and Chinese loans to finance a $7.7 billion, 403-kilometer railway project linking it to China. The Lao Cai-Hai Phong railway will connect to Hanoi and China’s Kunming. According to a pre-feasibility study submitted to the government by the Minister of Transport, ...
Thailand Approves 2nd Phase of High-Speed Rail, Connecting Bangkok to China by 2030
Thailand’s long-anticipated high-speed rail project to China is moving forward. On Tuesday, the Thai cabinet formally approved the second phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail line, a 357-kilometer stretch from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai, with an investment of approximately $10 billion, equivalent to 340 billion ...
Biden Hails ‘Game Changer’ Africa Investment on Angola Visit
By Aurélia End Joe Biden on Wednesday lauded a landmark railway infrastructure project aimed at countering China's investments in Africa as a "game changer" while on a historic first visit to Angola by a US president.