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: Mideast
China Says Opposes European Sanctions Over Iran Nuclear Program
China said Friday it opposed invoking sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program after three Western nations told the UN they would reimpose them if no diplomatic solution was found by the end of August. European sanctions on Iran were eased ...
China Expresses ‘Serious Concern’ Over Israel Plan to Control Gaza
China expressed on Friday "serious concerns" over Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City, urging it to "immediately cease its dangerous actions." "Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory," a foreign ministry spokesperson ...
Disorder as Strategy at the Gate of Tears
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 In the latest vignette of maritime theater off Yemen’s coast, a Chinese frigate decided to dazzle a German surveillance plane with a military-grade laser, forcing it to turn tail and return to Djibouti. Berlin is ...
Diminishing U.S. Influence? Chinese Official Positions and Expert Debate on the Israel-Iran Conflict
By Miriam Verzellino and Andrea Ghiselli On June 13, Israel launched a series of air and missile strikes against Iran, targeting nuclear facilities, military installations, air defense systems, as well as prominent military leaders, politicians and nuclear scientists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ...
China’s Middle East Math
There was widespread disappointment in Iran that China didn't do more to help Tehran during the recent 12-day war with Israel and the United States. Beijing, for its part, offered robust rhetorical and moral support, but little else. ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
China Says German Plane Laser Claim ‘Inconsistent With Facts’
Beijing dismissed on Wednesday claims by Berlin that the Chinese military had directed a laser at a German aircraft over the Red Sea as "completely inconsistent with the facts". The foreign ministry in Berlin said on Tuesday that a German aircraft ...
Why Iran May Be Forced to Kneel: Chinese Commentator Analyzes the Post-war Power Play
A recent commentary from the WeChat public account “战略观察家 (Strategic Observer)” argues that despite Ayatollah Khamenei’s fiery speeches declaring victory and pledging never to surrender, Tehran could soon agree to major concessions under mounting American and Israeli pressure, including giving up its enriched uranium stockpile and ...
Israel May Strike Iran Again With Trump’s Backing, Driven by Politics Not Just Nuclear Weapons, Chinese Commentators Say
A Chinese military commentary argues that a renewed Israeli military strike on Iran is highly likely, especially in light of recent U.S. media reports. The piece suggests that Israel’s push toward conflict reflects not just strategic concerns over Iran’s nuclear program but also deep-rooted political troubles at ...
Berlin Says China Targeted German Plane With Laser Over Red Sea
Berlin on Tuesday said the Chinese military had targeted a laser at a German aircraft participating in an EU-led mission to protect marine traffic in the Red Sea. "Endangering German personnel and disrupting the operation is entirely unacceptable," the foreign ministry ...
China’s Internet Shines a Light on the Hidden Struggles of Construction Workers in Israel
As the Israel-Iran conflict drags on, a typically overlooked workforce has suddenly entered the public eye: Chinese construction laborers in Israel. Despite its image as a high-tech nation, Israel relies heavily on foreign manual labor—especially in construction. Chinese workers, in particular, dominate skilled trades like tiling, carpentry, ...
What Next for China-Israel Ties After the Iran War
In the first few months of this year, it seemed that China's ties with Israel were on the mend after entering into a deep freeze following the October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas. China had begun to soften some of its ...
Why Did the U.S. Bomb Iran? A Chinese Commentator Argues the Real Target Was Europe
An influential geo-political commentator on WeChat, Zhan Hao, offers a provocative interpretation of recent U.S. military actions in the Middle East. The article, titled “Unexpectedly, the biggest loser from the U.S. bombing of Iran is the European Union — it’s going to be drained dry in ...