Category: Diplomacy
There’s a Lot at Stake for China in Turkey’s Elections
It looks like Turkey's bitterly contested presidential election will require a run-off in two weeks since neither President Tayyip Erdogan nor his opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu could secure an outright majority in the first round of voting that took place on Sunday.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki Kicks Off Four-Day Visit to China, Meeting With Xi Set For This Week
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday, the first day of a near-week-long state visit to Beijing. This is the President's first visit to China since 2006 and his first since Eritrea joined the Belt and Road ...
Questions About South Africa’s Arms Scandal Should Go Beyond ‘Malign Influence’
So…since we last spoke, there’ve been some developments… A quick recap: Reuben Brigety, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, held a press conference Thursday where he alleged that SA supplied arms and ammunition to a Russian cargo ship that docked in Cape ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Imports Fell for Second Consecutive Month in April
Chinese imports fell for a second consecutive month in April, dipping 8% compared to the same time last year in what is potentially a worrisome trend for Global South commodity producers. Chinese exports, however, increased last month by almost 9%, according to new customs data. (REUTERS)
Chinese Companies Far Outstrip U.S. Competitors in World Bank Contracts: Study
Chinese companies won about one-third of World Bank contracts over the last ten years, more than ten times the dollar amount awarded to U.S. companies. This is one of the findings of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) study requested by a group ...
South Africa Urges Caution on BRICS Currency as Global Yuan Use Creeps Up
The BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) will discuss the feasibility of a joint currency at an upcoming summit in Johannesburg in August. Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, acknowledged that scheduling the discussion was prompted by calls from member states to move away ...
Pakistani Protestors Burn Historical Chinese Fighter Jet Monument
A Pakistani crowd protesting the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on corruption charges set fire to a monument celebrating China-Pakistan military cooperation. The monument is a reproduction of the Shenyang F-6 aircraft, a Chinese-made replica of the Soviet MiG-21, ...
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.
The World Bank and the IMF Are Not Aligned on China’s Response to Global South Debt Crisis
Just a few days after International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said real progress is being made in unblocking the impasse between China and developing countries over debt relief, her counterpart at the World Bank, David Malpass, conveyed a very different message on Bloomberg Television.
Power Minister Warns That West Pakistan Will Turn to China if IMF Financing Doesn’t Come Through
Pakistan's Power Minister Dastgir Khan issued a blunt warning to the U.S. and other Western countries that if they want to keep Islamabad from becoming even more closely aligned with China, they need to make sure that an IMF rescue deal gets signed.
Taiwan, South China Sea and Other China-related Issues Loom Large at ASEAN Leaders Summit in Indonesia
Mounting concerns over Taiwan and maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea figured prominently on the opening day of a Southeast Asian leaders summit in Indonesia. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said on Tuesday that he plans to raise the ...
China Looms Large At This Week’s ASEAN Summit
Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are gathering in the remote Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo for the 42nd ASEAN summit taking place this week. The summit comes as ASEAN is trying to recover from the economic disruption ...