Category: Diplomacy
COVID Complaints and the Issue of Soft Power
As an outfit tracking the Africa-China aspect of COVID-19 since its outbreak, we were aware from early on that the pandemic has laid down a new track in a global geopolitical race. So it’s very interesting to see more commentators in the Global North slowly waking up ...
India, Africa, and the U.S.-China Rivalry
The United States government is stepping up its effort to mobilize its friends and allies to challenge China's growing influence across large swathes of the Global South. While Southeast Asia is the primary front in this burgeoning rivalry, Africa and the ...
Mounting African Frustration Over the Lack of Access to COVID Vaccines Aligns Neatly With China’s Narrative
Namibian President Hage Geingob was visibly frustrated yesterday over the lack of access to COVID-19 vaccines during a video conference with World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to mark World Health Day. The president used an increasingly popular refrain on ...
E-Commerce Giant JD.com Is the Latest Chinese Tech Company to Expand in the Middle East
China's second-largest e-commerce company, JD.com, is looking to high-end fashion consumers in the Persian Gulf as part of a new expansion in the Middle East. JD signed a partnership agreement with Namshi (photo), the fashion and lifestyle platform owned by Dubai’s ...
Worsening Security Conditions in Mozambique Threaten Huge US EXIM Bank Pipeline Deal Meant to Stymie China
The U.S. Export-Import Bank disregarded warnings about the worsening security situation in Mozambique and went ahead with a risky $4.7 billion loan for a gas pipeline last year that is now in serious trouble. The bank became the largest creditor on ...
U.S. Is Apparently Determined to See if It Can Build a “Belt & Road Alternative.” Biden to Discuss With Suga Next Week in DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden appears increasingly determined for the U.S. to rally allies in Europe and Asia to develop a rival to China's Belt and Road Initiative. The issue will reportedly be on the agenda next week when Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is scheduled to meet with ...
With an Eye on China, U.S. Appoints Veteran Aid Industry Executive to Lead Vaccine Distribution Effort
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday that Gayle Smith, a former U.S. Agency for International Development administrator and chief executive of the ONE Campaign to eradicate poverty and preventable disease, will become Washington's point person on global vaccine distribution. ...
What Will it Take to Realize Biden’s Vision of an Alternative BRI?
U.S. President Joe Biden's commitment to rolling out infrastructure domestically and internationally is setting up a fascinating race with China. After years of withdrawing from multilateral cooperation and refusing to engage with the realities of climate change, the current push raises ...
The Central Chinese Province of Hunan is Now a Major Hub For China-Africa Engagement
When most people think about the major centers of Sino-Africa engagement, cities like Guangzhou and Beijing tend to come to mind first. How about Changsha? Well, not so much. But if you're not familiar with what's going on in Changsha and ...
With China’s Vaccine Distribution Drive Now Running at Full Speed, Calls Grow Louder for the U.S. To Do Something, Anything, to Get in the Game
In the three weeks since the U.S. government announced it would release some of its surplus supply of Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccines to Mexico and Canada and indicated that Washington was finally ready to challenge China's dominance in global vaccine deliveries, there's been no visible ...
Chinese Professor Identifies Three Risks For China in Beijing’s Recent Iran Deal
The recent signing of a 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between China and Iran sparked considerable debate within China about whether the benefits of a deal with Tehran are worth the considerable risks to Beijing's broader diplomatic agenda in the Mideast and, more importantly, its ...
China’s Recent Iran Deal Should be Seen in a Much Broader Context Urges One of China’s Most Prominent Mideast Scholars
There's been a lot of discussion over the past week about the implications of the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership agreement the two sides signed during Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent visit to Tehran. Scholars and analysts in the U.S. and Europe have been struggling to understand the ...