Category: Politics
Rare Praise For China From One of Beijing’s Most Outspoken Critics in Washington, D.C.
Peter Pham, the former Trump administration diplomat in Africa and one of China's most vocal critics in Washington, surprised even a few of his own followers on Tuesday when he posted rare praise for China's emphasis on in-person diplomacy in Africa. ...
Infographic Details Three Decades of Chinese Foreign Ministers’ New Year Tours to Africa
Wang Yi's current visit to Africa is the continuation of a 32-year tradition where the first overseas trip of the year by a Chinese Foreign Minister is always to Africa. This custom didn't historically attract much attention, but now it's become ...
Wang Yi’s Visit and Africa-China Alignment
It has become customary that the Chinese Foreign Minister’s first overseas trip of the new year is to Africa. Just as customary is the annual bout of chin-stroking and speculation among Africa-China watchers about the choice of destinations. This year, the ...
Why This Photo May Indicate That China’s Mining Contracts Problem in the DR Congo Has Been Resolved
DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi's office published a photo of a Christmas Eve meeting with Sun Ruiwen, president of China Molybdenum (aka "China Moly.") The company controls the massive Tenke Fungurume cobalt and copper mine (TFM) in Lualaba province. Sun reportedly reassured President ...
Two Leading International Development Finance Heads Single Out China For the Ballooning Debt Crisis in the Global South
Two of the world's most prominent development finance leaders, Emmanuel Moulin (left), chair of the Paris Club, and World Bank President David Malpass (right), separately named China as one of the key factors in the worsening debt crisis among developing countries.
China’s Communist Youth League Asks “Who’s Better For Africa? China or the U.S.?” (Guess Who They Picked?)
The Central Committee of China's influential Communist Youth League (CYL) published a rather comical (unintentionally of course) comparison between U.S. and Chinese engagement in Africa that made the case as to why China, not surprisingly, is the more optimal partner for the continent.
DOUBLE EPISODE: Andy Mok Reflects on FOCAC Plus a Discussion About Bad China-Africa Journalism
With the end of the year fast approaching and time running out to get everything into the last remaining shows of the season, we're bringing you a special double episode this week. First, join us ...
Nigeria’s Controversial Transport Minister Will Likely Run For President Touting the Success of New Chinese-Built Railways
Nigeria's high-profile and rather controversial transportation minister Rotimi Amaechi is under mounting pressure from political allies to run for president in the upcoming election scheduled for 2023. And if he does run, there are indications he's going to put ...
The New U.S. Strategy for the Indo-Pacific Region Sounds a Lot Like Washington’s New Approach to Africa
Secretary of State Antony Blinken doesn't want developing countries to feel they have to choose between the U.S. and China. He also wants to discourage these countries from building costly low-quality infrastructure and vowed that Washington will now be more committed to their region. ...
South African Foreign Policy Too Much of a “Mess” For China to Exert Significant Influence Analyst Tells Sky News Australia
An interesting exchange took place on a recent episode of the Global Focus program on Sky News Australia where host Chris Pyne wanted to know from fellow Australian author and Africa scholar Jamie Miller whether China is exerting undue economic and political influence in South Africa.
What Does ‘African Agency’ Actually Look Like? We’ll See…
The moral panic in Uganda about a possible Chinese seizure of the Entebbe airport as a result of a loan default is a rare example of a trend that’s both trivial and serious. In the former sense, the panic is based on misreporting. The loan is still ...
Zambia’s Bondholders Want More Info on IMF Deal, Renew Calls For All Creditors to be Treated the Same
Some of Zambia's bondholders are once again expressing impatience with the government's handling of its debt relief talks and they've gone public with their longstanding demands for greater transparency in the process and equal treatment for all creditors. "Inter-creditor equity should ...