Category: Politics
How Taiwan Became a Divisive Wedge Issue in South Africa
South Africa's opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), now sees the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party's close ties to China as a vulnerability that the DA aims to exploit. Evidence of this new strategy came in December when the DA mayor of Pretoria, ...
China's Relationship Status with South Africa: "It's Complicated"
South Africa's relationship with China has undergone a profound transformation in a remarkably short period of time. In less than twenty years, these two countries have gone from barely acknowledging one another to developing a deep partnership that transcends economics, ...
The Long Arm of Chinese Law Reaches All the Way to Kenya
The Kenyan government's consent to a Chinese request for the deportation of dozens of alleged cyber and telecom fraud has now bloomed into a full scale diplomatic crisis. Among those forcibly sent to China included dozens of Taiwan nationals, many ...
China and the World: What to Expect in 2016
The December China-Africa leaders summit in Johannesburg culminated the end of what was a very busy year for Chinese president Xi Jinping and his foreign policy team. In many ways, 2015 marked a significant turning point in China's increasingly ambitious ...
South Africa's Inexplicable Love Affair with China
While the recent economic turmoil in China is prompting a number of African countries to reconsider their growing economic dependence on the PRC, not so in South Africa. Both the government and the ruling African National Congress ...
Chinese Dreams and the African Renaissance
Leaders in both China and Africa have articulated new visions for their respective regions that project a strong sense of confidence, renewal and a break from once-dominant Western ideologies. In both cases, argues East is Read blogger Mothusi Turner, Chinese and Africans are ...
The Spy Cables: Chinese Espionage in Africa
Buried in the trove of secret intelligence documents known as "The Spy Cables" obtained by Al Jazeera and The Guardian is a passing reference to allegations Chinese spies broke into a South African nuclear facility ...
China Foreign Minister to Africa: 'We're Not Building an Empire'
There is a custom in Chinese diplomacy that the Foreign Minister's first overseas trip of the year always begins in Africa. This year was no exception as Wang Yi led a high-profile tour of five African states including Kenya, Sudan, the DR Congo, ...
South Africa: China's BFF in Africa
South Africa is emerging as one of China's most important international partners as the relationship deepens across all levels. Economically, South Africa is the source of more Chinese investment than any other country on the continent. However, this relationship extends far beyond just ...
Love & Hate: Michael Sata's Complex Relationship with China
Few figures defined China's early engagement more than Zambia's late president Michael Sata. As as opposition leader, the man known as the "King Cobra" was among Beijing's most vocal critics in Zambia but later, once in power, became an avid supporter of China's ...