Category: Politics
Sanctions and Anti-Sanctions
For those tracking the development (and high-level normalization) of ‘the new cold war,’ this week has been a doozy. U.S. President Joe Biden departed for the G7 summit in Cornwall with a rare bipartisan win in his pocket. His U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, a $250 ...
New Report Examines Where Africa Fits Into China’s Global Strategic Vision
Understanding where Africa fits within China's broader strategic geopolitical vision is something of a mystery to many outside observers. Most international reporting and research on the issue relies on English or French language materials that go a long way to frame the prevailing narratives about Chinese priorities ...
Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama Defends Twitter Ban, Denies Knowledge of Talks With China to Build Firewall
Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama spoke out in defense of the government's decision last week to ban Twitter, claiming the move was intended to protect the country's sovereignty and national security. The Foreign Minister made the remarks during a press conference that followed closed-door ...
Until the U.S. Actually Starts to Ship Vaccines Overseas, Criticism of Chinese Vaccine Distribution Doesn’t Fly With Many in the Global South
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed his criticism of China's so-called "strings attached" vaccine diplomacy around the world during an online roundtable discussion with Japanese media. But the Secretary's comments were not well received among many in the Global South, ...
Liberia’s Senate President Shows Engaging China Depends on Acceding to Beijing’s Core Interests Up Front
The recent visit to the Chinese embassy in Monrovia by Albert Chie, president pro-tem of the Liberian Senate, provides an interesting insight into how African stakeholders are proactively telegraphing their acceptance of China's position on sensitive territorial issues like Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong among others.
This Picture Should Be Quite Worrying to Every Australian Politician
Colin Ding, president of the Chinese mining company Kingho Energy Group, paid a visit to the State House in Freetown on Tuesday to meet with President Julius Maada Bio about the company's new port and rail lease agreements that will be used to ramp up iron ...
Another Month Passes With More Appeals For the U.S. to Get Engaged in Africa… If For No Other Reason Than To Confront China
In what's becoming something of a ritual in Washington, every month or so think tanks and news outlets publish a wave of commentaries imploring the Biden administration to jump-start an Africa policy with a simple message: get in there, do something, anything really, just get going.
China, Like the U.S., Frames Much of Its Engagement in Africa in the Context of Great Power Rivalry
The United States often frames its engagement in Africa as a way to confront China's "malign influence," prompting widespread criticism over the years that Washington's primary interest on the continent appears more focused on China than on building a constructive Africa policy.
With Iron Ore Mines in Guinea and Sierra Leone Now Coming Online, China is Making It Clear That It Wants to End Its Dependence on Australia
The Chinese government is signaling both through its actions and propaganda messaging that the days of being overly reliant on Australian iron ore are coming to an end. When precisely? Well, no one knows for sure, but given the burst of ...
The Head of a Major Chinese Mining Company Flew to Sierra Leone Just Days After Parliament Cleared the Way for Expanded Iron Ore Shipments
Colin Ding,President of Kingho Energy Group, landed in Freetown this week, just days after Sierra Leone's parliament voted to ratify a port and rail lease agreement that will facilitate the export of iron ore from the West African nation.
Niger President Mohamed Bazoum Criticizes “Western Complaining” About Chinese and Turkish Investment in His Country
Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum criticized the media for creating the impression that the west African country is beset by security challenges and not a safe place to invest. He said in an interview with ...
Linda Thomas-Greenfield is Worried About Africa’s Relationship With China
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield (photo), said the Biden administration's new policy for Africa will contrast sharply not only with Donald Trump's but also China's engagement on the continent. In an interview with the state-owned Voice of ...