The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education.
The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and references to “unilateralism” and other coded criticism are also relatively scarce. Rather, the communique keeps the focus on the BRICS’ vision of the strengthening and reform of the global multilateral system ...
Category: Opinion
Survey Shows Dramatic Shift in Malaysia-China Relations: Public Opinion Hits New Highs
Public opinion in Malaysia towards China is reaching new heights, with a recent survey by the Merdeka Center, an independent Malaysian public opinion research agency, showing a dramatic rise in favorable views. Nearly two-thirds of Malaysians now have a positive ...
Analysts Reflect on the Impact of the Recent China-Arab Forum and Future of China’s Mideast Role
It's been two weeks since Arab leaders gathered in Beijing for the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum and analysts who closely follow Chinese foreign policy in the Mideast have had a chance to digest the outcomes of this year's gathering. Jonathan Fulton, a ...
China’s Popularity in Africa Grows as U.S. Loses Soft Power Advantage, Says New Gallup Survey
China edged out the United States in a survey of African public opinion as to which country is the world's most influential power. China jumped by six points while the U.S. fell 3% in the latest poll conducted by Gallup in 36 ...
Survey: China Passes the U.S. for the First Time as the Preferred Partner of Choice in Southeast Asia
For the first time, more people in Southeast Asia prefer that their countries align with China over the U.S., according to findings of an influential new survey published by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. China's favorability rating in the region jumped more ...
New Afrobarometer Polling Shows Both China and the U.S. Losing Popularity in Africa
Both China and the United States are becoming less popular in Africa. This was the main finding of a preliminary release of new opinion survey data from the Africa-focused polling company Afrobarometer. The full details of the poll haven’t been released yet, ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Prominent Africa Scholar Shapes Beijing’s Summit Talking Points
Chinese experts play a key role in shaping Beijing’s messaging on the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit. Key among them is He Wenping, a researcher at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. She is one of the most prominent Africa ...
Xi’s State-Centric Focus an Opportunity for Africa: Analyst
The South African analyst Steven Kuo wrote in a recent column in the financial daily Business Day that Chinese President Xi Jinping's third term heralds a shift towards state-owned enterprises: "That means there will be more Chinese private enterprises that are ...
Xi’s Agenda Troubled by Miscalculations: Top Singapore Diplomat
As strategic competition between China and the United States intensifies, Beijing enters its momentous 20th Party Congress (kicking off on Sunday) saddled with three big foreign policy mistakes. So argues Singapore's former top diplomat, Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan, in an entertaining interview with ...
One of China’s Leading Mideast Scholars Expresses Sympathy For Iranian Protestors, Testing the Limits of What’s Acceptable in His Own Country
One of China's most prominent Mideast scholars, Fan Hongda from the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, is expressing solidarity with anti-government protestors in Iran on social media. At the same time, he's pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable online speech for a Chinese ...
How do Africans View U.S.-China Tensions over Taiwan? Two Researchers Weigh In
This article features back-to-back responses by two African researchers on United States-China tensions over Taiwan. Response 1: By Christopher Edyegu In retrospect, the visit of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan seems like one ...