Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Category: Russia
Chart of the Day: Why Are China’s Exports to Central Asia Growing So Rapidly?
China's trade with its Central Asian neighbors is booming. While countries like Kazakhstan export a lot of oil to China, Chinese exports to the region have jumped significantly. China's exports to Central Asia stand at $16.6 billion this year, up 62% from ...
Russia Not the Only Big Issue At BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting This Week
The Foreign Ministers of the BRICS group will meet in Cape Town, South Africa, on Thursday. The meeting is an important step towards the BRICS summit in August. The South African government announced this week that attendees to both this week’s FM meeting ...
Questions About South Africa’s Arms Scandal Should Go Beyond ‘Malign Influence’
So…since we last spoke, there’ve been some developments… A quick recap: Reuben Brigety, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, held a press conference Thursday where he alleged that SA supplied arms and ammunition to a Russian cargo ship that docked in Cape ...
China, Russia, and Myanmar: Symptomatic of a Weakening ASEAN?
By Saniya Kulkarni According to reports the annual ASEAN summit, which takes place today in Phnom Penh, is prioritizing the issue of rising violence in member state Myanmar following the 2021 coup which resulted in a military junta displacing the elected government ...
U.S. Moves to Cut Russia Out of the G20 Could Hit African Economies
The U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Russia should be expelled from the Group of 20 (G20) the forum of leading economies that plays a major role in international economic management. She also said U.S. officials may boycott G20 meetings if Russian counterparts show up at upcoming ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
U.S. Increasing Pressure on African Countries to Choose Sides on Ukraine
The United States and its allies are increasing pressure on African countries to choose sides in the conflict in Ukraine. U.S. officials are engaging with African journalists in order to sway public discussion about the conflict, while diplomatic pressure continues behind the scenes, notably during Secretary of ...
The Ukraine War and Great Power Politics in the Global South
While the war in Ukraine has done a lot to repair the West's once frayed alliance, it's also brought together a disparate group of countries throughout the Global South who have resisted condemning Russia for the invasion and Moscow's brutal assault ...
Russian, Iranian Foreign Ministers in China For Afghan Conference
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov landed in the eastern Chinese city of Tunxi in Anhui province on Tuesday to take part in a foreign ministers' meeting for the seven countries that border Afghanistan. This is the first time ...
Russia Shores Up BRICS Support on Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (photo, second from left) met with ambassadors of the BRICS countries earlier this week to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. The meeting formed part of Moscow’s campaign to characterize the Western-led sanctions against Russia as unjust. The BRICS ...
Beyond the “New Cold War”: Russia, China, Ukraine, the Global South
By Lukas Fiala and Hugo Jones The world watches as a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolds, after a prolonged period of guesswork around Putin’s strategic intentions. Millions of Ukrainians fear for their lives and seek shelter from Russian airstrikes and artillery. ...