After several years of declining funding, the African end of the Belt and Road Initiative seems to be roaring back. The newest Griffith University/Green Development Finance Center data on the Belt and Road Initiative shows that engagement with Africa jumped by 395%, while a few big projects boosted engagement in Nigeria alone more than twelvefold.
These shifts indicate a window of opportunity for African electrification. 60% of Africans still ...
Category: Investment
China’s Belt and Road Hits New Highs, but Latin America Lags
By Fermín Koop and Patrick Moore The first half of 2025 saw the highest engagement ever for a six-month period under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s flagship global infrastructure program, a new report has shown.
[WEEK IN REVIEW] China Invests in Angola to Secure Food Supply Chains
Chinese construction giant Sinohydro signed a $100 million deal with Angola to build out the country's agricultural infrastructure in a bid to boost grain production. While 60% of the output from this venture will be shipped to China, the rest will ...
China’s Belt and Road Shatters Expectations With Record Activity
For much of the past two years, we've been told to expect a slimmer, more austere Belt and Road under the new "Small Yet Beautiful" mantra. The days of Chinese mega deals across the Global South were over... or so we ...
Vietnam’s Growth Surges. But Is It Still a Bargain for Global Manufacturing?
Chinese companies are pouring into Vietnam, but rising costs and fragile foundations raise questions about how long the boom can last. Vietnam’s GDP grew 7.52% in the first half of 2025, recording its fastest first-half growth in 15 years. A record ...
Chinese BRI Investments and Construction Contracts Smash New Records in the First Half of 2025
The value of Chinese investment and construction contracts in Belt and Road Initiative countries surged in the first six months of 2025 to a record $124 billion, more than what was spent for the whole of last year. The findings by
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
China’s Big Bet on Indonesian Nickel Faces a Harsh Reckoning
For years, China raced to secure the critical minerals needed to fuel its economy and the global clean energy transition. Nickel was supposed to be one of the surest bets. Now, one of China’s largest investments in Indonesia’s nickel industry is unraveling—and with it, some of the ...
The Chinese FDI Boom in Africa That Wasn’t
For years, China has been seen as the pivotal international economic partner across Africa. That was certainly true in terms of steadily rising trade volumes and a fire hose of state backed loans that built roads, railways, and ports across the ...
Indonesia, China Firms to Invest in EVs, Batteries, Data Centers
Indonesia's sovereign fund Danantara is coordinating with three to four unnamed Chinese companies to invest in EVs, batteries, and data centers, signaling a deepening of bilateral industrial alignment and an attempt to position Indonesia as a critical node in Asia's clean-tech value chain. ...
China–Indonesia Launch Investment Fund Plan
China and Indonesia launch a sovereign investment alliance, proposing a China–ASEAN fund that may reshape the capital architecture of Southeast Asia, signaling a shift from infrastructure-led debt diplomacy to equity-driven economic realignment. Indonesia’s newly established sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, has ...
Syria and Chinese Company Sign Memorandum on Investment
Syria said Thursday it had signed a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese company to invest in free zones for 20 years. The General Authority for Land and Maritime Ports said on X that it had signed a "strategic agreement" with ...
Brazil’s Lula Clinches Deals in Beijing
Brazil announced a currency swap agreement with the People's Bank of China for $27.69 billion over five years. The announcement comes as $4.5 billion in trade and investment deals were signed. These include a $881.6 million deal for the delivery service Meituan ...
Vietnam’s FDI Surges 40% on Reinvestments Amid Global Tensions
Amid intensifying global U.S.-China tensions and global efforts to diversify supply chains, Vietnam is consolidating its position as a key Southeast Asian industrial hub. In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam's FDI is surging 40% on reinvestments. According to ...