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: Manufacturing
The Key Question in Vietnam: Is “Made in China” the Same as “Made by China?”
Manufacturers in Vietnam are still digesting last week's announcement by the United States that the Southeast Asian country will be subject to a 20% tariff for all locally-made exports and a 40% duty on all transshipments, presumably from China. The problem, ...
Indonesia and China’s Battery Alliance Must Be Built on Sustainability
In a bold display of ambition and diplomacy, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stood beside Chinese executives last week to break ground on what is touted as Asia’s largest integrated electric vehicle (EV) battery ecosystem. Backed by $5.9 billion in ...
China Manufacturing Shrinks in June Despite Trade War Respite
China's manufacturing activity ticked up in June but remained in contraction territory, official data showed on Monday, as the truce in its trade war with the United States held. The Purchasing Managers' Index -- a key measure of industrial output -- ...
Chinese-Moroccan Joint Venture Inaugurates EV Battery Parts Plant
A Chinese-Moroccan joint venture announced on Wednesday the inauguration of a new factory for electric car battery components, the first of its kind in the North African country. The complex will ultimately have a production "capacity equivalent to 70 GWh per ...
Can Africa Move Up the Critical Mineral Value Chain? The Hard Truth Behind a Familiar Chorus
As China opens its doors wider to African exports, extending duty-free market access to all 53 diplomatic partners on the continent, the announcement was met with applause in ministerial corridors from Nairobi to Niamey. For many, the new policy represents another chance for Africa to claim ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
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 ...
China’s J-10CE Fighter Jet Getting Lots of Attention at Malaysia Weapons Show
Sales representatives from the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC), maker of the newly popular J-10CE fighter jet, were especially busy last week at a major weapons exhibition in Malaysia. The J-10CE got a boost earlier this month when it was used in combat ...
Critical Mineral Resource Nationalism: What It Means for China and the Global South
Driven by the accelerating global energy transition, resource-rich countries are actively asserting greater control over their critical minerals—lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and rare earths—through a policy shift known as resource nationalism. While the framing of resource nationalism came from global north countries that dislike policies by ...
Ignoring China Won’t Help African Countries Move up the Critical Mineral Value Chain
Last week, African mining ministers and global leaders gathered in Paris to discuss the continent’s role in the future of critical minerals and responsible sourcing. At the OECD’s High-Level Dialogue on Africa, one message came through loud and clear: Africa must move beyond simply exporting raw ...
China to Lagos: Localizing EV Production in Nigeria
In Nigeria, few financial institutions are willing to partner with potential new vehicle buyers, including those interested in owning electric vehicles (EVs). This then raises the question of how Nigerians will manage to own their ...
The Fate of China’s Global Supply Chains in the New Tariff Era
With new tariff threats from the Trump administration and rising tensions across key markets, companies and governments alike are scrambling to understand what decoupling—or de-risking—actually looks like in practice. From electronics and apparel to solar panels and electric vehicles, China’s ...
China Manufacturing Activity Grows for Second Straight Month
China's manufacturing activity grew in March for the second month in a row, official data showed Monday, as the world's second-largest economy fights to climb out of a prolonged slump. Authorities have looked in recent months to revive confidence in the ...