New Map of the Belt & Road Reveals a Much More Intricate Chinese Trading Network

A trio of scholars in China recently published an academic paper in the Journal of Contemporary China that included a much more detailed map of China's Belt & Road trade routes in Asia than previously available. One of the key takeaways from the ...

The Full Picture: China, Africa, and the Global South

The last year has seen the China-Africa space undergoing massive changes. The impacts of COVID-19, the pandemic-induced debt crisis and rapid shifts in Chinese financing to Africa have shifted some of the core assumptions underlying what we think of as ‘China-Africa relations.’

The Plunge in China’s Overseas Lending

Getting a loan from one of China's two largest policy banks is significantly more difficult than it was just a couple of years ago. According to data from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center, lending by the China Development Bank and ...

Kenya, China Agree to $245 Million Debt Deferral Deal

China and Kenya have agreed to a six-month debt repayment holiday worth $245 million. Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani announced the deal during a radio interview on Wednesday when he said the deferral "will give us an opportunity and break on the kind of liquidity ...

With the U.S. Likely to Focus Less Attention on China in Africa, Kenya’s Free Trade Deal Now in Question

Outgoing U.S. ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter stopped by the State House on Wednesday to meet with President Uhuru Kenyatta (photo). McCarter, a Trump political appointee, will soon be leaving his post now that a new administration has taken power in Washington, D.C. ...

The UK Invests More in Africa Than Either the U.S. or China

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among the featured guests at Wednesday's online Africa Investment Conference organized by the UK Department for International Trade. The conference was a follow-up to last year's UK-Africa Investment Summit that took place in London. One ...

Hopefully, Biden and Blinken Won’t Take Advice From the State Department’s “Old Guard”

Although the sentiments expressed by one of Washington, D.C.'s most experienced and well-regarded former diplomats, Herman Cohen, are widely held in the U.S. capital, they're nonetheless ill-informed: 1) As has been noted repeatedly by scholars at 

Analysts: Why in The World Would the U.S. Want to Pay Off Ecuador’s Huawei Loans?

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation recently signed what it called a "novel model" with Ecuador to help pay off billions of dollars of the South American country's loans to China that were used to buy Huawei equipment. In exchange, Washington received assurances that Quito will ban ...

China, Kenya Close to Reaching Debt Relief Deal

China and Kenya appear to be closing in on a debt restructuring arrangement just days before a major railway loan comes due. The Chinese embassy issued a vague statement on Monday that said both sides are holding "smooth" talks related to Kenya's debt servicing challenges.  ...

Growing Concerns China’s Relief Deal Only Postponed Angolan Debt Crisis

When Angolan finance minister Vera Daves de Sousa announced last week that China reached a debt restructuring deal that would give Luanda "three years of breathing space," the markets largely responded favorably. Things started to look up even ...

All Things Considered, 2020 Wasn’t a Terrible Year For China-Africa Trade

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) released some updated figures last week on trade with Africa that tell a much more positive story than many would have assumed, given the sizable economic disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. Total two-way trade ...

Death of the Chinese Debt Trap Narrative

Critics of China's lending practices in Africa and much of the developing world have gone suspiciously quiet over the past 6-7 months. A year or so ago, Kenyans were up in arms over erroneous reports that China was going to seize the Port of Mombasa. A few months ...
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