With U.S.-South Africa ties in the deep freeze, it was notable to see the sheer size of the U.S. delegation sent to this week’s Mining Indaba in Cape Town – one of the most prominent industry gatherings and one of the few where the Global South gets a prominent voice.
The Trump administration’s famous Afrophobia seems (momentarily at least) tempered by its greed for minerals. It is reportedly walking ...
Category: Energy
As U.S. Engagement Wavers, Southeast Asia Finds a New Climate Partner in China
As aid from the United States and other Western countries dwindles and global trade tensions rise, Southeast Asia’s urgent need for green energy is finding a ready banker and builder in China. Experts caution that this shift is reshaping the region’s economic and strategic landscape at the ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
U.S. Warns on Chinese Energy Role During High-Level Venezuela Visit
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged expanded American investment in Venezuela’s oil and gas sector during the highest-level U.S. energy-focused visit to the country in nearly three decades, following its invasion in January. He cautioned Venezuelan leaders against what Washington frames as ...
As China Builds the Grid, Laos’s Power Ambitions Enter a New Phase
2026 marks a strategic turning point for Laos in its ambition to become the “Battery of Southeast Asia”, with two mega power transmission projects advancing this year. On the first day of January 2026, the 230 kV Thavieng-Mahaxay transmission line ...
Indonesian President Did Not Consult With Energy Ministry When Revoking China-Backed Hydro Permit, Official Says
Indonesia's energy ministry was not consulted before President Prabowo Subianto decided to revoke the permit of a China-backed hydroelectric power plant on the island of Sumatra, an official at the ministry, Eniya Listiani Dewi, said on Thursday. The government said on ...
Indonesian President Did Not Consult With Energy Ministry When Revoking China-Backed Hydro Permit, Official Says
Indonesia's energy ministry was not consulted before President Prabowo Subianto decided to revoke the permit of a China-backed hydroelectric power plant on the island of Sumatra, an official at the ministry, Eniya Listiani Dewi, said on Thursday. The government said on ...
China’s Heavy Reliance on Iranian Oil Imports
China, the world's largest crude importer, is the main buyer of oil from OPEC producer Iran, leaving Beijing uniquely exposed to any supply disruption from conflict in the Middle East. Beijing, which is also the biggest buyer of ...
China: The Indispensable Partner of Maduro’s Venezuela
By Peter Catterall China was the dominant buyer of Venezuelan oil under deposed president Nicolas Maduro, the fulcrum of a symbiotic partnership that propped up the South American economy and gave Beijing regional influence. But ...
Indonesia to Cut Coal Output in 2026 After Export Slump to China and India
Indonesia plans to cut coal production in 2026 after exports to China and India fell sharply last year and prices declined, Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said. He said Indonesia would reduce coal output to around ...
China Rejects Draft Pentagon Report on Nuclear Missile Silos
China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, rejected a draft Pentagon report on Chinese missile silos near the border with Mongolia and told Washington to cut its own nuclear arsenal first. The U.S. assessment estimated that China had likely loaded more than 100 ...
China to Expand Power Exports to Vietnam as Needs Surge
Vietnam is considering a sharp jump in electricity purchases from China as it looks for ways to keep the lights on in its fast-growing northern region. Factories there have multiplied. So have homes. Hanoi wants double-digit economic growth, and officials say the grid needs help to ...
Why a Geopolitical Megadam Sparks Panic in India but Barely a Murmur in China
In July, China quietly launched the 1.2 trillion-yuan Metog hydropower project, the largest infrastructure project in human history. The planned Metog hydropower station sits on the “Great Bend” of the Yarlung Tsangpo, where the river drops 2,000 meters within a 50-kilometer ...
From Blueprint to Power Plant: Lessons from Chinese Power Projects in Africa
After tracing the arc from planning to procurement, financing to construction, this final installment in Part 1 of The Porcelain Jar at the End of the Rainbow pauses to reflect. What have we learned, not just about China’s engagement in Africa’s power sector, but about the systems, choices, and ...
China’s Wang Yi Urges Resumption of Iran Nuclear Talks in Call With Tehran’s Foreign Minister
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone on Wednesday with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and called for the resumption of nuclear talks. “The current political process for resolving the Iran nuclear issue is at a standstill, and this is not ...