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: Foreign Policy
Beijing Hosts 8th Lancang-Mekong Foreign Ministers Meeting
Beijing hosted the 8th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Thursday, jointly led by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Myanmar’s Deputy Prime Minister U Than Swe. Wang met individually with multiple representatives on Wednesday as they arrived for ...
South Africa’s Ruling Party Praises “Great Progress” In Xinjiang
Senior members of South Africa’s African National Congress praised China’s “remarkable achievements” in alleviating poverty in its Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, saying the country is drawing inspiration from China. The officials took part in an event at the Chinese embassy in Pretoria, which ...
Why Working With South Africa is Important, But Complicated for Both the U.S. and China
South Africa’s relationship with China and Russia has painted a target on its back in Washington, with some policymakers calling for it to be kicked out of the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade pact. SA is China’s largest trading partner on ...
Vietnamese and Chinese Officials Talk Territorial, Border Issues
China said its vice foreign minister held direct and friendly talks with his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi that covered bilateral ties, land borders, and maritime issues. Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Vietnam's Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu agreed that ...
Thaw Between China and Australia Could Have Big Implications for Global South
China and Australia have “no fundamental conflicts of interest.” This was the line from Chinese President Xi Jinping during his meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Beijing on Monday. The visit, the first by an Australian prime minister since 2016,
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Why Biden’s Use of ‘Debt Trap’ Was so Awkward
This weekend, U.S. President Joe Biden made clear that, no matter how often it’s debunked, the “debt trap” will never die. Without recapping the entire debate, the talking point implies that Global South countries work with China because they’re ill-informed or have ...
Biden Renews Debt Trap Allegation Against China Even Though the Charge Has Been Widely Debunked
U.S. President Joe Biden resurfaced the widely discredited debt trap accusation against China as part of a larger effort to differentiate Washington's economic engagement strategy in the Western Hemisphere from that of Beijing's. The president made the claim on Friday during his ...
Morocco Looks at Its Relations with China: Between the Earthquake and the Diplomatic Celebrations
By Mariateresa Natuzzi and Léa Gebuhrer In this issue of the ChinaMed Observer, we take stock of Sino-Moroccan relations as the two countries prepare to commemorate the 65th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this November 1st. We examine recent trends in Moroccan press ...
How Are We to Understand China’s Ambitions to Reform Global Governance?
By Lukas Fiala 方朗克 After expanding the guest list of BRICS in August, Beijing has been busy articulating its vision for reforming global order. The publication of a position paper on global governance reform launched by the Ministry of Foreign ...
Xi Jinping Wraps Another Weekend of Rapid-Fire Diplomacy With Leaders From Asia and the Middle East
President Xi Jinping concluded a three-day sprint of back-to-back summits this weekend with leaders from Asia and the Middle East in what's become the new norm for Chinese presidential diplomacy. Before the pandemic, Xi was China's most well-traveled leader in the ...