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: Travel
China Eases Transit Rules for Indonesians. Jakarta Should Push for More.
China’s recent inclusion of Indonesia in its 240-hour visa-free transit program is a notable, if not entirely surprising, development. While Indonesia is now among the 55 countries benefiting from this arrangement, the move signals a step forward in the broader relationship between the two nations. For ...
China’s C919 Ramps Up Production, Aims to Break Boeing-Airbus Duopoly on Global Market
China’s homegrown C919 passenger jet is accelerating production in a bold challenge to the Boeing-Airbus duopoly, ramping up capacity amid Beijing’s broader push for aviation self-sufficiency. However, while the jet is proving reliable in domestic operations, global expansion ...
Southeast Asian Vacation Spots Wait for Chinese Tourists Who Seem More Content to Stay Home
The number of Chinese tourists that went abroad during last week’s normally bustling holiday break was significantly below pre-pandemic levels and even fell short of official forecasts, raising more concerns about the country’s tightened consumer spending. While a rare confluence of ...
Chinese Tourist Flight Given Hero’s Welcome in Cambodia
In a sign of how eager Southeast Asian countries are to welcome back Chinese visitors, the first flight from China since outbound travel resumed was given a ceremonial welcome when it landed on Tuesday in the Cambodian capital Phenom Penh. Cambodia ...
China’s Highly Selective Retribution Against Countries That Impose COVID Tests
The Chinese government on Tuesday stopped issuing short-term visas to travelers from South Korea and Japan in retaliation against COVID tests both countries imposed on Chinese visitors. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the testing requirement for Chinese nationals "unacceptable" and "unscientific."
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Chinese Arrivals Feted at Bangkok Airport
In a striking demonstration of how central Chinese tourism is to Southeast Asian economies, travelers arriving from a reopening China were literally applauded as they disembarked in Bangkok this week.
APSONIC Is Another Chinese Company That You’ve Probably Never Heard but That’s Absolutely Crushing It in Africa
A Chinese maker of motorcycles is quietly cornering the African market. While Apsonic isn’t famous, the Guangzhou company has built up an impressive presence in West Africa, after setting up shop in Togo in 2003. Now its products are buzzing through ...
Morocco Students Plead to Go Back to School… in China
Around a thousand Moroccan university students who started their studies in China but haven't been able to return since the beginning of the pandemic are pleading with the Chinese government to let them back into the country. China's borders have been ...
What Did Chinese Community Leaders in Africa Think of the Two Sessions Meeting in Beijing?
Since last Friday, Chinese news has carried wall-to-wall coverage of the Two Sessions "parliamentary pageant" in Beijing. Not surprisingly, it's been followed by Chinese expats across Africa. The Two Sessions meetings provide a rare glimpse into the ...
Africans Inoculated With Sinopharm Blocked From Entering the European Union
Europe is gradually reopening to vaccinated travelers as coronavirus restrictions ease, but in some African nations such as Morocco recipients of jabs not recognized by the EU are facing disappointment. “It seems very much as if a vaccine has become a ...
The Mideast’s Travel and Hospitality Industry Has a Lot at Stake in the WHO’s Impending Ruling on Chinese Vaccines
Representatives from the Mideast's travel industry are closely watching their news feeds for any updates on the World Health Organization's impending decision as to whether or not to grant emergency use approval to Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac. Currently, the ...
In a Bid to Get People Back in the Air, Ethiopian Airlines Deploys Chinese Tech For Rapid Passenger COVID Testing
Ethiopian Airlines is hoping that a new Chinese-made COVID-19 rapid testing facility at its hub in Addis Ababa will resuscitate its passenger business. The airline partnered with BGI Health Ethiopia, a subsidiary of China's biotech giant, the BGI Genomics Co, to build the new testing center at Bole ...