When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...
Category: Media
Jane Perlez on the New Era of U.S.-China Competition and Rivalry
The increasingly acrimonious U.S.-China relationship is the defining trend of this era, upending global politics, economics, and security, especially across the Global South. Countries that have worked hard to avoid having to pick sides in this new competition may no longer ...
Chinese Social Media Mocks India’s ‘Semiconductor’ Stock Mania
Chinese social media has been buzzing with disbelief and humor over India’s latest stock market frenzy, RRP Semiconductor Ltd., a company whose skyrocketing stock is almost entirely divorced from its real operations. The share price of RRP Semiconductor has surged by an eye-popping 55,000 percent over ...
Kidnapping of Chinese Influencer in South Africa Sparks Alarm Over “High-Profile Travel”
A kidnapping in South Africa has sent shockwaves through China’s internet, not only because a Chinese traveler was violently targeted, but because the scheme appears to have been orchestrated with help from a Chinese national. The victim, a top travel influencer with more than 26 million ...
Manager at Chinese Factory in Kenya Fired After Viral Worker Assault
A manager at a Chinese factory in the Kenyan city of Eldoret had his contract terminated and could face additional disciplinary action, including deportation, after a video of him assaulting a worker went viral.
Japan Protests at Chinese Diplomat Threat Over PM’s Taiwan Comments
Tokyo said Monday it had lodged a protest over a Chinese diplomat's online threat of decapitation made after remarks on Taiwan by Japan's new prime minister. In a now-removed post on X, the Chinese consul general in Osaka Xue Jian threatened ...
How China Changed Its Image in the African News Media
Ten years ago, African news coverage of China's engagement on the continent was often quite negative and repackaged many of the critical Western narratives. Today, the situation is very different. China has spent considerable resources ...
China Uses Green Messaging to Bolster South China Sea Claims Amid Nature Preserve Push
There's been a noticeable increase in recent weeks in the number of environmentally themed news stories published by China's state-backed outlets Xinhua and CGTN, focused specifically on the South China Sea. On Tuesday, Xinhua distributed a video that showcased newly hatched ...
Zambian Perceptions of China Rebound After Ten-Year Decline, Says Afrobarometer
Public opinion of China among Zambians rebounded for the first time last year after a decade of steadily falling, according to the findings of Afrobarometer's latest survey. While Zambians were more upbeat about China when asked in relation to other countries ...
Inside China’s African Rail Projects: A Translator’s Unexpected Video Diary
A young Chinese man working as a bilingual English–French translator on Guinean infrastructure projects has found an unusual way to connect with Chinese youth. On the video platform Bilibili, he opened an account to document life on construction sites. To his audience’s surprise, his videos reveal rare, ...
China Sends Pointed Message with South China Sea Flag-Raising
The Chinese Coast Guard held a flag-raising ceremony to mark China’s National Day off the Scarborough Shoal, a zone in the South China Sea also claimed by the Philippines. The ceremony, which was broadcast on the state TV channel CCTV and social media, seemed designed to ...
Chinese Online Outrage Over $80 Billion Zambia River Suit
More than six months after 50,000 liters of toxic water from a Chinese-run mining site spilled into Zambia's Kafue River, there's still no resolution to what's become a massive environmental crisis. The government is siding ...
Social Media Users Backed by the Chinese State Ensure Heated Exchange Caught on Video Stays Viral
A viral video that captured a heated exchange last week between one of China's most acclaimed foreign policy scholars and Israel's defense attaché in Beijing spiked in viewership over the weekend as ties between the countries further deteriorated. The dispute between Yan ...
China Launches Coordinated Media Campaign to Promote New Global Governance Initiative in Africa
The Chinese government launched what appears to be a coordinated media campaign across Africa to promote Beijing's new Global Governance Initiative (GGI), which President Xi Jinping announced at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Over the past week, a mix of ...