Reflections on the legacy of Jiang Zemin, China’s president from 1993 to 2003, who passed away on Wednesday, emphasized how he presided over a decade of explosive economic growth. Fewer have pointed out that he was also a key architect of China’s current relationship with Africa.
After the Mao era, emblematized by Chinese involvement in African anti-colonial struggles, the relationship went dormant as China focused on building economic ties ...
Category: Journalism
FACT CHECK: No, Kenya’s Lamu and Mombasa Are Not Being Targeted by the Chinese Military
The prominent Kenyan daily The Standard this week published a breathless front-page story claiming that the U.S. government says it is concerned that China wants to leverage the Kenyan ports of Mombasa and Lamu for military use. The article ...
Emerging Trends and Myths in Africa-China Relations: Live From Johannesburg
China's relationship with Africa is undergoing profound change in the post-pandemic era. Chinese engagement on the continent has fallen precipitously with a massive drop in people-to-people exchanges, development finance lending, and academic engagement.
Kenya Should Look East, Not West, For Development Inspiration Says One of the Country’s Largest Newspapers
The Editorial Board of The East African newspaper, a publication of the Nation Media Group, one of Kenya's largest media companies, published a column on Sunday that will be a disappointment to U.S. and European governments. It blasted Africa's past half-century engagement with the West ...
How Effective are China’s Press Junkets for African Journalists? Pretty Effective.
As China opens back up after the pandemic, journalists are again being flown in from across the Global South for junkets - a key form of influence-building for Beijing. If you wondered whether these tours pay off in soft ...
A Discussion With the Journalists Behind the BBC Documentary “Racism For Sale”
The BBC investigative unit Africa Eye turned a powerful spotlight last month on a multi-million dollar business in China that exploits people in developing regions, including young children in Africa, to produce so-called "blessing videos." ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Jiang Zemin Created the Africa-China Relationship As We Know It Today
China is Failing Big Time in Its Effort to Get the Jerusalem Post to Unpublish Interview With Taiwan FM Joseph Wu
Chinese embassies around the world, particularly in small and middle-sized countries, are accustomed to using aggressive tactics with local media whenever they feel an outlet has violated one of Beijing's so-called "red lines" (particularly on issues like Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang). Threats of diplomatic retaliation are often ...
China Tried (and Failed) to Intimidate Israeli Newspaper Editor Over Interview With Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu
Chinese diplomats around the world have a well-earned reputation for personally calling journalists and their editors (including this publication) to express their objections, often rudely, when there is coverage they don't like -- usually about a red-line issue like Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Xinjiang among others.
Solomon Islands Media Protest Press Restrictions During Wang’s Visit
The Media Association of Solomon Islands announced that it will boycott a "press conference" on Thursday with Wang Yi and his SI counterpart Jeremiah Manele to protest against rules that only allow the Chinese state-broadcaster CCTV to ask Wang just one question.
Damning Report Documents How Small-Scale Chinese Cobalt Miners in the DR Congo Use Child Labor
The popular Congolese news site Actualites.CD published an in-depth report by Lumbubashi-based journalist Anto Mulanga that details the widespread use of child labor in small-scale mines in the southeastern cobalt mining belt. While the report is not exclusively focused ...
Exploring China’s Increasingly Prominent Role in Africa’s Media Sector
China is now a major player in the African media market, particularly in anglophone countries across the continent where its government-produced digital, broadcast, and print services are all widely available. The Chinese have invested heavily in building a formidable media ecosystem ...