After several years of declining funding, the African end of the Belt and Road Initiative seems to be roaring back. The newest Griffith University/Green Development Finance Center data on the Belt and Road Initiative shows that engagement with Africa jumped by 395%, while a few big projects boosted engagement in Nigeria alone more than twelvefold.
These shifts indicate a window of opportunity for African electrification. 60% of Africans still ...
Category: Media
From Estrangement to Reassessment? Israeli Media and Expert Views on China After the Twelve-Day War
By Amanda Chen Building on our previous analysis of China’s official position and expert debate on the Iran–Israel War, this edition of the ChinaMed Observer examines how the conflict has shaped Israeli analysts’ perceptions of China’s role in the Middle East. Even prior to ...
It’s the U.S. or China, U.S. Senator Tells Colombian Leaders
Colombian-born conservative Republican U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno delivered a blunt message to Colombian leaders this week when he told them they would have to choose to align with either the U.S. or China. “It’s a binary choice,” Moreno said in a ...
China Expands Media Reach in Kenya With New Distribution Deals
The state-run China Daily newspaper is rapidly expanding its media reach in Kenya with new distribution deals with some of the East African country's largest outlets. Last week, the Chinese newspaper signed a content-sharing agreement with Capital FM, one of ...
Chinese Communist Party’s Top Diplomat Detained for Questioning: WSJ
The Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy official, Liu Jianchao, is reportedly being detained for questioning by authorities, according to the Wall Street Journal. The investigation marks the latest turmoil at the highest ranks of the Chinese national security leadership, ...
A Turbulent Week for China-Africa Media Narratives
Over the past week, sharply contrasting images of Chinese engagement in Africa surfaced online. Anger erupted on social media over the release of yet another violent video that shows Congolese soldiers brutally beating local miners purportedly at the behest of Chinese ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
A Rosy Road Ahead? Chinese Documentary on EVs in Thailand Arrives as Doubts Mount
Framed like a hopeful road trip into Thailand’s EV future, Auto Roam is a glossy branded documentary by Chinese automotive media Autohome, following a diverse cast of local EV adopters to portray how Chinese electric vehicles are reshaping everyday life in Thailand. Slick, upbeat, and unmistakably ...
Zambian Documentary Slams Chinese Companies’ Environmental Record; Embassy Responds, Accuses Producers of “Hidden Motive”
The Chinese embassy in Zambia denounced an hour-long documentary program made by the independent national daily newspaper News Diggers that detailed extensive environmental and labor violations committed by Chinese mining companies operating in the country.
“1001 Days of Pouring Concrete in Africa”: A Chinese Engineer’s Memoir Sparks Debate Online
A recently published memoir titled 《在非洲打灰的1001天：一个现代化的故事》 (“1001 Days of Pouring Concrete in Africa: A Modernization Story”) has ignited widespread discussion on Chinese social media. The author, Cao Fengze, holds a PhD in civil engineering from Tsinghua University and previously served ...
Chinese State Media Reacts to Modi’s Maldives Visit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a $565 million line of credit to the Maldives as part of an official visit this weekend. The visit was interpreted by the Indian press as a reset of the relationship and a regaining of Indian influence in the archipelago country.
Popular Chinese Commentator Deflects Dam Criticism by Turning the Lens on India and the West
As China forges ahead with construction on what may become the world’s largest hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, Chinese state-linked voices are mounting a vigorous defense against Indian and Western skepticism. In a recent commentary, former Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin pushes back against ...
How China Pays to Shape the Narrative in East Africa
In this new era of reduced advertising and declining readership, East African newspapers, such as The Star in Kenya, are thrilled when entities like the Chinese government approach them for long-term paid partnerships. Last week, the paper signed a year-long deal ...
Are We Becoming Like the Taliban? Chinese Feminists Grapple with Women’s Rights, Afghanistan, and the Moral Policing
This week, a wave of outrage swept across China’s internet, not just over a university scandal, but over something deeper: growing anxiety that China’s society could be slipping toward Taliban-style moral authoritarianism. At the center of the storm was a disciplinary ...