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: Tweet of the Day
So Far, The New Chinese-Built Nairobi Expressway Isn’t Doing Much to Relieve Traffic Congestion
This is what critics of the new Nairobi Expressway feared would happen: that a select few wealthy motorists would be able to afford the tolls while everyone else is relegated to the side roads that are jammed far beyond capacity.
Young Djiboutian China Expert Uses Twitter to Try and Get the Finance Minister’s Attention For a Job
When Djibouti Finance Minister Ilyas Dawaleh tweeted this week about a meeting with Chinese ambassador Hu Bin to discuss the upcoming FOCAC summit, Charmarke Abdoulkader Hadji thought this might be a good way to get the minister's attention and ask for a job. ...
U.S. Senate Proposal to Fund “Independent Media” to Report “Negative Impact” of BRI in Developing Countries Generates Some Giggles in Washington
The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee wants to give a lot of money to local media in BRI member countries "to raise awareness of and increase transparency regarding the negative impact of activities related to the Belt and Road Initiative."
Tweet of the Day: Kenyan Economist David Ndii Highlights One of the Most Important Challenges in the Current China-Africa Relationship
Popular Kenyan economist David Ndii gave voice today to a widely-held perception among large swathes of African civil society that Chinese interests are much more aligned with the continent's governing elites than with those of everyday people. This hasn't been helped, ...
Tweet of the Day: According to China It’s Not OK to say “Chinese Virus” or “Wuhan Virus” but “African Horse Sickness” and “African Swine Fever” is Perfectly Fine
Few issues are more sensitive in China today than referring to COVID-19 as the "Wuhan Virus" or "Chinese Virus" as some U.S. politicians and right-wing journalists choose to do. It miffs the Chinese to no end. If you want to get an immediate shout-down on social media ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
The Historical Irony That Brits Would be Calling on China to Pay Reparations Over COVID-19
Lagos-based international affairs analyst and CAP columnist Ovigwe Egegu noted the historical irony today about British calls for China to pay reparations for the COVID-19 outbreak. ...
Tweet of the Day: China’s Deputy Ambassador to Zimbabwe Uses Less Than Diplomatic Language to Describe the U.S. President
China's typically non-combative deputy ambassador to Zimbabwe, Zhao Baogang, revealed his feelings about Donald Trump, accusing the U.S. president of being "arrogant" and "lying all the time." This is a rather sharp rhetorical escalation for Zhao, who has until now focused his social media account on ...
Tweet of the Day: Chinese Support of ANC Women’s League Charity Highlights Importance of CCP-ANC Ties
China's relationship with South Africa operates on two distinct levels: one governmental and the other between the two countries' ruling parties. Although not historical allies, the CCP's ties with the ANC ...
Tweet of the Day: It’s Been a Good Week for Huawei in Africa
Just days after Safaricom acting CEO Michael Joseph brushed off U.S. concerns about using Huawei equipment on its new 5G network in Kenya, the Chinese telecom giant also received good press in Nigeria for the company's corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Tweet of the Day: 2020 is Likely Going to be the Year When the Tiny Kingdom of eSwatini Becomes a Big International Relations Issue
eSwatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is not a country that often registers as an important player in major global disputes but from the looks of it that may change in 2020. The Kingdom is now the last country in Africa that formally recognizes Taiwan and that has ...
Tweet of the Day: African Expatriates in China Join the Frontlines to Help Contain Coronavirus Outbreak
University of Oslo China-Africa scholar Heidi Østbø Haugen shared a compelling image on Twitter yesterday of an increasingly common theme that we've been seeing recently in Chinese state-run ...
Tweet of the Day: China’s Confucius Institutes in Africa Expand Beyond Cultural Education
Folashadé Soulé is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Oxford and a leading scholar in China-Africa negotiations with a particular emphasis on Chinese engagement in ...