Today is a public holiday in South Africa – Human Rights Day. There’s a certain irony in spending the day focusing on China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vladimir Putin, knee-deep in a human rights disaster.
What one makes of the Ukraine crisis increasingly maps on where one lives. This is made clear by a remarkable new set of polling data recently published by the European Council on Foreign Relations ...
Category: Military
Why the U.S. is Probably Quite Interested in the Equatorial Guinea Foreign Minister’s Visit to China
Equatorial Guinea (EG) Foreign Minister Simeón Oyono Esono Angue began a four-day visit to Beijing on Wednesday, where he will meet with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang. Normally, a visit like this from such a small country doesn't generate much interest from ...
Newly-released Sat Photos Show Chinese-funded Navy Base Taking Shape in Cambodia
New satellite photos show that Chinese contractors have made considerable progress in building an extension of the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia. The images taken by the private company Blacksky reveal the submerged foundation for a long pier that will extend ...
Three U.S. Regional Military Commanders Lay Out Their View of the China Challenge in Asia, Africa and the Middle East
Three of the U.S. military's regional theater commanders for Asia, Africa and the Middle East spoke publicly last week in testimony and speeches that highlighted how the Pentagon now sees China as its top global challenge. The top commander of U.S. ...
China’s 3 Priorities in Africa According to the Top U.S. Military Commander for the Region
United States Marine Corps General Michael Langley made his first appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee as the top commander for U.S. forces in Africa or AFRICOM. Langley replaced Army General Stephen J. Townsend last year, who played a critical ...
Why “Encirclement” has Become a Chinese Talking Point
This year-old map produced by the UK-based think tank Council on Geostrategy is circulating widely on Twitter this week following Tuesday's AUKUS summit in California and last week's comments by President Xi Jinping that the U.S. and its allies are "encircling" China.
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Xi Bets on Global South in Moscow
China Issues Fresh Warning to the Philippines About Expanding Military Ties With the U.S.
For the second time in a week, the Chinese government has issued a warning to the Philippines not to grant the U.S. military access to more bases in the country. An editorial in Tuesday's edition of the state-run China Daily ...
U.S. Generals Warn Congress About China’s Growing Presence in the Americas
China featured prominently in this week’s U.S. House Armed Services Committee testimony on U.S. national security challenges in North and South America. This follows an annual threat assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which emphasized cooperation between China and Russia. ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: China-IMF Debt Standoff | France’s “New” Africa Strategy | SA Naval Exercises
The G20 finance ministers meeting in India came and went without any progress on the debt standoff between China and the IMF/World Bank over who should take losses on loans to the world's poorest countries. ...
What’s the Strategy Behind South Africa’s Joint Naval Exercises With China and Russia?
South Africa’s joint naval exercises with China and Russia are drawing sharp criticism domestically and from Western allies. Beyond questions about the symbolism of its timing - overlapping with the one-year anniversary of the Ukraine invasion - many are baffled as to why SA is participating ...
Pentagon Not Happy About South African Naval Exercises But Won’t Admit It Publicly
The United States military is staying largely quiet over the ongoing joint naval exercises in South Africa that include Russia and China. Earlier, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Chidi Blyden said the U.S. respects South Africa's ...