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: Military
China Says Opposes European Sanctions Over Iran Nuclear Program
China said Friday it opposed invoking sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program after three Western nations told the UN they would reimpose them if no diplomatic solution was found by the end of August. European sanctions on Iran were eased ...
China Tells U.S. to Restrain Forces Near Shoal in South China Sea
China condemned the U.S. after a naval vessel, USS Higgins, sailed near Scarborough Shoal just days after a China–Philippines at-sea pursuit. Beijing is calling the U.S. move an illegal intrusion and warning Washington to “restrain” its forces. The U.S. Navy ...
South China Sea Naval Collision: Beijing and Manila Trade Blame
China has accused the Philippines of “dangerous maneuvers” during a tense encounter near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea earlier this week that, according to Manila, led to a collision between two Chinese government vessels. Beijing has not publicly ...
Chinese-Made Helicopter Under Scrutiny in Crash That Killed Two Ghanaian Ministers
Ghanaian aviation investigators are looking into whether a technical malfunction onboard the Chinese-made Z-9 helicopter led to last Wednesday's crash in the central Ashanti region that killed eight people, including the country's defense and environment ministers. The Z-9, manufactured by the Harbin ...
Philippines’ Marcos Strikes Defense Deals in India
The Philippines and India signed a raft of security deals Tuesday aimed at strengthening strategic ties between the nations as they navigate tensions with China across the Asia-Pacific. President Ferdinand Marcos, on a five-day visit to India, was accorded a red carpet ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Pakistan Takes Delivery of Chinese Z-10ME Attack Helicopters
The Pakistani Army inducted a new fleet of advanced Chinese-made attack helicopters on Saturday, marking the first time the Z-10MEs have been put to use by a foreign military. The Z-10ME is similar to the U.S.-made Apache AH-64 attack helicopter with ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: China, Russia Set Joint Sea 2025 Drills Near Japan
Two gatherings in Beijing on Wednesday set the scene for China’s response to ongoing global economic disruptions. A meeting of the CPC’s Politburo pledged to maintain current macroeconomic policy, to “stabilize the fundamentals of foreign trade and investment,” and to support companies impacted by economic shocks. Chinese President ...
India and the Philippines to Launch Joint Military Exercises
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos reportedly will visit India next week, his first visit since taking office. The trip from 4 to 8 August will coincide with joint military exercises that will take place near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a focal point of ...
China Says to Hold Military Drills With Russia in August
China said Wednesday it would conduct joint military drills with Russia in August, including sea and air exercises near Vladivostok and joint naval patrols in the Pacific. Alongside economic and political ties, Moscow and Beijing have deepened military cooperation in recent ...
French Fighter Jet Purchase in Indonesia Met with Online Push for Chinese J-10s
Indonesia’s $8.1 billion deal to purchase 42 Rafale fighter jets from France marks a significant step in the country’s military modernization. However, the agreement has also attracted attention in another arena: Indonesia’s information space, where narratives—not just policies—are shaping perceptions of national defense, trade, and foreign ...
China Prominent in AFRICOM Testimony
China came up repeatedly in testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services on Tuesday. Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, who is being considered to lead the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), testified that “China is expanding its approach from ...
Pacific Military Exercises Reveal Global South Countries’ Complex Choices
The Philippines joined other Global South countries like Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga in the U.S.-led Talisman Sabre military exercises currently taking place in Australia. The exercise, dubbed “the Olympics of war games,” has grown rapidly since its inception in ...