Category: Podcast
Update on the Chinese Cobalt Stand-off in the DR Congo
Tensions between Chinese mining China Moly and the Congolese state-owned mining Gécamines appear to be deteriorating further amid an ongoing stand-off over the massive TFM copper and cobalt mine in the southern DRC. Shipments have ...
Africa in the New Era of U.S.-China Great Power Competition
Chinese President Xi Jinping is widely expected to soon re-emerge on the global stage after a nearly three-year absence. Where is still unknown, but when it does happen it's going to create a much tenser, more confrontational atmosphere at upcoming summits ...
Week in Review: Kenya Elections, Zambian Debt & Blinken’s Africa Tour
The Chinese government pushed back this week against the U.S. and its new foreign policy strategy for Africa. The Foreign Ministry dismissed Washington's emphasis on democracy as mere rhetoric, while the railways, roads, and other infrastructure that China's built speak for ...
Afrobarometer CEO Joseph Asunka on Public Perceptions of the U.S. & China in Africa
When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the White House's new strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa, he referenced Afrobarometer polling data to validate Washington's renewed emphasis on democracy promotion. The following day, in criticizing the new U.S. policy ...
Week in Review: Taiwan, Tesla, and Antony Blinken’s Upcoming Africa Tour
China mounted an intercontinental media response throughout the Global South this week to rage against U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Managing Editor Cobus van Staden and Francophone Editor Geraud Neema break down why developing countries, including several in Africa, ...
African Exploitation Videos Are Big Business on Chinese Social Media
The recent BBC documentary "Racism for Sale" pointed a powerful spotlight on the popular Chinese "blessing video" business that is both highly exploitative and very profitable. These videos feature Africans and people from other developing regions, often ...
China’s Discourse Power in Africa and the Global South
China, like all major governments, uses a variety of tools and methods to influence international public opinion. Some, like CGTN, China Daily, and China Radio International, serve as conventional propaganda that is easy to identify; other tactics are far more subtle ...
It Was a Bad, Very Bad Week For Chinese Mining in Africa
Two of China's largest and most important mining ventures in Africa encountered major problems this week. In Guinea, the government shut down the Sino-Australian joint venture to operate the massive Simandou iron ore mine, a major blow to Beijing's ambitions to ...
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." ...
How Did China Do in Its First Horn of Africa Peace Conference?
China's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Xue Bing, wrapped up a two-day peace conference in Addis Ababa last week, Beijing's first-ever effort to mediate conflicts outside of Asia. Xue personally offered to serve as a broker to help resolve ...
A Conversation With Huang Ping, China’s Consul General in New York
China's Consul General in New York City, Huang Ping, is a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in both North America and Africa. Prior to taking on the CG role in NYC, Huang was ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2015 to 2018.
Africa in the Era of Great Power Competition
Policymakers in most African countries are facing unimaginable challenges brought on by the pandemic, economic disruption, climate change, and the impact of the war in Ukraine. As if that wasn't enough, the increasingly contentious U.S.-China conflict adds even more uncertainty.