Category: Q&A
Q&A: Is China Helping or Hindering Africa’s Efforts to Future-proof Food Security?
How to ensure food security on the African continent is a major question for African policy makers, businesses and the international community. A recent report by Mckinsey highlighted that 650–670 million people in Africa, roughly half the population, already face food insecurity with more than 250 ...
Q&A: Nigerian Representative Ben Igbakpa Explains Why He Wants to Investigate 20 Years of Chinese Loans
April marked the beginning of major turbulence in China-Africa relations following reports of racism against Africans in Guangzhou. Then the unprecedented happened when African ambassadors wrote a joint letter to the Chinese government demanded an explanation for the maltreatment of Africans in China.
Q&A: “Pleasantly Surprised” Pompeo Did Not Focus on China During Recent Africa Tour
Prior to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's arrival in Africa for his three-nation tour that wrapped up in Ethiopia on Thursday, Gabon-based China-Africa analyst Cornelia Tremann wrote a column for The Lowy Institute's "The Interpreter" website where she made a series of recommendations for what ...
Q&A: China’s Role in Washington’s Divided, Confusing Foreign Policy Towards Africa
Friday's announcement that the United States government will impose travel and visa restrictions on four African countries left a lot of Africa policy observers somewhat perplexed. While there had been rumors for days leading up to the decision that Nigeria was going to be on the ...
Q&A: Growing Demand in Africa for China’s Private Security Contractors
Three Chinese miners in the Southwestern Nigerian state of Osun were kidnapped at gunpoint last week, with one reportedly shot while trying to flee. Although all three hostages were released a few days later, the abduction once again reminded Chinese stakeholders across the continent as to ...
Q&A: The Powerful Political Optics of South Africa, China, and Russia Holding Joint Naval Exercises
After three days of public relations events onshore in the Cape Town harbor, it's now time for visiting Chinese and Russian warships to head out to sea along with South African vessels for two-days of joint naval exercises. This is the first time these three navies have ...
Q&A: Chinese and Russian Warships are in South Africa for First-Ever Naval Exercises. Should the U.S. be Worried?
Chinese and Russian warships arrived in Cape Town harbor over the weekend to take part in Exercise Mosi, the first-ever joint naval exercises among these three countries that will take place this week. The exercise will be divided into two parts: a media phase that starts ...
Q&A: Why African Governments May Want to Pay Attention to Jamaica’s Decision to Freeze Borrowing From China
Jamaica is taking bold steps to manage its growing indebtedness to China as part of an ongoing policy experiment that puts a hold on new borrowing from Beijing until the government reduces its current level of debt. And Kingston's approach in how it's trying to reconcile the ...
Q&A: Chinese Venture Capital Firms Are Now Starting to Invest in African Start-Ups
Now that it's becoming more difficult for Chinese venture capital (VC) firms to invest in the United States where their money is increasingly regarded as "toxic," these investors are now looking farther afield for new opportunities and that's bringing them all the way to Africa. Evidence ...
Q&A: China’s Internet Governance Model and the Rise of Digital Surveillance in Africa
From time to time when Cobus and I are interviewed by the news media seeking comment on a particular China-Africa topic, we like to share the transcript of the interview here both for reasons of transparency after the article is public and because the discussions are often ...