Category: Q&A
Netanyahu May be Going to China to Boost His Political Standing at Home, Says Israeli Scholar
The political calculations that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made in agreeing to accept President Xi Jinping's invitation to visit may be far more nuanced than the prevailing narratives in the Israeli and U.S. media, which largely frame it around annoying Joe Biden.
Q&A: What is Mahmoud Abbas Trying to Achieve in Beijing?
We asked Jony Essa, The China-Global South Project’s Mideast editor, to unpack the significance of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to China: What message is this visit sending? Abbas is sending a message to the ...
Why Are DRC Officials Backtracking on Tshisekedi’s Beijing Trip?
We asked China Global South Francophone Africa Editor and DRC political analyst Geraud Neema to explain attempts by DRC officials to reframe President Félix Tshisekedi's lackluster trip to Beijing. Why were the ministers so emphatic that they didn't go to China ...
Q&A: Chinese-Dominated EV Supply Chains in Southeast Asia Grapple With Abuses
Since the 2010s, China has moved swiftly to secure mineral resources around the world to feed its gigantic electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing industry. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, China was reported to own 15 of the 17 cobalt operations in the country, producing ...
Unpacking Israeli Reactions to Iran-Saudi Deal
As Israel’s famously feisty commentariat lays into the China-brokered Iran-Saudi thaw, the country’s reactions will likely have broader impacts. Israel’s own role in the region’s security landscape is at play, but its close relationship with the United States will also influence how Washington deals with the broader ...
Q&A: How the Ministry of Public Security Factors Into China’s Drive to Expand the CCP’s International Legal Influence
To fully understand the drive behind China's desire to expand its legal influence to other countries, it's critical to better comprehend the underlying "rule by law" legal vision and what administrative mechanisms the CCP has at its disposal to carry out this kind of initiative.
Q&A: China’s DRC Envoy Says Beijing Open to Cooperate With U.S. in Congo
In 2021, Sino-Congolese relations were somewhat shaken when two major Chinese investments in the mining sector in D.R. Congo were questioned and investigated by NGOs and Congolese authorities. The Sicomines project was the target for some of this criticism. The ...
Q&A: The African Union Ambassador to China Reflects on the Outcomes of FOCAC and ‘What’s Next’
The 8th Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held in Dakar, Senegal from November 29th through 30th, 2021. In the headlines that followed, many analysts reported a 33% percent drop in Chinese finance and suggested a deterioration of the relationship. In contrast, we have ...
The China Moly Court Ruling in the DRC Shows That Tshisekedi is Still in Charge, Says Mining Expert
The decision by a commercial court in the southern DR Congo city of Lubumbashi to temporarily suspend China Molybdenum's (China Moly) management of the enormous Tenke Fungurume copper and cobalt mine (TFM) is the latest twist in an almost-year battle between the government and ...
Q&A: How Illegal Chinese Logging Fuels the Islamic Insurgency in Mozambique
This Spring’s crackdown on illegal mining activities in Ghana, including by some Chinese nationals, and the recent high-profile incidents of illicit mining by Chinese companies in the eastern DR Congo have put a spotlight on the issue of unregulated Chinese resource extraction in other ...