Reflections on the legacy of Jiang Zemin, China’s president from 1993 to 2003, who passed away on Wednesday, emphasized how he presided over a decade of explosive economic growth. Fewer have pointed out that he was also a key architect of China’s current relationship with Africa.
After the Mao era, emblematized by Chinese involvement in African anti-colonial struggles, the relationship went dormant as China focused on building economic ties ...
Category: Oil
WEEK IN REVIEW: Beijing Considering Hosting a Third Belt & Road Forum Next Year
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing is considering hosting a third Belt & Road forum next year, the first time a major BRI event would be convened in China since the beginning of the pandemic. The key question is whether China will relax its strict COVID travel restrictions ...
Chinese Oil Buying in Africa Plunges Amid Shift to Suppliers in Russia, Persian Gulf
Chinese oil imports from African countries dropped 22.6% year-on-year in the January-September period, highlighting a decade-long transition away from the continent to suppliers in Russia, the Persian Gulf and Brazil. The drop in 2022 further eroded Africa's total ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: A Military Stand-off Between a Chinese-Run Mining Company and the DRC’s State-Owned Mining Giant Gécamines Heading to Arbitration
A military stand-off between a Chinese-run mining company and the DRC's state-owned mining giant Gécamines is heading to arbitration. Congolese army forces took control of two of the Australian-based, Chinese-controlled company MMG's mines in Haute Katanga. After the company's appeals to Congolese authorities went unanswered, MMG is now ...
Annoyed With the U.S., Saudi Arabia Pivots to Asia
The steadily deteriorating ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia are coinciding with what appears to be a concerted shift by the Kingdom to foster closer ties with Asia's largest powers, namely China, India, and South Korea. On Friday, Saudi ...
South Korea’s Growing Reliance on Saudi Oil Could Make It Vulnerable in the Event of a Taiwan Conflict
South Korea imported 31 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil last month, up 30% compared to the same time last year, according to new data from the Korea Customs Service. Today, South Korea is Asia's ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Jiang Zemin Created the Africa-China Relationship As We Know It Today
China Wades Into Uganda-EU Oil Pipeline Dispute
China has sided with the Ugandan government in condemning the European Parliament’s September call to pause the building of a 1,443-kilometer oil pipeline from Uganda to Tanzania. Zhang Lizhong, China’s ambassador to Uganda, said the EU “should not use ...
U.S. Tries to Stem the Flow of Iranian Oil to China
The United States government on Wednesday imposed new sanctions against Iranian oil companies and the network of firms that help facilitate the flow of Iranian crude to markets in East Asia, specifically China. Every year, millions of barrels ...
China’s About to Buy a Lot More Russian Oil and That’s Bad News for Iran
Iran's once steady business of selling large quantities of oil to China's independent refineries may soon become the latest casualty of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. For years, China provided Iran a vital cash flow by supplying the Chinese with
Expect Chinese Oil Majors to Focus More Attention on the Global South to Avoid Sanctions in Global North
Chinese oil giant CNOOC is reportedly preparing to halt its operations in Britain, Canada and the United States out of concern that its assets there could be subject to economic sanctions related to the Russian war in Ukraine, according to Reuters. ...
Chinese Commerce Ministry Official Dismisses WSJ Report that China Will Buy Saudi Oil Using RMB
A well-known Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) official in Beijing, Cheng Wang, dismissed the Wall Street Journal report that Saudi Arabia is considering the option of allowing China to purchase oil using yuan rather than U.S. dollars.