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: Cyber Espionage
Singapore Facing ‘Serious’ Cyberattack by Espionage Group With Alleged China Ties
Singapore announced it was battling a "serious" cyberattack against its critical infrastructure, attributing the hack to an espionage group that experts have linked to China. The attack, a kind of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), poses a serious danger to the city-state, ...
Time to Pay Attention to Chinese Cyberattacks in Indonesia
This article is co-authored by Yeta Purnama, a researcher at the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), and Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, Director of the China-Indonesia Desk at CELIOS. In the past few years, Indonesia has been bracing for a steady rise ...
Taiwan Backs Ally Palau After Reported Cyberattack
Taiwan said it was ready to help diplomatic ally Palau beef up its digital defenses after the Pacific archipelago was reportedly targeted in a major cyberattack. More than 20,000 documents were stolen from Palau's government just as the United States agreed ...
White House Pressed to Explain Muddled Response to Report About Chinese Spy Base in Cuba
The White House is defending its seemingly contradictory response to last week's Wall Street Journal report that claimed China is building a new base in Cuba to spy on the United States. When the report first came out, National Security Council Spokesperson ...
The White House’s Confusing Response to Report That China Uses Cuba to Spy on U.S.
U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby was adamant last Thursday when he refuted as "inaccurate" a Wall Street Journal report that China was planning to build a new spy base in Cuba. A few days later, though, the White House ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Both Kenya and China Dismiss Reuters Report on Chinese Hacking as “Sheer Nonsense” and “Sponsored Propaganda”
The Chinese and Kenyan governments issued separate statements that blasted last week's report by Reuters that claimed Chinese hackers had penetrated the computer networks of eight Kenyan ministries. Citing security concerns, the report did not name any of the sources that ...
[WEEK IN REVIEW] Chinese Hacking in Kenya & DRC President Goes to Beijing
This week CGSP Francophone Africa Editor Geraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus to discuss DR Congo President Félix Tshiskedi's state visit to China which comes at a critical time for the Congolese leader. Tshisekedi is going to pressure his Chinese hosts ...
Israeli Counter Intelligence Services Scramble to Collect Every Mug Given as a Gift By Chinese After Discovering Bug
Israel's internal security service Shin Bet is moving quickly to identify all foreign gifts given to government officials after locating a listening device in a thermal mug given by China, according to reports from Israel's GLZ radio. Agents removed glasses and other ...
China Accused (Again) of Spying on the African Union
Today's Reuters report that detailed how suspected Chinese hackers broke into African Union data networks to siphon off surveillance video sparked a whole new round of "I told you so." The initial reaction online to the report was essentially what do you ...
Transsion’s Transgressions in Africa
Transsion has long been the pride of China's private sector engagement in Africa. It's conquered the African mobile phone market by providing affordable devices that include a number of fantastic features customized specifically for local consumers. Its suite of brands including Tecno, ...
A Conversation With Joshua Meservey About Alleged Chinese Spying in Africa
The Chinese have been prolific over the past decade in constructing hundreds of government buildings across the continent. Parliaments, ministries, presidential palaces, and most notably, even the headquarters of the African Union. Many of these buildings serve an important purpose by ...
Skepticism About The Heritage Foundation’s Recent Report on Alleged Chinese Spying in Africa
China's political attaché at its embassy in Lesotho echoed doubts raised by journalism fellow Thuso Mosabala about the lack of on-the-record sourcing in The Heritage Foundation's recent report "Government Buildings in Africa Are a Likely Vector for Chinese Spying" by analyst Josh Meservey. ...