Category: Week in Review

Namibia is emerging as a key lithium producer for the Chinese market. In August, 25,000 tons of the strategic metal were shipped from the Port of Walvis Bay with another 50,000 tons prepped to leave later this month. Namibian authorities also want to position Walvis Bay as a ...

Developing countries in Asia, for the first time in more than 30 years, will grow faster than China, according to a new report by the Asian Development Bank. The bank forecasts China's annual growth rate this year to be just 3.3% compared to 4.3% for developing countries in ...

China has quietly distributed more than $30 billion in so-called "emergency loans" to financially-distressed developing countries in recent years, according to new data compiled by AidData. Details of the loans have not been publicized but analysts believe they're intended to help borrowers avoid defaulting on Chinese-financed infrastructure loans ...

Chinese President Xi Jinping will reportedly travel to two Central Asian states later this month to mark his formal return to international diplomacy. The Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan said on Monday that President Xi will first travel to Nur-Sultan before heading to neighboring Uzbekistan for a summit meeting of ...

Russia and China will conduct joint military exercises from 1 to 7 September. However, the scale of this year’s exercises is much smaller than before. Similar exercises four years ago involved 300,000 troops. This time it will be 50,000, reflecting the impact of the Ukraine war. 

The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold a national leaders summit in December for the first time to discuss expanding trade and infrastructure assistance.  Relocating some of Europe's supply chains from China to Southeast Asia is widely expected to be a theme ...

Chinese troops will travel to Russia to participate in joint military exercises from 30 August to 5 September. The Vostok (East) exercises will also include soldiers from Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and -- notably -- India. (REUTERS) The Sri Lankan government unexpectedly reversed its decision ...

United States Marine General Michael Langley took over as the top U.S. commander for Africa on Tuesday, heading U.S. military operations on the continent.  General Langley assumed command from Army General Stephen Townsend who was among the U.S. government's most outspoken critics of China's expanding influence in Africa, particularly on ...

China will remove import duties from 98% of products imported from 16 low-income countries from the beginning of September, according to the Ministry of Finance. They include African countries like Togo, Mozambique, Chad, and Rwanda, as well as several Pacific Island states, and Asian developing economies like Cambodia and ...

China’s Belt and Road financing and investments fell in the first half of the year, with no new spending in Russia, Sri Lanka, and Egypt, according to a study by the Green Finance & Development Center in Shanghai. Financing and investments were at $28.4 billion in the first six months, ...

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that Asian countries are at risk of becoming "chess pieces" in the burgeoning geopolitical rivalry with the United States. Instead, he argued to the ASEAN Secretariat on Monday that "the future of our region should be in our own hands." Wang's comments ...

Chinese foreign direct investment in BRI countries jumped 10.2% to $8.2 billion in the first five months of the year, according to new data from the Chinese government. Singapore, Indonesia and Pakistan were among the top FDI destinations in 2022. But the news wasn't so good for Chinese ...