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 ...
Country: Algeria
Algeria is the Latest Developing Country to Get in Line to Join the BRICS Group
The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially submitted its application this week to become a new member of the BRICS club. Algeria now joins a growing list of developing countries, including Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, that all want to join the Chinese-initiated group. ...
Arab Barometer: Arab Publics Favorable Views of China Decline the More They Learn About Chinese Foreign Policy
Two of the lead researchers at Princeton University's Arab Barometer public opinion survey project shared some additional insights about the findings from their 2021 poll on how people in the MENA region perceive the United States and China. Michael Robbins, director ...
China and Russia Join Military Skills Contest in Algeria
Soldiers from China and Russia joined counterparts from thirteen other countries in a military skills competition that kicked off this week in Algeria. Participants will compete in activities like parachute jumping, shooting and driving tanks. Other participants include India, Vietnam, Mali, Congo, and Venezuela. ...
Algeria to Purchase Chinese Armed Drones
The Algerian military is reportedly in talks with China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) to purchase four of the company's WJ-700 Falcon armed reconnaissance drones, according to Algerian press reports. Algiers hopes the drones will help improve ...
Maybe The West’s Pressure on China to Build “High Quality” Infrastructure is Working
A Xinhua headline from Wednesday hints that years of criticism of low-quality Chinese-built infrastructure in developing countries may be having its desired effect. Chinese messaging on these issues used to focus on the speed of delivery or the ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Jiang Zemin Created the Africa-China Relationship As We Know It Today
China’s Top Diplomats for MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa Are Both Touring the Continent
A flurry of high-level Chinese diplomacy is underway in Africa in the run-up to next week's Horn of Africa conference that Beijing is co-hosting with the Ethiopian government. On Sunday, Wang Di, China's top diplomat for the Middle East and North ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Oil Major Sinopec and Algerian Oil Giant Sonatrach Signed a $500 Million deal to Drill for Oil and Gas
Chinese oil major Sinopec and Algerian oil giant Sonatrach signed a half-a-billion dollar deal to drill for oil and gas in the Zaarzaitine field, 1500km from Algiers. Under the new agreement, the two sides will produce 95 million barrels. The timing of the deal is notable given ...
Chinese, Algerian Legislative Leaders Meet
The head of Algeria's National Assembly, Salih Gojil, met on Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yang, chairman of China's rubber-stamp legislature known by its acronym CPPCC. Based on the read-out from the official Algerian Presse Service, it appears that the meeting was more about relationship building ...
Huawei in North Africa: Lots of Good PR, Not a Lot of Tech Transfer
Huawei's success in Africa is undeniable. It's built large swathes of the continent's telecom network and is an indispensable player at almost every layer of the African technology stack. But when it comes to transferring skills and technology, the company's record ...
China and 22 Francophone African Countries Talk Democracy
China recently convened an online seminar 22 French-speaking African countries to discuss democracy. The online meeting, on “The Exploration and Practice of Democracy in Chinese and African Legislative Bodies” drew in members of China’s National People’s Assembly, and about 90 African representatives.