Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Country: Benin
Amid West African Coups, Benin Leader’s Beijing Trip Is Notable
Considering the caliber of events Chinese President Xi Jinping is not showing up to, it’s notable that he made time to meet with Benin’s President Patrice Athanase Guillaume Talon on Friday. Talon led a four-day state visit to Beijing, which saw the establishment ...
Chinese Citizens in Niger Shelter in Place, Future of Key Energy Projects Now in Question
The Chinese embassy in Niger called on its nationals in the country to shelter in place until the security situation stabilizes following last week's military coup. So far, there have been no reports of Chinese casualties or any adverse impact on Chinese ...
How Does Africa Get the Tech It Needs?
As geopolitical tensions rise, external partners want a say in African development choices. This is particularly true for digital expansion, where Global South countries are frequently framed as battlegrounds between Chinese companies like Huawei and Western competitors. However, African policymakers are gaining ...
Benin’s Finance Minister Meets With China Exim Bank President
Beninese Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni is in Beijing this week, where he met with China Exim Bank President Ren Shengjun. Neither side released details of the meeting, but it does highlight how China Exim Bank is continuing to engage African governments ...
Q&A: Why is Benin on Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s African Tour Itinerary?
The newly appointed head of Chinese diplomacy, Qin Gang, has begun his first African tour which will take him to five countries. A visit that is part of the long tradition of Chinese diplomacy to reserve the first overseas tour to the African continent. ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Massive Statue by Chinese Artist Rises Over the Benin City of Cotonou
The 30-meter-high Statue of the Amazon ("Statue de l'Amazone") is a tribute to the all-female military regiment in the 18th century Kingdom of Dahomey that is now present-day Benin. Chinese artist Li Xiangqun won the commission to build the ...
How a Small Group of Negotiators in Benin Got China to Play Ball
Chinese loan contracts to African countries are increasingly controversial, raising questions as to how African negotiators can get better deals. One of the world’s foremost experts on Africa-China negotiations, Folashade Soule, recently published a report highlighting how a group of negotiators in Benin bargained with Chinese bodies ...
Scholars, Diplomats in South Africa Discuss the Future of Africa-China Ties
The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) together with the Chinese embassy in Pretoria hosted an online forum last week that featured discussions among Chinese diplomats, including Ambassador Chen Xiaodong, and scholars from both China and Africa to discuss the future of ties between the two ...
Folashadé Soulé on West Africa’s Priorities at FOCAC 8
The triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit is just weeks away now and speculation is now starting to build as to what will be on the agenda. As of now, very little is known as to what's going to happen, ...
Folashadé Soulé on the Key Priorities For West African Countries at This Year’s China-Africa Summit
For much of the past twenty years, since the first FOCAC summit in 2000, China's engagement strategy on the continent has focused predominantly on anglophone countries in southern and eastern Africa like Kenya, Zambia, and South Africa. Angola, of course, was an important exception. ...