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: Djibouti
Djibouti Has a Very Specific Debt Problem…
Djibouti this week reportedly suspended debt repayments to its two major creditors, China and Kuwait, due to a major increase in debt servicing costs likely caused by interest rate hikes and other external factors this year. A quick gander at this table,
Djibouti Suspends Debt Payments While Rwanda Gets (Just a Little) Relief From China
🇩🇯 DJIBOUTI: The government reportedly suspended debt repayments to two of its largest creditors, likely China and Kuwait, in response to a dramatic increase in the country's debt servicing costs in 2022, according to a new World Bank report. (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
New Chinese Military Bases in Africa Only a Matter of Time Says Top U.S. Intelligence Official
The debate in the United States over whether China plans to build new military bases in Africa resurfaced on Tuesday when the Director of Intelligence Analysis for U.S. forces in Africa (AFRICOM) published a column in Foreign Policy that bluntly stated it's only a matter ...
Will China Bring Stability to the Horn of Africa?
Lukas Fiala Early next week, Ethiopia will host a China-sponsored Horn of Africa peace conference – the first of its kind. Taking place at the China-financed African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, the event will be a key opportunity for Beijing ...
China’s Emerging Global Security Agenda Extends From Djibouti to the Solomon Islands
By Lukas Fiala In April, China confirmed the signing of a bilateral security agreement with the Solomon Islands, a supposed draft of which had been leaked a few weeks earlier. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi embarked on an ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Jiang Zemin Created the Africa-China Relationship As We Know It Today
Finding a Common Destiny in the Global South: The Role of China’s Regional Forum Diplomacy
One of China’s signature contributions to the diversification of the emerging world system is the use of regional forum diplomacy to promote the creation of Chinese-instigated regional organizations. Starting with the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000, the Chinese government has built a network of ...
Chinese Troops in Djibouti Compete in a Military Skills Competition (That Also Made For a Cool Music Video)
Chinese troops in Djibouti recently (they didn't specify precisely when) held the "East African Warriors" military skills competition and leveraged the event to make a Wolf Warrior II-style music video that was no doubt a big hit among viewers back home. ...
New Transport Corridor Gives China Direct Access to the Indian Ocean for the First Time
A new overland transport corridor has made history by linking China directly to the Indian Ocean for the first time. Built jointly by Chinese provinces and Singapore, the transport corridor links the Chinese manufacturing hub of Chongqing with Vientiane, ...
Chinese-backed Asia-Africa-European Undersea Cable Makes Landfall in Kenya
Kenya's ICT minister Joe Mucheru gleefully welcomed the arrival of the 15,000-kilometer PEACE (Pakistan & East Africa Connecting Europe) undersea cable when it came ashore in the port city of Mombasa on Tuesday. The $425 million ...
Chinese Special Envoy Visits Djibouti as Part of Horn Tour
Xue Bing, China’s recently-appointed Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, continued his tour of the region with a visit to Djibouti. He held separate meetings with President Ismail Omar Guelleh, and Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Djibouti’s Foreign Minister. ...