Today is a public holiday in South Africa – Human Rights Day. There’s a certain irony in spending the day focusing on China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vladimir Putin, knee-deep in a human rights disaster.
What one makes of the Ukraine crisis increasingly maps on where one lives. This is made clear by a remarkable new set of polling data recently published by the European Council on Foreign Relations ...
Country: Equatorial Guinea
Why the U.S. is Probably Quite Interested in the Equatorial Guinea Foreign Minister’s Visit to China
Equatorial Guinea (EG) Foreign Minister Simeón Oyono Esono Angue began a four-day visit to Beijing on Wednesday, where he will meet with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang. Normally, a visit like this from such a small country doesn't generate much interest from ...
What U.S. Policymakers Should Know About Chinese Basing Ambitions in Africa
U.S. military commanders regularly raise concerns about a possible second Chinese military base in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, despite rumors about possible footholds in countries like Equatorial Guinea, China’s strategic interest in Africa is relatively low, especially when compared with regions like Southeast Asia ...
Q&A: Africa’s Role in China’s Global Military Expansion: Defense Expert Unpacks a Thorny Issue
The head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, on Tuesday added to the growing alarm in Washington DC defense circles about the global reach of China’s military. Speaking in front of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee,
Is China Planning a New Military Base in Africa? New Paper Weighs the Options
Rumors that China is planning another military base in Africa are rife in Washington at the moment. Now a new paper by Paul Nantulya, a noted expert on Africa-China military links, was published by the Pentagon-aligned Africa Center for Strategic Studies. It unpacks ...
Equatorial Guinea Media Donation Highlights a Key Chinese Soft Power Strategy
China is making diplomatic inroads in Equatorial Guinea via an old tactic: donating broadcasting equipment. This comes as the West African country faces a lot of U.S. pressure due to fears that it might host China’s first Atlantic military base.
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Xi Bets on Global South in Moscow
Rear Admiral Gives the Clearest Hint to Date About Why the U.S. Is So Concerned About a Chinese Military Base in West Africa
One of the Pentagon's most senior military officers for Africa provided the clearest indication so far as to why the United States is becoming increasingly anxious over the purported Chinese ambition to build a military outpost somewhere along Africa's Atlantic coast, most likely in Equatorial Guinea.
U.S. Generals Emphasize China in House Hearings on Africa and Middle East Defense
China played a central role in testimony from senior generals on U.S. defense postures in Africa and the Middle East late last week. General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command in the Middle East and General Stephen Townsend who oversees U.S. troops in ...
The Generals in Charge of U.S. Forces in the Middle East and Africa Are Becoming Increasingly Nervous About Chinese and Russian Influence
Two of the U.S.' top generals who oversee commands for American forces in Africa and the Middle East issued new warnings on Tuesday about the risks to U.S. interests posed by both China and Russia. Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., ...
Equatorial Guinea’s New Cooperation Agreement with China Could be Sending a Message
Equatorial Guinea and China signed an agreement on Tuesday to promote development cooperation between the two countries. Usually, this kind of announcement doesn't draw much attention. But this one is sure to raise eyebrows in Washington because of ongoing rumors that China is planning to ...
Equatorial Guinea’s Top Officials Have Been Very Busy Lately Hosting U.S. and Chinese Delegations
It's been a very busy week for great power diplomacy in the Equatoguinean capital of Malabo. On Saturday, Foreign Minister Simeón Oyono Esono Angue hosted a delegation led by Chinese ambassador Qi Mei to discuss unspecified "international events." That mean ...