Country: European Union
Remember Those Exploitative African “Blessing Videos” on Chinese Social Media? They’re Back. This Time in the West.
It was once very easy for Chinese social media users to spend between $15 and $40 to get a bare-chested man, a scantily clad woman or even a child to do demeaning performances in short videos that were often highly exploitative.
U.S., EU Unveil Next Steps in the Expansion of Angola’s Lobito Corridor Railway
The United States and the European Union are moving forward with a plan to upgrade the 1,300-kilometer Lobito rail corridor that links the copper and cobalt belts in Zambia and the DR Congo with the port of Lobito in Angola. In separate ...
China’s Invisibility at the Africa Climate Summit and the Disappointing “Western Agenda” Nairobi Declaration
Economic issues back home and the recent BRICS summit in South Africa possibly contributed to China’s largely subdued presence at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS) in Nairobi this week. Kevin Gallagher, director of the Global Development Policy Center at Boston ...
Europe Needs a Reality Check to Remain Relevant in a Multipolar World
By Lukas Fiala The recent military coup in Niger was widely interpreted as the latest blow in a series of setbacks for Europe in Africa. After French disengagement yielded space to Russian mercenaries across the Sahel, it’s hard not to see the ...
EU’s Ursula von der Leyen Takes Aim at China During Philippines Visit, Pledges Maritime Security Assistance
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sharply criticized China's increasingly assertive behavior in the South China Sea and vowed closer security cooperation with the Philippines. "We are concerned about the rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific," she said during a visit to ...
Re-Election of China’s Man at the Food & Agriculture Organization Could Reverberate in the Global South
By Felix Brender Earlier this month, China’s Qu Dongyu was re-elected as head of the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO). Media coverage was rather muted inside and outside China, where official media foregrounded Qu’s being the first Chinese in such a role and ...
Why China Wins and the West Loses When the Price of Cobalt Drops
U.S. and European automakers are rejoicing over the 30% plunge in cobalt prices this year, providing relief for one of the costliest elements needed to power electric vehicles. But what's good for Tesla, Ford and VW is not aligned with the ...
What a Small Electric Substation in Kinshasa Tells Us About Why Developing Countries Often Prefer to Work With China on Infrastructure
China's ambassador to the DR Congo, Zhu Jing, posted one of those anodyne tweets on Sunday about yet another Chinese-financed infrastructure project in Africa nearing completion. These kinds of Chinese infrastructure soft power propaganda messages (aka "Infrastructure Porn") have become so common ...
Chinese Auto Exports Surge as PRC Brands Gain Traction in Global South
Chinese auto exports around the world jumped 70% in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year, according to new customs data. And it appears that Chinese auto manufacturers are earning more from each ...
Secret EU Document Reveals Big Plans for Key China Allies
Politico has obtained a confidential EU briefing outlining plans to regain influence in four “priority countries” deemed too close to China and Russia. In order to isolate China and drum up global support for Ukraine and against Russia, the document advised the ...