China’s Vice President Han Zheng addressed the UN General Assembly on Thursday. Along with retreads of established Chinese positions on Taiwan, Ukraine, and the Israel/Palestine conflict, his comments also provided interesting clues about China’s messaging to the Global South.
First, he called on the international community to “follow the direction of a multipolar world” with the UN at its center. I wonder how opinion within Beijing’s inner circles breaks down around the bipolarity/multipolarity issue, considering ...
Country: Liberia
China’s Ambassador to Liberia Moves to Stamp Out Any Comparisons Between the Situations in Ukraine and Taiwan
China’s ambassador to Liberia, Ren Yishang published a long op-ed in Wednesday's edition of the New Dawn Liberia newspaper complaining about a recent article by the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe comparing the current crisis in Ukraine with the situation regarding Taiwan. ...
Contrasting U.S. and Liberian Views on the Role of Chinese Lending in African
There's been a noticeable increase this year in the frequency of seminars (off and online) in the United States about the Belt and Road and China's role in Africa in particular. Generally speaking, the consensus among the participants, particularly those from the U.S., is quite negative towards ...
A Strange Controversy in Liberia Over a Joint Statement Denouncing Chinese Human Rights in Xinjiang
For some inexplicable reason, the Liberian Observer, one of the country's leading dailies, published an article on Monday about China's "disappointment" with Monrovia for joining 42 other countries at the United Nations to sign a French-led statement "on the human rights ...
The 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa is the Setting For a New Blockbuster Chinese Drama
Ebola Fighters (埃博拉前线) is a big-budget drama that premiers today on China's largest streaming platforms. It depicts the efforts of frontline Chinese medical staff in the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. ...
Tanzanian Authorities Arrest Chinese Farmer For Illegally Pumping Millions of Liters of Water From Local Rivers
A Chinese large-scale farmer was arrested by local authorities in the small village of Kidogozelo in eastern Tanzania for using a high-capacity pump to draw water from the Ruvu river to irrigate his vegetable farm. The unnamed Chinese national is accused of installing and using an illegal ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Unpacking Han Zheng’s Messaging to the Global South at the UN General Assembly
Liberia’s House of Reps Blocks Controversial Chinese Mining Deal
A fascinating political struggle is playing out in Liberia over a controversial 25-year iron ore deal with Chinese company BAO Chico. Last week, the Senate ratified the deal in what critics contend was effectively a rubber stamp decision after only minimal discussion and no expert ...
For the Second Day in a Row, Liberia’s Daily Observer Editorial Board Slams Government Over Secrecy in Chinese Mining Deal
The Editorial Board at one of Liberia's largest newspapers, the Daily Observer, is keeping up the pressure on the government by demanding for the second day in a row that it release the details of a 25-year iron ore deal with the Chinese ...
Liberian Senate Approves Controversial Resources-For-Infrastructure Deal With Chinese Mining Company
The Liberian Senate voted on Friday to approve a controversial $2.5 billion iron ore for infrastructure deal with the Chinese mining giant BAO Chico. The origins of the deal date back to the 2018 FOCAC summit when President George Weah negotiated the arrangement ...
Trailer Drops For New Chinese TV Drama About the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
The trailer for a big-budget TV Chinese drama series set in a fictitious West African country during the 2014 Ebola outbreak is getting a bit of buzz on Chinese social media channels. Ebola Fighters purportedly showcases the efforts of Chinese PLA ...
Liberia’s Senate President Shows Engaging China Depends on Acceding to Beijing’s Core Interests Up Front
The recent visit to the Chinese embassy in Monrovia by Albert Chie, president pro-tem of the Liberian Senate, provides an interesting insight into how African stakeholders are proactively telegraphing their acceptance of China's position on sensitive territorial issues like Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong among others.