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Why Sahel States Are Turning to Chinese Military Gear

In early September, Guinea’s port of Conakry turned into a military stage as convoys of CS/VP-14 mine-resistant vehicles, VN-22 6×6 infantry carriers, command and recovery vehicles, and even an SR-5 rocket artillery system rolled off Chinese cargo ships and headed toward Mali’s capital. ...

Chinese Firms Pay Price of Jihadist Strikes Against Mali Junta

Jihadists allied to Al-Qaeda have launched a blitz of raids on Malian industrial sites run by foreign firms, especially Chinese, as a tactic to undermine the ruling junta. While present across wider west Africa, the powerful Group for the Support of ...

Standard Bank Becomes First African Bank to Offer China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System

China's alternative to the SWIFT international payment network is now available in Africa, following the announcement by Standard Bank, the continent's largest bank in terms of assets, as the first institution to offer the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). This is ...

West African Social Media Fizzes With Pro-BRICS Content

By Emilie Beraud et Célia Lebur West African social media is abuzz with posts promoting a "brighter future" in partnership with non-Western powers, especially those belonging to the BRICS emerging economies meeting this week in Russia.

5 Takeaways From Xi’s FOCAC Speech

Chinese President Xi Jinping's highly anticipated opening address at the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit on Thursday sent a clear message that Beijing remains firmly committed to its strong ties with African governments and intends to deepen its engagement on the continent.

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Revealing Reactions to China’s Festival of Optics

In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...

Chinese Energy Diplomacy in Mali to Increase Renewable Energy Generation

Chinese companies are said to have quietly joined Africa’s renewable energy revolution. In March 2023, China Power Construction Corporation held a special 10-day training program for Mali focused on energy supply chains, including construction and maintenance. It was the 112th such program in a developing nation.

China Cuts Tariffs for Six African Countries

China’s customs authorities announced that goods from six least-developed African countries will be exempt from tariffs. 98% of imports from Angola, Gambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mali, and Mauritania will be affected. (XINHUA)

Chinese-Built Cross-Frontier Hydro System Inaugurated in Mali

This weekend saw the inauguration of the Gouina Hydroelectric dam and Malinguina hydropower station in Mali. Funded by the China Exim Bank and built by PowerChina, the facilities form part of a transfrontier hydroelectric system linking Mali, Senegal, and Mauritania.  ...

APSONIC Is Another Chinese Company That You’ve Probably Never Heard but That’s Absolutely Crushing It in Africa

A Chinese maker of motorcycles is quietly cornering the African market. While Apsonic isn’t famous, the Guangzhou company has built up an impressive presence in West Africa, after setting up shop in Togo in 2003. Now its products are buzzing through ...

China’s Ambassador to Mali Gives Public Show of Support As Bamako Faces Growing International Isolation

Ambassador Chen's meeting with Mali's national police chief is particularly notable in light of Bamako's growing isolation in the international community. Mali is currently facing sanctions from the West African regional organization ECOWAS with the support of France, the United States and the European Union.

WEEK IN REVIEW: It’s Now Possible to Transport Cargo From Uganda to Kenya’s Port of Mombasa

The long-held dream of transporting goods between Uganda and the Port of Mombasa became a reality on Monday with the inauguration of a new rail line that connects Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) with a newly refurbished meter gauge line in Uganda. This is a pared-down version of the ...

Week in Review: Hostages Rescued in Mali, Rwandan Agribusiness & Nigeria Joins AIIB

Malian security forces on Monday rescued three Chinese nationals kidnapped by unknown assailants after the trio escaped their captors over the weekend. The three construction workers and two colleagues from Mauritania were seized on July 17. While the Mauritanians were freed 10 days later, the Chinese were held ...
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