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: Russia
China, Russia, and Myanmar: Symptomatic of a Weakening ASEAN?
By Saniya Kulkarni According to reports the annual ASEAN summit, which takes place today in Phnom Penh, is prioritizing the issue of rising violence in member state Myanmar following the 2021 coup which resulted in a military junta displacing the elected government ...
More Evidence that the Africa-China Relationship is Increasingly Driven by Politics, Not Commodities
For centuries, many assumed that Africa's greatest contribution to the global economy was through selling stuff that comes out of the ground. That was certainly what drew the Chinese to Africa back in the early 2000s. Today that's no longer the case.
Can Beijing Sell its Global Security Initiative?
By Lukas Fiala On Wednesday, Xi Jinping promised Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif ‘to advance the operationalization of the…Global Security Initiative.’ Announced by Xi only in April this year, the GSI is adding to an alphabet ...
Friends Without Benefits?
By Chris Alden It seems a long time since the joint declaration on 4 February 2022 between President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin declared their ‘friendship without limits’ as crucial to ushering in a ‘new era’ in international relations. That ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Developing Countries in Asia, for the First Time in More Than 30 Years, Will Grow Faster Than China
Developing countries in Asia, for the first time in more than 30 years, will grow faster than China, according to a new report by the Asian Development Bank. The bank forecasts China's annual growth rate this year to be just 3.3% compared to 4.3% for developing countries in ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Jiang Zemin Created the Africa-China Relationship As We Know It Today
Xi, Putin and Modi in Central Asia
By Lukas Fiala With all eyes on Xi Jinping’s first foreign trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a flurry of commentators have been dissecting the significance of Xi’s meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation ...
Xi-Putin Meeting Looms Large As Chinese President Arrives in Uzbekistan
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in a blaze of media attention, especially around his possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting could have implications for the Ukraine crisis and beyond. Some Western commentators
India Could Be a Wild Card at the SCO Summit
While a possible Xi-Putin meeting dominates the headlines, another conversation on the SCO sidelines in Samarkand could signal a headache for Western powers. Speculation is mounting that President Xi could also meet with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ...
Possible Xi-Putin Summit Comes at a Critical Time in Sino-Russian Ties
This week's expected summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin comes at a delicate time for both countries: ?? With Russian forces now in retreat in portions of eastern Ukraine, President Putin needs to keep ...
This Week Will Likely Mark the End of Xi Jinping’s 971 Day Absence From International Diplomacy
The last time Xi Jinping traveled abroad was a trip to Myanmar on January 17, 2020. This week, the Chinese president is widely expected to end his nearly three-year absence from international diplomacy when he heads to Central Asia for a ...