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: Solomon Islands
China Isn’t Spending Anywhere Near as Much on Aid to Pacific Island Countries as Many Think
New research reveals that Chinese aid spending in Pacific Island Countries (PIC) is now at the lowest level in 14 years, challenging the widely held perception that Beijing is showering the region with money in a bid to boost its influence. ...
Solomon Islands Explains It Wanted China References Stripped From U.S.-Pacific Island Countries’ Accord
The Solomon Islands caused a bit of a stir last month at a summit in Washington, D.C. when it refused to sign an initial draft of an accord between the U.S. and more than a dozen Pacific nations. Now, we know why.
Fox News Blames Biden for China in the Solomon Islands
U.S. concerns about Chinese influence in the Solomon Islands have crossed a notable rhetorical red line: it is now a talking point on Fox News. This turns it from an obscure geopolitical spat to a topic in the mainstream Republican-Democrat culture war. Fox hosted the ...
Solomon Islands PM Assures Australia It Remains “Security Partner of Choice”
Manasseh Sogavare, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, moved to calm Australian fears about his country's new security pact with China. In an interview with The Guardian, Sogavare said there will never be a ...
USAID Emails Reveal Anxiety Over China’s Solomon Islands Security Pact
Newly-released emails obtained by Al Jazeera through a Freedom of Information request highlight U.S. unease over China's recent security agreement with the Solomon Islands. "Yikes! This is very troubling," said Ryan Washburn, USAID mission director to the ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Jiang Zemin Created the Africa-China Relationship As We Know It Today
Solomon Islands Assure Australia on Chinese Base, Leaves Some Wiggle Room
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of the Solomon Islands assured Australia’s visiting Foreign Minister Penny Wong that China won’t be allowed to build a permanent military base there. Wong told journalists: “I welcomed Prime Minister Sogavare’s ...
China’s New Ambitions in the South Pacific
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent South Pacific tour put the region in play as the latest venue for Great Power political rivalries. But even though the ten Pacific Island Countries (PIC) are among the smallest in the world, they came ...