Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Country: Somalia
Xi-Mohamud Handshake Proves Opposing China on Xinjiang Isn’t a Diplomatic Death Sentence for Small Countries
Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was one of at least a dozen heads of state to do a brief meet-and-greet with Xi Jinping during the China-Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday. The interaction was wholly unremarkable, but the ...
Three African Countries Sign Canadian-led Joint Statement on Human Rights in Xinjiang
The bitter debate over human rights in Xinjiang flared anew this week at the United Nations when Canada's UN ambassador Bob Rae read a joint statement on behalf of 50 countries at a meeting of the General Assembly’s human rights committee. The joint ...
Taiwanese Troops to Serve in Somaliland
For the first time, the disputed African region of Somaliland will be included in 14 countries and territories that will host Taiwanese soldiers as part of an alternative directive that allows them to do their national military service overseas. Somaliland has been lobbying for independence from Somalia, ...
China’s Messaging to Africa on Xinjiang in Action
The meeting this week between a group of African journalists and Wu Peng, China’s top diplomat to Africa, became an example of how Chinese government officials use direct engagement with reporters as a messaging tool. China has cultivated ...
New Chinese Naval Escort Task Force Joins Multinational Anti-Piracy Operations in the Gulf of Aden
The People's Liberation Army Navy's 42nd naval escort taskforce began operations in the Gulf of Aden last Saturday as part of the 14-year-long multinational anti-piracy campaign off the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden. The newly-arrived Chinese vessels replaced ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Somalia Voted With China’s Critics at the UN Human Rights Council to Initiate a Debate on Xinjiang. But Why?
Somalia was a standout last week when it was the only African country and the only Muslim-majority country to back a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council that called for a debate over China's human rights policies in Xinjiang.
How Effective are China’s Press Junkets for African Journalists? Pretty Effective.
As China opens back up after the pandemic, journalists are again being flown in from across the Global South for junkets - a key form of influence-building for Beijing. If you wondered whether these tours pay off in soft ...
Why the Taiwan Crisis Resonates in Somalia
While a number of African countries over the past week have telegraphed their support of Beijing's One China Policy, few have reached Somalia's level of enthusiasm. For Mogadishu, the Taiwan issue hits closer to home than for many other African countries. ...
How Did China Do in Its First Horn of Africa Peace Conference?
China's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Xue Bing, wrapped up a two-day peace conference in Addis Ababa last week, Beijing's first-ever effort to mediate conflicts outside of Asia. Xue personally offered to serve as a broker to help resolve ...
Pentagon Recommends New Lead For U.S. Africa Command
The U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin recommended Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley as the new commander of the U.S. Military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM). If formally nominated by the White House and approved by the U.S. Senate, Langley would become the first Black commander ...