Today is a public holiday in South Africa – Human Rights Day. There’s a certain irony in spending the day focusing on China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vladimir Putin, knee-deep in a human rights disaster.
What one makes of the Ukraine crisis increasingly maps on where one lives. This is made clear by a remarkable new set of polling data recently published by the European Council on Foreign Relations ...
Country: South Africa
CAR Attack Sparks New Concerns About Safety of Chinese People in Africa
One week after a brutal attack on a Chinese mining site in the Central African Republic (CAR) that killed nine people and injured two others, it's still not clear who is responsible and why they did it. All Chinese personnel in ...
Reporting Tips for African Journalists Covering China
Reporting on China is difficult even for the most experienced journalist who's spent years living there and speaks the language. So, it's not surprising that reporters in Africa who've had limited exposure to the country often struggle to cover China-related news. ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Xi Bets on Global South in Moscow
Africa’s Role in China’s Evolving Geopolitical Priorities
It's been a momentous past two weeks for Chinese foreign policy with major a breakthrough in the Sri Lanka debt impasse and the landmark announcement that Beijing helped to broker the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Meantime, China ...
Chinese Blockbuster Wandering Earth II Extends Africa Release With Premiere in Egypt
The Chinese sci-fi spectacle, The Wandering Earth II, is slowly turning into a global blockbuster. The film debuted to enthusiastic audiences in Egypt after getting similarly positive responses in other African countries, including South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique.
WEEK IN REVIEW: China-IMF Debt Standoff | France’s “New” Africa Strategy | SA Naval Exercises
The G20 finance ministers meeting in India came and went without any progress on the debt standoff between China and the IMF/World Bank over who should take losses on loans to the world's poorest countries. ...
Chinese Sci-Fi Blockbuster Wandering Earth 2 to Open in Southern Africa
The Chinese movie hit "Wandering Earth 2" will open next week in four southern African countries beginning with South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe on March 10th, followed by Zambia the week after. The science fiction blockbuster has already taken in $566 million ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: South Africa: Naval Drills | Ghana: Debt Crisis | DRC: Mining Contracts
Controversial joint naval exercises among South Africa, Russia, and China got underway this week off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, prompting a fierce backlash from critics who blasted Pretoria for legitimizing Russia on the first anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine.
What’s the Strategy Behind South Africa’s Joint Naval Exercises With China and Russia?
South Africa’s joint naval exercises with China and Russia are drawing sharp criticism domestically and from Western allies. Beyond questions about the symbolism of its timing - overlapping with the one-year anniversary of the Ukraine invasion - many are baffled as to why SA is participating ...
Pentagon Not Happy About South African Naval Exercises But Won’t Admit It Publicly
The United States military is staying largely quiet over the ongoing joint naval exercises in South Africa that include Russia and China. Earlier, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Chidi Blyden said the U.S. respects South Africa's ...
South Africa’s Decrepit Railway Infrastructure is Slowing Iron Ore Shipments to China
More than a million tons of South African iron ore is blocked from leaving the country, mostly bound for China, due to SA's failing railway infrastructure. The local unit of British-South African mining giant Anglo American, Kumba Iron ...
Chinese Fleet Arrives in South Africa for Controversial Joint Exercises With Russia
The 42nd Chinese naval escort fleet that includes the guided-missile destroyer Huainan and the missile frigate Rizhao arrived on Sunday in South Africa's Port of Richards Bay to participate in this week's controversial joint naval exercises with Russia. The drills, known ...
China Resumes High-Level Diplomatic Visits to Africa
Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan met late last week with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a brief visit to Cape Town. Sun's visit comes one month after Foreign Minister Qin Gang did a five-nation tour and marks ...