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: South Sudan
China’s Uphill Battle Fostering Stability in the Horn of Africa
By Lukas Fiala On Monday and Tuesday this week, Ethiopia hosted a China-sponsored Horn of Africa Peace Governance and Development conference – the first of its kind. Taking place at the China-financed African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, the event signalled ...
China’s Horn of Africa Conference Reveals the Limits of Mediation Role
The China-led peace conference for the Horn of Africa was both a big step for China and a bit of a damp squib. The conference, which concluded on Tuesday, was China’s most prominent attempt at promoting its version of developmental peace in Africa since its ...
Foreign Intervention is the Root Cause of Conflict in the Horn of Africa Says China’s Special Envoy
Foreign intervention more than anything else is to blame for the current instability in the Horn of Africa (HoA), according to Xue Bing, China's Special Envoy for the region. Xue made the remarks during a small press ...
China’s New Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Meets Regional Ambassadors
Ethiopia's ambassador to China, Teshome Toga Chanaka, hosted a lunch of Horn of Africa ambassadors at Ethiopia House in Beijing. Also invited was Xue Bing, China's new Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, and Wu Peng, the PRC's top diplomat to Africa. ...
Rare Bike Collectors Take Note… South Sudan’s Got a Lot of Classics on the Streets
If you love classic Chinese bikes then you'll want to spend some time on the streets of South Sudan, where bikes like the Phoenix are apparently quite popular. The Phoenix, like the once immensely popular Flying Pigeon ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Jiang Zemin Created the Africa-China Relationship As We Know It Today
China’s Evolving Military Diplomacy in the Global South
By Lukas Fiala, LSE IDEAS China Foresight August 1st marked the 94th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). While CGTN celebrated the occasion with a blockbuster-esque video, showcasing the PLA’s growing military strength and operational know-how, China’s ambassador to ...
China’s Role in Re-Energizing the South Sudan Peace Process
South Sudan marked its tenth anniversary this month as an independent country. Regrettably, though, after a decade of civil war and divided government that has left at least 400,000 people dead and displaced a third of the population, there isn't much ...
The Pushback Against China’s Coercive Diplomacy
Although China has successfully leveraged its strengths in COVID-19 vaccine production to replenish its reservoir of goodwill in many developing countries, elsewhere Beijing is facing growing resistance to its increasingly assertive foreign policy agenda. The ...
Why African Energy Exporters Should Be Concerned About CNOOC’s Interest in a Massive Qatari Gas Deal
One of China's three major oil and gas companies, CNOOC, is reportedly interested in joining the world's largest natural gas project in Qatar. The company's CFO Xie Weizhi said CNOOC is exploring the option to invest in the $29 ...
China’s Decision To Hold on To Its Oil Assets in Sudan May Now Start To Pay Off
Sudan's oil industry is starting to rumble back to life, following this year's landmark peace agreement with rival South Sudan and a dramatic improvement in ties with the United States, which recently took Khartoum off its list of state sponsors of terrorism.