The Philippine coastguard called on its country’s fishing fleets to keep operating around the Scarborough Shoal (known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Dao in China) despite the large Chinese presence in the disputed South China Sea area.
Coastguard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said while Philippine government vessels can’t maintain a constant presence, they are committed to protecting the country’s fishing rights in what it sees as its Exclusive Economic Zone.
Country: Tunisia
Amid Twin Political and Economic Crises, Tunisia Turns on West and Announces Intent to Join BRICS
The Tunisian government angrily pushed back against both the International Monetary Fund and the European Union over how to resolve the North African country's twin economic and political crises. President Kais Saied bluntly told the IMF on Friday that he ...
There’s a Creeping Sense Last Week’s Japan’s Africa Summit Was Kind of Underwhelming
The post-mortems of last week's Tokyo International Conference on African Development are starting to come in and the reviews, at least from some in the Japanese media, are not very encouraging. One of Japan's main news agencies, Jiji, said the event ...
Japan Pledges $30 billion in Funding at Africa Summit
Japan will extend $30 billion in funding to aid African development. This is the major outcome of the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which took place in Tunisia this weekend. Speaking virtually, Japan’s ...
China Hits Back at TICAD 8
Japanese officials may have tried to downplay their rivalry with China in Africa, but the response from Beijing put the inflamed relationship between the countries front and center. China’s state-owned Global Times sharply criticized the commitments announced at the ...
African Development Bank Collaboration Reveals Overlaps Between Japan’s and China’s Goals
A key announcement at TICAD 8 was that Japan will provide $5 billion to the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the fifth phase of the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance for Africa initiative (EPSA) from 2023 to 2025.
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Philippine Fishing Fleets Urged to Maintain Presence at Disputed Shoal as Tensions Build
TICAD: Japan’s Quiet Challenge to China’s Development Role in Africa
27 and 28 August will see the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) taking place in Tunisia. Japan’s TICAD predates China’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and set the template for the continent’s interaction with Asian economic superpowers.
Tunisia Inaugurates Chinese-Built Diplomatic Academy, Boosting Beijing’s ‘Building Diplomacy’
China’s construction of government buildings in Africa isn’t slowing, even as it cuts back on other large-scale infrastructure projects. Tunisia recently became the newest example, with the inauguration of its new Chinese-built Tunisian Diplomatic Academy. The building, built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corp., will be used for the ...
Chinese Vaccine Update: Distributions in Africa Remain Highly Skewed in Favor of North Africa
As of this week, China has distributed 117.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines throughout with just under 40% of those shipments provided as donations, according to the latest data from Bridge Consulting's vaccine tracker report. But the distribution ...
Chinese Vaccines Trickle Into Africa at a Slow, Steady Pace But Hardly Enough to Make a Big Impact
Chinese vaccine shipments to Africa increased by 2.4 million since last week to 56.3 million total doses delivered to date. As of this week, Africa accounts for just 8% of China's total global vaccine distribution, according to Beijing-based consultancy Bridge Beijing's latest vaccine tracker ...
Rebuffed by the United States, Mexico Places a Huge Order For Chinese Vaccines
Shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden turned down a request from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to supply vaccines, the Mexican government turned right around to place an order with China for 22 million doses, according to Foreign Minister Marcel Ebrard.