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The News Feed is curated by CGSP’s editors in Asia and Africa.

China Still Keen to Join Pan-Pacific Trade Pact and Expects All 11 Members to Support Its Bid, Says Vice Minister

File image of China's Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen who is also Beijing's lead negotiator for admission to the pan-Pacific trade pact known as CPTPP. Greg Baker / AFP
One of China’s top trade negotiators said Beijing is still committed to joining the pan-Pacific trade pact known as CPTPP (formerly known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership) even though the odds of admission in ...
by Eric Olander

Awards for Online Influencers From Global South Countries Who “Tell Good China Stories”

Inaugural awards ceremony for international online influencers who propagate pro-Chinese content to their followers. Image via China Daily.
Chinese propaganda authorities recognized seven online content influencers from various countries around the world, including Cameroon and Iran for their contributions to “presenting a true, panoramic view of China.” The awards were ...
by Eric Olander

WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese and Indian Oil Buyers Ignoring West’s Price Cap on Russian Crude

Chinese and Indian oil buyers are ignoring the West’s price cap on Russian crude, snapping up a majority of Moscow’s output at prices well above the $60 per barrel limit. The cap was imposed ...
by Eric Olander

Zambia’s Creditors to Reconvene in May, Amid Growing Global Debt Concern

A graph showing rising debt loads on key sub-Saharan economies. Image via Business Day
Bloomberg reports that Zambia’s official creditor committee, which is co-led by China, has reportedly made progress in meetings this week, which will lead to them reconvening for a follow-up session next month. The ...
by Eric Olander

China’s Newest Talking Point on Debt: The U.S. Dollar is to Blame

The image accompanying a recent op-ed in Global Times blaming the dominance of the U.S. dollar ofr African debt problems
As China faces increasing criticism around perceptions that it is holding up debt relief processes, its state media seems to be trying out new talking points in its messaging on the issue to Global ...
by Eric Olander

China-Gabon Relations Upgraded

Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba (middle left) meeting China's President Xi Jinping, image via Xinhua
China and Gabon’s relationship has been upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the main takeaway from President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s state visit to Beijing. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? The elevation of the relationship to ...
by Eric Olander

Namibia Partners With Chinese Company to Build 50MW Wind Power Plant

NamPower Managing Director Kahenge Haulofu and Fang Xiang, general manager of China Energy International Group Co., Ltd. (Namibia), pose for a photo at a signing ceremony in Windhoek, Namibia, on April 17, 2023. Image via NamPower.
Namibia Power Corporation (NamPower) has signed power purchase and transmission connection agreements for the development of a 50MW wind power project in Lüderitz, southwestern Namibia. CERIM Lüderitz Energy, a joint venture between Riminii Investments ...
by Njenga Hakeenah

Chinese Company Targets Zimbabwe’s Solar Power Generation Amidst Crippling Blackouts

The Kariba Dam located between Zimbabwe and Zambia generates power for both countries. China Energy Engineering Corp. has propositioned Zimbabwe to build a floating solar plant on the largest man-made lake for renewable energy generation.
The China Energy Engineering Corp. has propositioned the Zimbabwean government for the construction of a 1,000-megawatt (MW) floating solar plant on the Kariba dam along the Zambezi River. At nearly $1 billion, the project will ...
by Njenga Hakeenah

China’s CMOC Reaches Breakthrough Contract Settlement Deal With DRC Over the TFM Cobalt Mine

The Chinese mining giant CMOC announced on Wednesday that it finalized a deal with the DR Congo’s state-run mining company Gécamines over royalty payments for the massive Tenke Fungurume (TFM) copper and cobalt mine. ...
by Eric Olander

China’s Offer to Mediate Israel-Palestinian Conflict Lacks Credibility, Say Analysts

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang sought to build on his recent success in mediating a settlement between Iran and Saudi Arabia by reaching out to the foreign ministers of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to offer to do the same. Suo Takekuma / POOL / AFP
This week’s offer by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to facilitate peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was quickly dismissed as unrealistic by prominent scholars and analysts who closely follow the issue. ...
by Eric Olander

What the Israelis Really Want From China (Hint: It Has Nothing to do With the Palestinians)

Photo published on Twitter by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to publicize his phone call with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang. Image via @elicoh1.
There’s no indication in the Israeli national security community of a strong desire to call on China to help mediate the country’s long-running dispute with the Palestinians. After all, Israel is one of ...
by Eric Olander

Iran-China Trade Topped $15 Billion Last Year: Report

Two-way trade between China and Iran increased by 7% last year to $15.8 billion, according to new data by Chinese customs authorities. Iranian exports to China accounted for $6.35 billion, while imports from ...
by Eric Olander

Chinese Embassy in Nigeria Refutes Times (UK) Story That Claimed “Beijing is Indirectly Funding Terrorism”

The Chinese embassy in Abuja denounced a report published last weekend in The Times (UK) newspaper that alleged Chinese companies are bribing militants for access to mineral reserves in northern Nigeria. The embassy said ...
by Eric Olander

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

2026: Africa-China Relations in a World Shaped by North-South Geopolitics

When talking about Africa–China relations, one is always moving along a sliding scale. There are myriad interactions with Chinese entities that concern only individual African countries, segueing into trends affecting the whole continent and sliding further into global dynamics shaping the developing world, of which Africa is the heart.

The Africa-China relationship is its own thing, but Africa’s fate can’t easily be separated from factors affecting the wider Global South, ...

South African, Chinese Communist Party Officials Meet in Beijing

The General Secretary of the South African Communist Party, Solly Afrika Mapaila, met on April 18, 2023 with the Liu Jianchao, director of the international liaison department of the CPC. Image via the Central Committee of the CPC.
The head of South Africa’s Communist Party, Solly Afrika Mapaila, met the director of the CPC’s international liaison department, Liu Jianchao, on Tuesday in Beijing.  From the gist of the read-out of the ...
by Eric Olander

In the U.S.-China Duel, the Philippines Has Chosen a Side, Says Xiamen University Southeast Asia Scholar

A US.. army soldier fires a Javelin anti-tank weapon system during the live exercise as part of the US-Philippines joint military exercise "Balikatan" at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila on April 13, 2023. Ted ALJIBE / AFP
When Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. was elected president of the Philippines last year, there was a lot of hope in Beijing that he would reset ties with China after six turbulent years of Rodrigo ...
by Eric Olander

Backgrounder: China-Australia Iron Ore Fight

The Australian-based company Sundance Resources is suing the China-linked Australia-based AustSino for malpractice and corruption over the Mbalam-Nabeba iron project on the border of Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. The court case has ...
by Christian Geraud Neema Byamungu

China’s Economy Rebounds on Back of Increased Trade

A Financial Times graph plotting newly released first quarter growth figures against Beijing's official targets. While still below the official target, the Chinese economy seems to be bouncing back.
China’s economy rebounded in the first quarter of this year, with gross domestic product growing by 4.5%, exceeding expectations. A recovery in retail spending and real estate prices has added to growth, according to 
by Cobus van Staden

Chinese Embassy in Vietnam Blasts Blinken For “Sowing Discord” in Southeast Asia

Statement published on the Chinese embassy in Vietnam website that denounced comments made by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for "sowing discord in the region."
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not comment over the weekend about U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Vietnam but will likely do so on Monday at the regular press briefing ...
by Eric Olander

China’s Online Supporters Incorrectly Thought They Saw the Vietnamese Dissing the Blinken by Not Displaying a U.S. Flag

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken a meet with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính. Image via @SecBlinken
China’s online supporters, including a number of diplomats and well-known trolls, seemed to think the Vietnamese government was trying to send visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken a message when they only ...
by Eric Olander

China’s Central Bank Chief Signals Beijing Will Cooperate With Other International Creditors on Debt Relief

File image of Yi Gang, governor of the People's Bank of China, who seemingly retreated from Beijing's position that it would insist on multilateral developmemt banks also take losses on loans to developing countries. Image via Xinhua
The head of China’s central bank, Yi Gang, provided the clearest indication to date Beijing is willing to retreat from its demand that multilateral development banks (MDBs) also take write-downs on their loans to ...
by Eric Olander

New Billion-dollar Korean-Chinese EV Battery Plant Deal Likely to Anger the U.S.

View of Saemangeum, a reclaimed area along South Korea's southwest coast where LG Chem and China's Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt plan to build a new plant. Image via LG Chem.
South Korea’s LG Chem signed a deal with Chinese mining and metal refining giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt to build a massive $920 million electric vehicle battery factory in southwest Korea. While the proposed ...
by Eric Olander

What’s in Store for Chinese Companies Encouraged to Invest in Equatorial Guinea?

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, recently urged Chinese companies to invest in Equatorial Guinea and expressed that the Chinese market is open to receiving more products from the African nation. After ...
by Njenga Hakeenah

WEEK IN REVIEW: Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to Embark on a Four-Nation African Tour Next Month

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi (L) during their visit at Buddha Jayanti Park in New Delhi. PIB / AFP
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will embark on a four-nation African tour next month, a trip widely seen as an effort to counter Chinese and Russian influence on the continent. This will be the ...
by Eric Olander

First Signs of Progress on Debt at Spring Meetings, But Much Remains Unclear

World Bank President David Malpass arrives at a plenary session of the Development Committee at the World Bank and IMF's Spring Meetings in Washington DC. Image: Stefani Reynolds / AFP
There is cautious optimism at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings in Washington DC for progress on debt relief. Earlier this week, Reuters and other outlets reported that China could be ...
by Cobus van Staden

The Philippines Walks a Tricky Line Between the Superpowers

The top defense and diplomatic officials from the United States and the Philippines met in Washington, D.C. for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue Plenary Session on Promoting Regional Security on April 11, 2023. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
China has rejected a joint call by the Philippines and the United States to scale back its presence in the South China Sea. This follows Tuesday’s 2+2 talks between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. ...
by Cobus van Staden

Lots of Talk, Little Action: Zambia’s Debt Relief Process Remains Stalled Says Finance Minister

Zambian Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane complained in an interview with Bloomberg Television that progress in restructuring the country's debts has been too slow. Image via Bloomberg.
Zambia’s Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said it’s urgent that the country’s international creditors finalize a debt restructuring deal at once, or else a $188 million IMF emergency financial package could be at risk. ...
by Eric Olander

Kenya Now in the Grip of Worsening Debt Crisis, President Rules Out Default

Kenya’s public employees are threatening to go on strike unless the government pays their overdue salaries. Civil servants did not get paid last month due to a financial crisis brought on by the country’s ...
by Eric Olander

Pirates Seize Chinese-run Oil Tanker in the Gulf of Guinea

Pirates took command of a Chinese-operated oil tanker this week 300 kilometers off the coast of Ivory Coast in the Gulf of Guinea, according to a London-based risk management company. Details about how ...
by Eric Olander

Chinese Analysts Warn New U.S., Philippines Security Plan Will Escalate Tensions in the Pacific

The top defense and diplomatic officials from the United States and the Philippines met in Washington, D.C. for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue Plenary Session on Promoting Regional Security on April 11, 2023. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
The United States and the Philippines agreed to a new long-term plan that will pave the way for a major increase in U.S. security assistance to the Southeast Asian country over the next ...
by Eric Olander
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