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

How Do TICAD and FOCAC Differ?

While TICAD and the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) hone in on similar areas of cooperation (training, connectivity, infrastructure), their approaches differ in important ways.  This article by Peter Fabricius for the South African ...
by Cobus van Staden

Questions About China’s Debt Writeoff

While the Chinese government hasn’t yet released a full list of the zero-interest loans to poor countries, it will write off, that hasn’t stopped some African governments from celebrating.  Togo signaled cautious optimism, saying ...
by Cobus van Staden

Happiness in Kenya as Avos Reach the Chinese Market

Chinese customs officers inspect some of the 45 tons of recently arrived Kenyan avocados. Image via Xinhua.
The first consignment of Kenyan avocados finally reached the Chinese market after years of hoop-jumping by Kenyan farmers.  The delivery was officially handed over by Kenya’s ambassador, Mary Muthoni, during a ceremony in Beijing. Reportedly ...
by Cobus van Staden

Huawei’s Solar Pivot Widely Promoted in Africa

As the Chinese technology giant Huawei finds its traditional internet business increasingly contained due to pressure in the Global North, it’s pivoting towards green energy in the Global South. Huawei recently blanketed the African press with paid ...
by Cobus van Staden

How Effective are China’s Press Junkets for African Journalists? Pretty Effective.

Mohamed Osman Abdi is a journalist based in Mogadishu.
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 ...
by Cobus van Staden

WEEK IN REVIEW: The European Union (EU) and the association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Will Hold a National Leaders Summit in December for the First Time

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels on February 8, 2022. Virginia Mayo / POOL / AFP
The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold a national leaders summit in December for the first time to discuss expanding trade and infrastructure assistance.  Relocating some of Europe’s ...
by Eric Olander

TICAD: Japan’s Quiet Challenge to China’s Development Role in Africa

Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden during a meeting of the preparatory committee for the 8th edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development which will take place on August 27 in the capital Tunis. FETHI BELAID / AFP
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 ...
by Cobus van Staden

Unpacking China’s Quest for Digital “Discourse Power”

Perceptions in Beijing that Western powers are trying to constrain its influence is resulting in a concerted focus on building a China-led consensus across the Global South. Under the shorthand of ‘discourse power,’ ...
by Cobus van Staden

Rhino Poaching Rates in Africa and Asia Have Plunged by Half, Says New Report

5-year-old black rhino Loijipu feeds on grass in Sera Rhino Sanctuary, Samburu County, Kenya on May 11, 2022. LUIS TATO / AFP
Poaching rates for both African and Asian rhinos have been steadily falling for the past three years and are now at their lowest rates in almost a decade, according to the findings of ...
by Eric Olander

China’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Wants Local Chinese Businesses to Button Everything Up Ahead of 20th Party Congress

China's ambassador to Bangladesh, Li Jiming, spoke with representatives of the local Chinese business community about security precautions in the country.
The Chinese embassy in Bangladesh organized an online gathering this week for representatives of the local Chinese business community on how to tighten security in their enterprises ahead of the upcoming 20th Party ...
by Eric Olander

Where Does China Source Its Natural Gas

Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2022
China is the world’s fastest-growing market for natural gas and imported more last year than any other country — accounting for 60% of global demand. The bulk of China’s imports in 2021 came ...
by Eric Olander

China’s Dominance of the Congolese Cobalt Sector May Not Actually Matter Much in the Near Future

The new U.S. climate law, officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act, has a number of provisions aimed at breaking China’s hold on certain strategic resources like cobalt, widely seen as vital to ...
by Eric Olander

How is the New U.S. Strategy for Africa Seen in China?

HEADLINE TRANSLATION: Li Wentao: The New Strategy for Africa: The "Last Piece of the Puzzle" of America's Global Strategy
Chinese scholars and policy analysts have been poring over the recently released U.S. Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa to gauge its implications for China and its engagement on the continent. In contrast to the ...
by Eric Olander

CMOC’s Cobalt Earnings Jump as Prime Minister’s Mediation Attempt Falters

Earnings statement for the first half of the year from China Molybdenum for its cobalt and copper mining unit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
China Molybdenum (aka CMOC/China Moly), the Chinese minerals giant running one of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest cobalt mines, has reported record net profits of about $606 million for the first six months of ...
by Eric Olander

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Pain of Un-Polarity

“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”
This post by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may end up leaving a more lasting mark than the actual summit he attended.

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Angolan Presidential Candidate Eyes Chinese Loans

File image of Angolan presidential candidate Adalberto Costa Junior. Julio PACHECO NTELA / AFP
Adalberto Costa Jr., a candidate in this week’s presidential election in Angola, will launch an audit of the country’s debt to China if he wins. He pledged that any loans not resulting in infrastructure will ...
by Eric Olander

Africa Should Be Cautiously Optimistic About New U.S. Africa Strategy: Analyst

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers a speech on the U.S.-Africa Strategy at the University of Pretoria's Future Africa Campus in Pretoria, on August 8, 2022. Andrew Harnik / AP POOL / POOL / AFP
Global reaction to the United States’s new Africa strategy, unveiled by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his recent African visit, has largely split along North-South lines. While accounts in the U.S. press framed the ...
by Eric Olander

Tanzania is the Latest Focal Point For Railway Construction in the Post-Megaloan Era

The Tanzanian government opened bidding to build the next stage of its new Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) network that will extend to the border with Burundi. Construction companies have been invited to submit proposals to build ...
by Eric Olander

How do Africans View U.S.-China Tensions over Taiwan? Two Researchers Weigh In

Visiting US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (C) waves to journalists during her arrival at the Parliament in Taipei on August 3, 2022. Sam Yeh / AFP
This article features back-to-back responses by two African researchers on United States-China tensions over Taiwan. Response 1: By Christopher Edyegu
by Cobus van Staden

Indian Media Goes Bonkers Over Reports of Possible Xi-Modi Summit

The Wall Street Journal sparked a flurry of speculation in the Indian media over the weekend with a report on Friday that said Chinese President Xi Jinping is thinking about going to the Shanghai ...
by Eric Olander

China Cancels Nearly Two Dozen Interest-Free Loans to 17 African Countries

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed a group of African foreign ministers during a virtual FOCAC 8 follow-up session on August 18, 2022. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi unveiled a minor debt relief package for 17 African countries, writing off 23 interest-free loans that came due at the end of the last year. Wang made the announcement on ...
by Eric Olander

Chinese Contractors to Finish Building New Africa CDC HQ Ahead of Schedule

Construction site for the new headquarters of the Africa Center for Disease Control in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Image via Xinhua.
Chinese contractors are now three-quarters of the way done with the new headquarters of the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa with construction running ahead of ...
by Eric Olander

WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Troops Will Travel to Russia to Participate in Joint Military Exercises

Chinese troops will travel to Russia to participate in joint military exercises from 30 August to 5 September. The Vostok (East) exercises will also include soldiers from Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and — notably — India. (REUTERS) ...
by Eric Olander

Vietnam Wins as Apple Moves More Production Out of China 

Hector RETAMAL / AFP
Apple is in talks to make Apple Watches and MacBooks in Vietnam for the first time, marking a further win for the Southeast Asian country as the U.S. tech giant looks to diversify ...
by Cobus van Staden

Is China Planning Bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan?

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin speaking at the regular press briefing in Beijing. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin shot down allegations in the Indian media that China is planning military bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The issue was raised at a Ministry briefing by a reporter for ...
by Cobus van Staden

China and Russia Join Military Skills Contest in Algeria

Soldiers from China and Russia joined counterparts from thirteen other countries in a military skills competition that kicked off this week in Algeria. Participants will compete in activities like parachute jumping, shooting and driving ...
by Cobus van Staden

Hunan’s Growing Clout in African Agricultural Trade Now Extends to Honey

The Chinese province of Hunan this week ran online courses in beekeeping and honey processing for African farmers. Hunan is quickly emerging as the world’s most innovative hub for African agricultural trade, with a cocoa ...
by Cobus van Staden

New Chinese Military Bases in Africa Only a Matter of Time Says Top U.S. Intelligence Official

File image of the Chinese PLA Navy base in Djibouti. STR/AFP/Getty Images
The debate in the United States over whether China plans to build new military bases in Africa resurfaced on Tuesday when the Director of Intelligence Analysis for U.S. forces in Africa (AFRICOM) published a ...
by Eric Olander

Wang Touts China’s Human Rights Record to Visiting Asian, African Diplomats on Their Way To Visit Xinjiang

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meeting virtually with a delegation of Geneva-based envoys from Asian and African countries currently touring China. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke glowingly of Beijing’s human rights record with indirect references to the situation in Xinjiang when he met on Tuesday with a delegation of visiting UN diplomats from Asian and ...
by Eric Olander

How Transsion Hit the Mobile Jackpot in Africa

Source: Counterpoint Research
The Chinese mobile phone maker Transsion hasn’t sold a single phone in China. Yet it posted a $580 million profit last year, largely based on its success in Africa. Through its Itel, Tecno, ...
by Cobus van Staden

Saudi Arabia is Preparing For President Xi’s Arrival This Week, According to Reports

TRANSLATION: "According to news from inside Saudi Arabia, some roads in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, have begun traffic control, and the central area of the capital is undergoing state ceremony rehearsals in preparation for the arrival of Chinese leader Xi Jinping."
There are new indications that Chinese President Xi Jinping will, in fact, be heading to Saudi Arabia this week for his first overseas visit in nearly three years since the beginning of the pandemic. Although ...
by Eric Olander
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Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
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Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
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Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths

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