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

Xi Jinping and China’s Defense Chief Set to Visit Vietnam to Seek Strategic Gains Amid U.S. Tariffs Fallout

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and Vietnam President To Lam shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on August 19, 2024. (Photo by ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES / POOL / AFP)
Xi Jinping and China’s Defense Minister are ramping up diplomatic and military engagements in Vietnam as the fallout from Trump’s tariffs continues to ripple across Southeast Asia. Their aim? to strengthen ties with ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

China Minister Says U.S. Tariffs Will ‘Inflict Serious Harm” on Poor Nations

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told the head of the World Trade Organization that U.S. tariffs will “inflict serious harm” on poor nations, according to a ministry statement released Saturday. Washington and Beijing ...
by Agence France-Presse

ASEAN Leaders Seeks Trump Summit Over U.S. Tariffs as Xi Jinping Heads to Malaysia

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Malaysia today is seen as a calculated move to solidify China’s economic influence in Southeast Asia, just as the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (ACFTA 3.0) nears completion and Washington reintroduces sweeping tariffs under President Donald Trump. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)
ASEAN leaders have formally requested a special summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in response to newly announced reciprocal tariffs, as Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares for an official state visit to ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

China Says Xi to Visit Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia Next Week

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a bilateral meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at Diaoyutai Guest House in Beijing on April 11, 2025. (Photo by Andres MARTINEZ CASARES / POOL / AFP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia next week, Beijing’s foreign ministry said Friday, on his first official foreign trip this year. Xi’s tour of Southeast Asia will last from ...
by Agence France-Presse

WEEK IN REVIEW: U.S. Warns of Growing Chinese Military and Economic Influence in Latin America

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth poses for a picture next to Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez during a visit to the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal in Panama City on April 8, 2025. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP)
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed new concerns about Chinese engagement in Latin America. “China’s military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere,” Hegseth said at a security conference in Panama. ...
by CGSP Staff

Argentina Extends China Debt Deal Despite U.S. Pressure

Argentina's President Javier Milei speaks during a joint press conference with Paraguay's President Santiago Peña (out of frame) following a meeting at the Palacio de Lopez government palace in Asuncion on April 9, 2025. (Photo by DANIEL DUARTE / AFP)
Argentina extended a multi-billion-dollar currency swap agreement with China Thursday, despite fierce opposition to the deal in Washington. The cash-strapped South American nation extended the $5 billion accord with Beijing for one more year, securing ...
by Agence France-Presse

With Xi Jinping En Route to Malaysia, ASEAN Calls Special Summit to Discuss US Tariffs Pressure

Malaysia PM, Anwar Ibrahim, left, with Indonesia's President, Prabowo Subianto, in Kuala Lumpur, January 27, 2025. ASEAN will convene its leaders to discuss Trump's Tariffs days before Xi bilateral visit to Malaysia. (Photo: AFP)
Amid escalating trade tensions triggered by sweeping US tariffs, ASEAN will convene a Special Leaders’ Meeting following a call for unity by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim—just days before Chinese President Xi ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

China’s Commerce Minister Talks Trade and Tariffs With Malaysian Counterpart Ahead of Xi Visit

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao speaking via video conference with his Malaysian Trade Minister Tengku Zafrul on April 9, 2025 about closer trade ties with ASEAN ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit to Southeast Asia next week. Image via @tzafrul_aziz.
China’s Commerce Minister, Wang Wentao, met with his Malaysian counterpart Tengku Zafrul on Wednesday to discuss the tariff threat posed by the United States and how the two Asian countries can forge closer commercial ...
by Eric Olander

Xi Jinping’s Southeast Asia Tour Comes as U.S. Tariff Chaos Creates Diplomatic Openings

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Malaysia today is seen as a calculated move to solidify China’s economic influence in Southeast Asia, just as the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (ACFTA 3.0) nears completion and Washington reintroduces sweeping tariffs under President Donald Trump. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)
New details emerged on Wednesday about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-nation, week-long tour of Southeast Asia that begins next week. Consistent with previous presidential tours, Chinese authorities were silent about Xi’s travel plans ...
by Eric Olander

Empty Promises, Open Doors: How U.S. Policy Opened the Way for China in Central Asia

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdymukhamedov and Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pose for a group photo during the China-Central Asia Summit in Xian, in China's northern Shaanxi province on May 19, 2023. (Photo by FLORENCE LO / POOL / AFP)
By Yunis Sharifli, CGSP Non-Resident Fellow for Central Asia The Trump administration’s tariffs are reshaping more than the U.S.’s trade balances—they’re redrawing geopolitical lines. Although the administration announced a pause on some tariffs this morning, ...
by Yunis Sharifli

Australia Rebuffs China’s Appeal to ‘Join Hands’ in Trade

A truck transporting containers leaves the Port Botany container terminal in Sydney, Australia on April 3, 2025. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
Australia rebuffed China’s appeal to “join hands” to defend trade on Thursday, as Beijing looks for partners to help it blunt U.S. tariffs now ratcheted up to 125 percent. Ambassador Xiao Qian urged ...
by Agence France-Presse

Panama Canal Port Operator Calls Audit Claims ‘Contrary to Reality’

The logo of CK Hutchison is pictured on a flag outside the Cheung Kong Center building in Hong Kong on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
The Hong Kong firm in charge of two key Panama Canal ports rejected on Wednesday an audit that said it had failed to pay the $1.2 billion due under its concession. Panama Ports ...
by Agence France-Presse

BYD Goes on the Offensive in South Africa With the Launch of Three New Models

BYD’s hybrid bakkie SHARK 6, the hybrid SUV SEALION 6 and the all-electric SEALION 7 all launched in the South African market this week. Image via BYD.
Chinese auto major BYD is moving aggressively to expand in the South African market with the launch of three new models this week, including their full-size electric pickup, a hybrid SUV, and an ...
by Eric Olander

Offshore Trading of China’s Currency Sinks to Historic Low, Presenting Yet Another Problem for Developing Countries

Market indicators are displayed on digital screen at the Euronext trading exchange building in La Defense business district, west of Paris, on April 7, 2025. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)
China’s offshore yuan fell to an all-time low against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday as trade tensions between the United States and China escalated after days of turmoil over tariffs. The offshore yuan, ...
by Eric Olander

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Weighing the Value of “Values”

I was in Berlin this week for a conference on the EU’s relationship with Africa in the context of the continent’s growing ties with external actors, many of whom Europe finds acutely worrying.
The conference eerily landed on the two-year anniversary of the October 7 attack in Israel. I was in Berlin two years ago as well. In the weeks after the attack, one could see how Western powers’ ...

U.S. to Vietnam: “Zero Tariffs, That Means Nothing to Us,” It’s Chinese Transshipments That Are the Main Focus

White House Senior Trade Advisor Peter Navarro told CNBC that he's much more concerned about Chinese transshipments through Vietnam than the Southeast Asian country's tariff on U.S. imports. Image via CNBC.
Vietnam is desperately trying to stave off a potentially devastating 46% tariff on all exports to the United States that will on Wednesday. Communist Party General Secretary Tô Lâm appealed to U.S. President ...
by Eric Olander

Malaysia Says to Host China’s Xi From April 15

Chinese President Xi Jinping will begin a three-nation weeklong tour of Southeast Asia beginning on April 14, 2025. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)
Malaysia’s government announced Wednesday it will host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a three-day visit next week, as the two countries grapple with tariffs imposed by the United States. The state visit will ...
by Agence France-Presse

Philippines Adds Speedy Warship to Maritime Arsenal

The Philippines received its first of two advanced warships from South Korea on April 8, 2025, part of a 2021 deal. Image via the Philippines Navy.
The Philippines took possession of the first of two corvette-class warships with “advanced weapons and radar systems” on Tuesday as it faces growing pressure from Beijing in the disputed South China Sea. The ...
by Agence France-Presse

Offshore Yuan Hits Historic Low on U.S.-China Trade Tensions

Market indicators are displayed on digital screen at the Euronext trading exchange building in La Defense business district, west of Paris, on April 7, 2025. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)
China’s offshore yuan fell to an all-time low against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday as trade tensions between the United States and China escalated after days of turmoil over tariffs. The offshore yuan, ...
by Agence France-Presse

U.S. Will Not Let China Disrupt Panama Canal: Pentagon Chief

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth poses for a picture next to Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez during a visit to the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal in Panama City on April 8, 2025. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP)
By María Isabel Sánchez The United States will not allow China to jeopardize the operations of the Panama Canal, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned during a visit to the Central American nation ...
by Agence France-Presse

Indonesia Eyes U.S. Market Share from China and Others, Offers Trade Concessions to Trump’s Tariffs

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. The United States and Indonesia this week unveiled a joint announcement on a reciprocal trade framework that, though never mentioning China by name, echoes its presence at every turn. (Photo: Bay Ismoyo/AFP)
Indonesia is moving quickly to convince Washington it’s not the problem — announcing trade concessions, cutting import duties on American goods, and signaling it’s open to buying more. All this was done to ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

Philippines Deploys New Warship to Bolster Strength Amid South China Sea Tensions

BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06) is docked at Naval Operating Base Subic, Zambales during the ship's welcoming ceremony on Tuesday (April 8, 2025). (Photo courtesy of the Philippines Department of National Defense DND)
The Philippines has taken delivery of a new guided missile corvette from South Korea — a move that Manila says is a key step toward building a more self-reliant defense. Amid China’s ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

China Urges U.S. to Show ‘Sincerity’ in Iran Nuclear Talks

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian at the regular press briefing in Beijing on April 8, 2025. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
China urged the United States on Tuesday to show “sincerity” in nuclear talks with Iran, a day after Washington and Tehran made the shock announcement that high-level discussions would take place this week. ...
by Agence France-Presse

New Deal Revives Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway

A 2019 image of former President Uhuru Kenyatta inaugurating an earlier phase of the Standard Gauge Railway. Photo: AFP / SIMON MAINA
Kenya’s dream of expanding its Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the Ugandan border could be coming to fruition. A funding deal for the third phase of the railway project was announced following a ...
by CGSP Staff

China Vows to “Fight to the End” Against Additional Tariffs

Chinese newspaper headlines on Monday reacting to the growing trade war with the United States. Photo by Ichiro Ohara / Yomiuri / The Yomiuri Shimbun via AFP
China’s Commerce Ministry pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose an additional 50% tariff on Chinese goods. On Monday, Trump said on his Truth Social account that he would levy ...
by CGSP Staff

NATO Chief Says China Military Expansion ‘Staggering’

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte answers questions from reporters after an inspection of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Yokosuka Base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture on April 8, 2025. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
China’s expansion of its armed forces is “staggering,” NATO’s chief said on a visit to Japan beginning Tuesday aimed at “projecting” the alliance’s power in the Asia-Pacific region. “Let us not be naive ...
by Agence France-Presse

Legal Wrangles Increase Around Panama Ports

The Port of Balboa, formerly managed by CK Hutchison Holdings, based in Hong Kong, located at the entrance to the Panama Canal in Panama City, on March 12, 2025. MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP
The signing of a deal to sell two ports in Panama by the Hong Kong ports company CK Hutchison to the U.S. investment group BlackRock could be delayed by legal proceedings. While China’s ...
by CGSP Staff

“Ugly Monday” Kicks Off China’s Response to U.S. Tariffs

A man looks at a screen showing Chinese stock market movements on Monday 7 April. Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP.
China’s stock market suffered the largest losses since 2022 as investors braced for the impact of China’s countermeasures to cumulative tariffs of more than 50% imposed by the Trump administration. Beijing announced 34% ...
by CGSP Staff

Philippines, U.S. Launch Joint Drills Aimed at ‘Deterrence’

A Philippine Air Force FA-50 and a U.S. Air Force F-16 on display at Clark Air Base in the Philippines ahead of joint air exercises on April 7, 2025. Image via Patrick de Jesus.
The Philippine and U.S. air forces kicked off joint exercises Monday aimed at boosting operational coordination and enhancing “strategic deterrence,” Manila’s military said. The drills follow months of confrontations between Bejing and Manila ...
by Agence France-Presse

Cambodia Hails Opening of Naval Base Renovated by China

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet walks past an honor guard during the inauguration ceremony of the modernized infrastructure at the Ream Naval Base in Preah Sihanouk province on April 5, 2025. (Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP)
By Suy Se Cambodia’s leader Hun Manet said Saturday there was “nothing to hide” as he inaugurated a naval base renovated in recent years by China, after Washington had voiced concern over Beijing’s ...
by Agence France-Presse

Panama Wants ‘Respectful’ Ties With U.S. Amid Canal Threats

Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez Acha speaks to the press as he meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Treaty Room of the State Department in Washington, D.C., on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
Panama hopes to maintain a “respectful” relationship with the United States, even as President Donald Trump has repeated threats to retake the Panama Canal, Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said Saturday. His comments came ahead of ...
by Agence France-Presse
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