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

China’s Xi Warns Foreign Executives of ‘Severe’ Trade Headwinds

China’s President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with a group of foreign executives at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 28, 2025. ADEK BERRY / AFP
By Isabel Kua and Peter Catterall Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday warned of “severe challenges” to global trade, vowing to open the country’s door “wider and wider” to foreign firms as Beijing ...
by Agence France-Presse

Seoul Announces Rare Top Trade Meeting With Tokyo, Beijing

Cars are seen at a Nissan dealership in Houston, Texas, on March 27, 2025. Automakers were battered on March 27 as stock markets fell on both sides of the Atlantic after US President Donald Trump announced significant tariffs on imported vehicles and parts, pressing ahead with tough trade policies many fear will spark a recession. RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP
Top trade officials from South Korea, Japan, and China will meet this weekend in Seoul to discuss economic cooperation, a South Korean government source said Friday. The rare meeting—the first in five years—was ...
by Eric Olander

WEEK IN REVIEW: DRC Considers Extending Cobalt Export Ban as Prices Soar

File image of a cobalt processing facility in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. SAMIR TOUNSI / AFP
The Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD reportedly plans to double its annual sales outside of China to more than 800,000 cars in 2025. The company’s chairperson, Wang Chuanfu, said it plans to evade tariffs ...
by CGSP Staff

China’s Xi Meets Bangladesh Leader Yunus in Beijing

Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on March 28, 2025. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus in Beijing on Friday, state media reported, as Dhaka’s frosty relations with neighboring India spur the administration to court new friends. Yunus took charge ...
by Agence France-Presse

U.S. Defense Chief Visits Philippines Dogged by Scandal at Home

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson greets visiting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth upon his arrival in Manila on March 27, 2025. Image via @usambph
By Chad WILLIAMS U.S. defense chief, Pete Hegseth, will meet his Philippine counterpart in Manila on Friday, as part of a tour of Pacific allies that risks being overshadowed by a mounting scandal ...
by Agence France-Presse

Trend Tracker: China’s AI Outreach to the Global South

A 2025 file image image of a DeepSeek display at an event in France. Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP
The Chinese company DeepSeek’s success in building a world-leading artificial intelligence system on inexpensive chips isn’t only shifting tech conversations. AI is an increasingly common theme in China’s wider outreach to the Global South. ...
by CGSP Staff

U.S. Fentanyl Pressure Expands from China to India

US President Donald Trump (R) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in February. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
A new U.S. intelligence report named both China and India as “state actors” involved in supplying precursor chemicals used to make the illegal drug fentanyl. “China remains the primary source country for illicit ...
by CGSP Staff

China Increasing Pressure on Panama Ports Deal

Li Ka-Shing in happier times, greeting supporters at the announcement of his official retirement in 2018. Photo by Anthony WALLACE / AFP
The Chinese authorities are reportedly telling state-owned enterprises to pause new business with companies linked to Li Ka-Shing and his family, the latest signal that Beijing is unhappy with the decision by Li’s ...
by CGSP Staff

Beijing Resumes Criticism of CK Hutchison Over Panama Ports Deal

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
Beijing authorities kept up their pressure on CK Hutchison on Wednesday, resuming criticism of the Hong Kong conglomerate’s sale of its Panama Canal ports. The business empire built by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing ...
by Agence France-Presse

Bangladesh’s Leader Heads to China Amid Tensions with India

File image of Bangladeshi leader Muhammad Yunus Munir. UZ ZAMAN / AFP
Muhammad Yunus, the interim leader of Bangladesh, began a four-day visit to China on Wednesday. He will attend the Boao Forum on 26 March and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 28 March. ...
by CGSP Staff

China’s Expanding Footprint in Cambodia: Xi’s April State Visit Signals Deeper Ties

Cambodia's newly-appointed Prime Minister Hun Manet made his first overseas trip to Beijing where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. Image via Xinhua.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Cambodia in April for a state visit, announced Khy Sovanratana, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on Monday. ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

China’s Investment in Cambodia Surges, Deepening Ties but Raising Dependence Questions

Photo taken on July 9, 2024 shows containers stacked up at the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port New Container Terminal on the Mekong River in Kandal province. (Photo by Suy SE / AFP)
China now accounts for nearly 80% of Cambodia’s total investment capital as of the first two months of 2025, underscoring Beijing’s deepening economic footprint. Special Economic Zones SEZs have been crucial ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

Bangladesh’s Yunus Heads to China for First State Visit

File image of Bangladeshi leader Muhammad Yunus Munir. UZ ZAMAN / AFP
Bangladeshi leader Muhammad Yunus flew to Beijing on Wednesday for his first state visit as frosty relations with neighbouring India spur his caretaker administration to court new friends. The 84-year-old Nobel laureate will ...
by Agence France-Presse

Indonesia Announces BRICS New Development Bank Membership, Eyes Infrastructure Funding

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto welcomes New Development Bank (NDB) President Dilma Vana Rousseff at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Photo: BPMI Setpres)
Indonesia on Tuesday announced that it will join the BRICS-backed New Development Bank NDB, headquartered in Shanghai, and has proposed 77 projects for funding. The move strengthens Jakarta’s financial ties with ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

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’ ...

China’s BYD Extends Lead Over Tesla as Sales Top $107 Billion

Chinese auto giant BYD launched its first-ever hybrid pickup truck in Mexico on May 14, 2024. Image via BYD.
China’s BYD is accelerating past Tesla, claiming the world’s top-selling EV maker title in global deliveries. It is expected to widen the gap further in 2025 and 2026. The Shenzhen-based automaker ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

U.S. Imposes Trade Restrictions on Dozens of Entities With Eye on China

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick delivers remarks during a cabinet meeting held by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on March 24, 2025 in Washington, D.C. WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
The United States added dozens of entities to a trade blacklist Tuesday, the Commerce Department said, in part to disrupt Beijing’s artificial intelligence and advanced computing capabilities. The action affects 80 entities from ...
by Agence France-Presse

CGTN to Expand African Operations

Photo by Xose Bouzas / Hans Lucas via AFP.
China’s state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN) will allocate resources to expand its operations across Africa. The funding boost will expand coverage across the continent’s five regions, said Cao Ri, CGTN’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief, ...
by CGSP Staff

Malaysia to Target Chip Flow to China Under U.S. Pressure

A March 2025 file image of a Nvidia display at a telecoms fair in Spain. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP)
Malaysia will tighten regulations on the trade in semiconductors after coming under U.S. pressure to stem the flow of high-end chips to China. Trade Minister Zafrul Aziz told reporters: “ asking us to make ...
by CGSP Staff

China Slams U.S. ‘Interference’ in Venezuela Over Trump Oil Tariff Threat

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun speaking at the regular press briefing in Beijing on March 25, 2025. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
China on Tuesday accused the United States of “interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs” after President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on imports from countries that bought oil and gas from the South ...
by Agence France-Presse

Trump Moves to Punish Venezuelan Oil Trade, With China and India Likely to Feel the Blow

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House March 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
By Beiyi Seow and Becca Milfed U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday steep tariffs on imports from countries buying Venezuelan oil and gas, a punitive measure that could hit China and India, among ...
by Agence France-Presse

Philippines, U.S. Kick off Army Drills Ahead of Hegseth Visit

Philippines Army Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Leodevic Guinid discusses activities for SABAK 2025 with 25th U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jonathan A Velishka during the joint opening ceremony of SABAK 2025 at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija on March 24, 2025. Image via the Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Philippine and U.S. militaries kicked off joint exercises involving a combined 5,000 troops on Monday, Manila said, days before new U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was set to visit the Southeast ...
by Agence France-Presse

China Expands Strategic Reserve of Industrial Metals as Indonesia, Philippines Tighten Supply

An employee of Chinese company CMOC demontrates cobalt hydroxide produced at Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 17, 2023. (Photo by Emmet LIVINGSTONE / AFP)
China is quietly expanding its strategic reserves of key industrial metals, including nickel, just as Indonesia and the Philippines tighten export policies and raise mining royalties, reshaping global supply chains. Beijing’s stockpiling efforts ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

Chinese Export Surge is Destroying Millions of Jobs Across the Global South

Sources: Bloomberg, IMF import data, national government reports
From Mexico to Malaysia, countries across the Global South are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with a massive surge of Chinese exports that are undercutting local producers and prompting mass lay-offs. Indonesia’s textile ...
by Eric Olander

China’s CMOC Group Announces Strong Earnings as Market is Split Over DRC’s Cobalt Export Ban

Source: Fastmarkets, Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb, MB-CO-0005, Cobalt hydroxide 30% Co min, cif China, $/lb, MB-CO-0020
The world’s largest cobalt producer, China’s CMOC Group, announced record earnings for 2024 with net income jumping 64% to $1.9 billion, well above analyst estimates. These results are particularly impressive given the fact ...
by Eric Olander

Geely is the Latest Chinese Auto Major to Enter the Vietnamese Market

Geely unveiled three models that it will sell in Vietnam at a launch event in Hanoi on March 21, 2025. Image via Geely.
Geely joins a rapidly growing number of Chinese auto brands targeting Vietnam’s growing middle class. The Chinese automaker officially unveiled three new models, both gas and electric-powered, at a launch event in Hanoi ...
by Eric Olander

While They May Have Their Differences at Sea, on Land, Vietnamese and Chinese Border Guards Get Along Great

Chinese and Vietnamese soldiers at the Lũng Cú border station in the northern Vietnamese province of Hà Giang on March 21, 2025. Image via the Vietnam News Agency.
Chinese and Vietnamese border soldiers conducted joint patrols last week along their shared land border near the northern Vietnamese province of Hà Giang. Officers from both armies also met to discuss increased cooperation to ...
by Eric Olander

Trump is Helping China, Japan, and South Korea to Look Beyond Historical Rivalries — But They’re Still Working Out the Details

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya join hands at the start of their meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on March 21, 2025. Franck ROBICHON / POOL / AFP
Japan, South Korea, and China agreed Saturday that peace on the Korean Peninsula was a shared responsibility, according to Seoul’s foreign minister. The three countries’ top diplomats met in Tokyo and pledged to ...
by Eric Olander

Japan, China in New Spat After Three-Way Talks

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (L) guides Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the photocall position before the Japan-China high-level economic dialogue in Tokyo on March 22, 2025. Philip FONG / POOL / AFP
Japan and China became embroiled in a new spat on Monday with Tokyo accusing Beijing of misrepresenting its position after high-level weekend talks also involving South Korea. The discussions in Tokyo were billed ...
by Agence France-Presse

China Poised to Shield Economy from Global Shocks as PM Li Qiang Courts Investors

File image of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Pedro Pardo / POOL / AFP
China is reinforcing its position as a global economic anchor, with Premier Li Qiang stating that Beijing is prepared for external shocks that may exceed expectations. Speaking at the China Development ...
by Edwin Shri Bimo

Japan, China, South Korea Foreign Ministers Meet in Tokyo

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya join hands at the start of their meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on March 21, 2025. Franck ROBICHON / POOL / AFP
By Natsuko Fukue and Katie Forster Japan, China, and South Korea’s top diplomats held talks in Tokyo on Saturday, aiming to bolster cooperation amid US trade tariffs looming over the region.
by Agence France-Presse
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