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

India Will be “Significantly Ahead” of China in Key Technologies, Says IT Minister

India's Electronics and Information Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said he's confident his country will pull ahead of China on semiconductor technology within the next ten years. Leon Neal / POOL / AFP
With Apple and other global technology companies moving some of their production out of China to other countries in Asia, there’s a growing interest in whether a country like India, for example, is ...
by Eric Olander

The BRI Is Back on in Nepal With Funding for Hydropower Plant

Approval of a loan to support a Chinese hydropower project could signify a breakthrough in the so far stillborn development of the BRI in Nepal. A provincial Chinese energy SOE, Sichuan Chuantou Energy, ...
by Barry van Wyk

Ghanaian Police Search for Attackers of Chinese-Owned Mine

A large manhunt is underway in central Ghana for at least 15 assailants who robbed a Chinese-owned mine on Friday night in the rural farming town of Akyem Kokoaso. At least five Chinese miners ...
by Eric Olander

Chinese Demand for Kenyan Avocados Surged in 2023

Chinese customs officials in Guangzhou inspect a newly-arrived shipment of Kenyan avocados. Image via the Guangzhou Media Center.
Kenyan avocado exports to China jumped tenfold last year from 443 tons to 4,324 tons. But even with this booming demand from China, the European Union remains Kenya’s largest export market for avocados. 
by Cobus van Staden

India Holds Sway Over the Maldives for Now but Not Forever, Says Scholar

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu (C) gestures as he leaves after his inauguration ceremony in Male on November 17, 2023. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP
The Maldives will remain under the political influence of India for the time being, but eventually, it will fall under the sway of China, according to Chinese scholar Zhu Fangfang, director of the ...
by Barry van Wyk

Chinese Analysts Express Unease Over New Delhi’s Naval Surge in the Arabian Sea

File image of the Indian guided missile destroyer INS Kolkata that is now on patrol in the Arabian Sea in a bid to deter Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea. Public domain image via the U.S. Navy.
The Indian Navy has deployed an unprecedented number of warships to the Arabian Sea to join the multinational effort protecting civilian vessels coming under attack from Houthi militants based in Yemen. Although India ...
by Eric Olander

China Freeloading in the Red Sea Crisis: U.S. and UK Analysts

A U.S. fighter jet aboard an aircraft carrier near the Red Sea readies for take off to launch a counter-attack on Houthi targets in Yemen as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian. Image via @centcom.
There is mounting criticism in the United States and Britain over China’s apparent unwillingness to participate in multinational efforts to confront Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen over pirate attacks that have brought commercial ...
by Eric Olander

Insiders Expect Container Shortage at Chinese Ports Amid Red Sea Crisis

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After the Red Sea crisis forced ships to extend their routes around the Cape of Good Hope, industry insiders have expressed their concerns about a possible empty container shortage at Chinese ports after ...
by Eric Olander

Chinese, U.S. Weapons Manufacturers Battled It out for Attention at Saudi Defense Show

A military armoured vehicle is diplayed in the Chinese pavilion at the 'World Defense Show 2024', north of the Saudi capital Riyadh on February 4, 2024. Fayez Nureldine / AFP
Chinese weapons companies made a big impression, literally, at last week’s World Defense Show held outside of the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh where they took up more floor space than any other country. In ...
by Eric Olander

China Fumes Over Messi, Cancels Argentina Friendly With Ivory Coast

Argentinian soccer superstar Lionel Messi sparked a massive uproar in China when he didn't play during a friendly in Hong Kong but seemingly had not problem performing soon after in Japan. Philip FONG / AFP
Chinese authorities in the eastern city of Hangzhou are so upset with soccer superstar Lionel Messi that they’ve decided to cancel a match of his scheduled for next month. This follows the Argentinian ...
by Eric Olander

WEEK IN REVIEW: Iran, Russia and China Will Conduct Joint Naval Exercises in March

File image of Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy warships during joint military exercises with Russia. Image via Xinhua.
Iran, Russia and China will conduct joint naval exercises in March, according to Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani. Details on the specific location of the war games and what other countries have ...
by Eric Olander

China Proposes Billion-Dollar Revamp of the Legendary Tazara Railway

The Tazara railway was originally financed and built by China in 1975 but has since fallen into severe disrepair due to a lack of resources. Photo by Zhang Haotian for CGSP.
The competition between the United States and China to refurbish some of Africa’s decrepit railways intensified this week when the Chinese government presented a billion-dollar proposal to rebuild the Tazara railway linking Zambia’s Copperbelt ...
by Eric Olander

Zambia Expresses Optimism It Can Allay Chinese Concerns Over Debt Deal

Zambian Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane speaking at an event on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa on February 7, 2024. Image via Invest Africa.
The Zambian Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said he’s hopeful his country’s three-year debt restructuring odyssey can finally be resolved sometime before June. Musokotwane was cautious about providing any specific timetable but said on Wednesday that ...
by Eric Olander

Chinese Auto Brands Zoom Past U.S., EU, and Japanese Competitors in South Africa

Great Wall Motors' Ora 03 is the latest entrant in South Africa's increasingly comeptitive auto market where Chinese brands are steadily moving up the sales ranks. Image via Great Wall Motors.
The latest auto sales data for South Africa reflects the growing prominence of Chinese brands: They are not yet at the top of the table, but they are moving up fast, and more ...
by Cobus van Staden

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Revealing Reactions to China’s Festival of Optics

In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...

Just Two Chinese Companies Account for More Than 50% of the Global EV Battery Market

Chinese companies remain firmly in control of the global electric vehicle battery market, with two companies accounting for more than half of the industry’s entire production last year. Battery giant CATL and EV ...
by Eric Olander

China Rejects Philippine Cyber-Attack Accusations

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin. Image via MFA_China on X.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry pushed back against claims by the Philippines government that hackers in China attempted to break into Manila’s most sensitive computer networks. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin condemned the accusation ...
by Eric Olander

U.S. Tries Again to Secure China-Free Critical Resources Supply From the DR Congo

A Congolese Miner holds a piece of cobalt ore. Image: Junior Kannah / AFP
For the second time in two years, the United States signed an agreement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a bid to secure reliable supplies of critical resources free of any ...
by Eric Olander

U.S. Mining Start-Up Makes Huge Copper Discovery in Zambia

A California-based mining start-up, KoBold Metals, announced that it had discovered Zambia’s largest copper deposit in a century. KoBold president Josh Goldman said on Monday the company’s Mingomba mine in northern Zambia is ...
by Eric Olander

Trade Numbers Reveal Africa-China Sticking Points

Chinese trade with Africa edged slightly higher to $295 billion in 2024. AFP/STR
New Africa-China trade figures released by China’s General Administration of Customs reveal a low-energy trade relationship hemmed in by structural constraints. The Chinese authorities tried to put a happy face on it by emphasizing ...
by Cobus van Staden

New Investment Data Shows Belt and Road Initiative Is Rebounding

Source: China Belt and Road Initiative Investment Report 2023 via Bloomberg.
Chinese investment in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects rose to its highest level since 2018. A new report  by Fudan University in China and Griffith University in Australia shows that investment has ...
by Cobus van Staden

China Launches Egypt’s Newest Satellite Into Orbit

NexSat-1 launches from China Credit: EgSA
Egypt’s NextSat-1 satellite blasted into space from a seaborne launch pad off the coast of Yangjiang in China’s southern Guangdong province on Saturday. The small, microsatellite weighs only 67kgs and was shot into ...
by Eric Olander

What Do Namibian Giraffes Have To Do With the Chinese Economy? Ask Weibo

A screenshot of a post by the U.S. embassy in China, which became the unexpected site of an outpouring of complaints about the Chinese economy.
A post by the U.S. embassy in China about the use of GPS to boost giraffe conservation in Namibia became the unlikely location for a collective freakout about the Chinese economy. By Monday, ...
by Cobus van Staden

Chinese Party-to-Party Diplomacy in Rwanda

Top Communist Party of China official Wang Huning meeting with Wellars Gasamagera, Secretary-General of the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Image via Xinhua.
Wellars Gasamagera, the Secretary-General of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front party met with Wang Huning, one of Xi Jinping’s key political advisors and a senior member of the Communist Party ...
by Cobus van Staden

China’s Hunan Province Boosts Status as African Trade Hub

File image of customs officers at Changsha's Huanghua International Airport in China's central Hunan province inspect fresh-cut roses imported from Africa. Image via Xinhua.
Trade between the African continent and the central Chinese province of Hunan grew to $7.79 billion in 2023. The increase solidifies Hunan’s status as a center of African agricultural trade. The province was ...
by Cobus van Staden

Chinese and Philippine Coast Guard Trade Barbs Over Encounter on Remote South China Sea Shoal

Screengrab of a video published by the Chinese Communist Party-run tabloid Global Times depicting a recent encounter between the Chinese Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen on a disputed coral outpost in the South China Sea. Image via Global Times.
Tensions between the Chinese and Philippines Coast Guard moved from the South China Sea to social media where the two sides on Wednesday battled it out over shaping the narrative about an encounter ...
by Eric Olander

Video of Indian Shepherds Confronted by Chinese Soldiers Along Disputed Border Sparks Outrage

Screenshot of a viral video shot on January 2, 2024 that purportedly shows a group of Indian sheep herders being challenged by Chinese soldiers along the two countries disputed border.
A viral video of a tense encounter between Indian sheepherders and a group of Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers that took place on January 2 and surfaced Wednesday on social ...
by Eric Olander

China Calls for Calm in the Red Sea as Oil, Shipping Prices Steadily Edge Higher

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin speaking at the regular press briefing in Beijing on January 30, 2024. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a new appeal for calm in the Red Sea on Tuesday but made no mention of reports as to whether or not Beijing spoke with officials in Iran to rein ...
by Eric Olander

Chinese Telecom Fraud Suspects in Myanmar Discover Even Amid an Insurgency They Can Still Get Caught

One of ten Chinese nationals accused of committed telecom fraud that were forcibly repatriated by the Myanmar government this week. Image via CCTV.
Chinese security officials are celebrating the apprehension of ten “major suspects” accused of large-scale telecom fraud who were captured in Myanmar and forcibly repatriated this week. The group arrived in the southern Chinese city of Kunming ...
by Eric Olander

Vietnam, Philippines Sign Coast Guard Pact That is Sure to Anger China

Philippine's Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr and Vietnam's President Võ Văn Thưởng attend a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on January 30, 2024. Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
Vietnam and the Philippines pledged to work more closely together on maritime security issues in the South China Sea as part of a broader effort to push back against China’s assertive territorial claims ...
by Eric Olander
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Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths
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