Live Feed

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

New “Chinese Savior” Medical Drama Set in Africa Now Streaming

A new big-budget Chinese medical drama set in a fictitious African country was released this week on major Chinese streaming platforms, the latest installment in the burgeoning genre of “Chinese savior” narratives. “Welcome ...
by Eric Olander

Remember Those Exploitative African “Blessing Videos” on Chinese Social Media? They’re Back. This Time in the West.

One of the numerous "blessing video" services that are now advertising widely in the U.S. and Euroe on Instagram and TikTok.
It was once very easy for Chinese social media users to spend between $15 and $40 to get a bare-chested man, a scantily clad woman or even a child to do demeaning performances ...
by Eric Olander

Proposed India-Middle East-Europe Trade Route Could Take India-China Rivalry to Israel

This map of the proposed corridor has been circulating on X
Few people have been as enthusiastic about the announcement of an ambitious proposed trade corridor linking India and Greece via Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Israel as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ...
by Cobus van Staden

Cambodia’s New PM to Visit China

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the ASEAN Summit in early September. Image: Yasuyoshi Chiba
Cambodia’s new Prime Minister, Hun Manet, will visit China for two days from Thursday, one of his first official overseas visits since taking over from his father, Hun Sen. He will meet with China’s President ...
by Cobus van Staden

Venezuela Wants to Join BRICS

File image of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Photo: Frederico Parra / AFP
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s six-day visit to China has included stops in the economic and tech hubs of Guangdong, Shanghai and Shenzhen. He is also likely to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Venezuelan ...
by Cobus van Staden

China Thinks New India-Mideast-Europe Railway Announced at G20 is Really About China

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden attend a session as part of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP
The Chinese Communist Party is not impressed with the “historic” announcement made at the G20 summit in New Delhi on Saturday that aims to build a vast multi-modal transportation corridor linking India to Europe ...
by Eric Olander

This Chart Explains Why Xi Jinping Will Probably Go to Next Year’s G20 Summit in Brazil

Source: China's General Administration of Customs, GeoEconomics Center Calculations
Until recently, there was never any doubt that a Chinese president would participate in major summits like the G20 or ASEAN. Chinese leaders in the post-Mao era saw their attendance at these events ...
by Eric Olander

U.S., EU Unveil Next Steps in the Expansion of Angola’s Lobito Corridor Railway

The United States and the European Union are moving forward with a plan to upgrade the 1,300-kilometer Lobito rail corridor that links the copper and cobalt belts in Zambia and the DR Congo with ...
by Eric Olander

Biden says U.S. Not Looking to Contain China Following Diplomatic Upgrade With Vietnam

U.S. President Joe Biden (left) made his first visit to Vietnam on Sunday where the two sides agreed to upgrade diplomatic relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP). Image via The White House.
U.S. President Joe Biden pushed back against the accusation that newly-elevated diplomatic ties with Vietnam are part of a larger effort to “contain China” or start a new “Cold War.” “I think we ...
by Eric Olander

China Blocks Vietnamese Fruit Trucks From Entering One Day After Hanoi Upgrades Diplomatic Ties With Washington

Hundreds of containers of bananas, dragonfruits and durians, on their way to China, have suddenly been stopped since 9 September 2023. Image via @ngahpham
Hundreds of Vietnamese trucks carrying fresh fruit are backing up at Chinese border crossings due to newly introduced inspection requirements. The timing of these new inspections is prompting speculation that it could be ...
by Eric Olander

Philippines and Chinese Coast Guard Face Off Again in South China Sea With the U.S. Air Force Overhead

A China Coast Guard vessel almost rammed a Philippine Coast Guard ship on Friday in the latest confrontation between the two sides over disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea. Video by Barnaby Lo.
The Philippines Coast Guard and Navy successfully outmaneuvered a Chinese blockade to bring food and other provisions to a remote outpost in the South China Sea — but not before several harrowing confrontations with ...
by Eric Olander

How Chinese Maritime Forces Tried to Blockade a Philippines Re-Supply Mission in the South China Sea

Image via the Philippines Coast Guard
In this image taken by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), seven Chinese vessels, including unmarked “maritime militia” ships, surrounded a pair of PCG ships during a re-supply mission on Friday.
by Eric Olander

Zambian President Arrives in China for Crucial Debt Talks

Zambian President Haikinde Hichilema hopes to finalize a June debt restructuring deal during a six-day visit to China. Image via the Zambian presidency.
Zambian President Haikinde Hichilema landed in the southern Chinese megacity of Shenzhen on Sunday to kick off a six-day visit to China that will include highly-anticipated talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping ...
by Eric Olander

WEEK IN REVIEW: South Africa Reportedly in Negotiation With Chinese EV Giant BYD to Open Manufacturing Plant in the Country

Jade GAO / AFP
South Africa is reportedly in negotiation with the Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD to open a manufacturing plant in the country, according to the cabinet. BYD, China’s best-selling car brand, launched its first e-vehicle ...
by Eric Olander

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

How to Lure Chinese Financing Back to the Global South: Report

Global South countries face increasing financing pressure, endangering their ability to keep developing while also implementing measures to deal with a growing climate crisis. The disruption of global trade is coupled with a larger megatrend: flows of international capital to the developing world have turned negative. This means that countries are now routinely paying more to service loans than they receive in disbursements.

The vast majority of Global South borrowers ...

ASEAN Talks with Major Powers Navigate Numerous Controversies

Chinese Premier Li Qiang (with red tie) speaking with Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) on the way to the ASEAN leaders' 'family photo.' Image: Mast Irham, Willy Kurniawam / AFP.
China’s Premier Li Qiang warned against a ‘new cold war’ as the ASEAN summit moved on to a series of talks between the bloc and its partners. Calling for ways to “appropriately handle differences ...
by Cobus van Staden

New Prominence for Premier Li Qiang as Xi Skips Summits

China's Premier Li Qiang speaking during the ASEAN summit in Jakarta. Image: Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is gaining unexpected prominence thanks to the fact that he is standing in for President Xi Jinping at this week’s ASEAN and G20 summits, where he’ll represent the PRC in ...
by Cobus van Staden

Africa Climate Summit Ends With Anger at Western Dominance, Near No-Show from China

Panelists lead by Kenya's President William Ruth (C) conduct a session during the Africa Climate Summit 2023 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on September 5, 2023. Luis Tato / AFP
The African Climate Summit wrapped up on Wednesday with the adoption of the Nairobi Declaration. It calls for:  Reforms of the international financing system to lower the cost of climate financing for poor ...
by Cobus van Staden

TRANSLATION: Africa Is Not Paradise for Chinese Bosses

File image of a Chinese manager inspecting a shoe produced at a now-defunct apparel manufacturing facility in Ethiopia. ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER / AFP
There’s been a recent flurry of posts on WeChat from various accounts in different countries that tout the enormous opportunities available for Chinese entrepreneurs on the continent. Some of these accounts are either ...
by Han Zhen

Premier Li Qiang Tries to Reassure China’s Southeast Asian Neighbors in ASEAN Address

China’s Premier Li Qiang (L) is greeted by Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo upon his arrival at the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta on September 6, 2023. Mast IRHAM / POOL / AFP
Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang sought to soothe tensions with its neighbors in Southeast Asia during his keynote address on Wednesday at the ASEAN leaders summit in Jakarta. Li did not specifically reference ...
by Eric Olander

While ASEAN Diplomats Converge in Jakarta, Major Powers Conduct Joint Military Exercises Across Southeast Asia

U.S. and Australian army forces train with Indonesian troops as part of Super Garuda 2023 (TOP) while Japan, the U.S. and the Philippines conduct joint naval drills (LOWER LEFT) and Chinese marines participate in week-long exercises with Thai forces as part of Blue Strike 2023 (LOWER RIGHT).
Whether by coincidence or design, three Southeast Asian countries launched high-profile joint military exercises this week with various major powers while leaders from these countries met in Jakarta for the ongoing ASEAN summit. ...
by Eric Olander

U.S. Says China’s Map Claims Over South China Sea, Indian Border Regions Are “Unlawful”

The United States joined a growing list of countries to reject China’s territorial claims detailed in its new standard map that was published last week. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel addressed ...
by Eric Olander

Chinese, Vietnamese Communist Party Leaders Meet Ahead of Biden Visit to Hanoi

Liu Jianchao, head of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party met with Vietnam leader Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi, Vietnam on 5 September 2023. Image via @ngahpham
China dispatched a high-level Communist Party (CPC) emissary to Vietnam days before U.S. President Joe Biden is set to arrive when he is expected to upgrade diplomatic ties with Hanoi. Liu Jianchao, head ...
by Eric Olander

China’s Ambassador to Nepal Sparks New Uproar in India

China’s steadily worsening ties with India soured further on Tuesday when Beijing’s ambassador to Kathmandu, Chen Song, criticized New Delhi’s “policies towards Nepal and other neighbors” as “not so friendly.” Chen’s remarks sparked ...
by Eric Olander

China Offers to Serve as Mediator in Niger

Niger's security officers stand guard as supporters of Niger's National Council of Safeguard of the Homeland gather oustide Niger and French airbase in Niamey on September 3, 2023, to demand the departure of the French army from Niger. AFP
The Chinese ambassador to Niger, Jing Feng, met with the transition Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zene on Monday and offered to serve as a mediator to help defuse the escalating political crisis in ...
by Eric Olander

China Uncharacteristically Muted Response to Taiwan President’s Trip to Eswatini

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen was greeted at the airport in Eswatini by Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini. Images via @iingwen.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in Eswatini on Tuesday for a three-day visit to mark the tiny landlocked country’s 55th anniversary of its independence. The visit is symbolically important given that the southern ...
by Eric Olander

From Manufacutring to Movies to Stock Markets, China and Saudi Arabia Sign a Flurry of New Development Deals

The Saudi Stock Exchange signed a new partnership with the Shanghai Stock Exchange this week, one a number of new deals signed between Chinese and Saudi companies. FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP
The pace of news business development deals between Saudi Arabia and China appears to be gaining momentum amid a slate of new announcements this week, highlighting increasingly close financial ties between the two ...
by Eric Olander

ASEAN Under Pressure at Start of Leaders’ Summit

ASEAN leaders attending this week's summit. Image: Bay Ismoyo / AFP
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders’ summit kicks off in Jakarta on Tuesday as it fights for its relevance and unity amid mounting geopolitical tensions. Increasing jockeying between China and the United States ...
by Cobus van Staden

Amid West African Coups, Benin Leader’s Beijing Trip Is Notable

Benin’s President Patrice Athanase Guillaume Talon meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping. Image: Xinhua
Considering the caliber of events Chinese President Xi Jinping is not showing up to, it’s notable that he made time to meet with Benin’s President Patrice Athanase Guillaume Talon on Friday. Talon led a 
by Cobus van Staden

Gabon’s Coup Could Open Opportunities for China

Gabon's new leader General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema salutes during his inauguration as president. Image: AFP
China’s response to last week’s coup in Gabon kept to well-trodden themes. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Webin told reporters:  “China is closely following the developments in Gabon. We call on relevant sides in the ...
by Cobus van Staden

African Climate Summit Starts in Nairobi Amid Anger at Event’s “Western Agenda”

Image via @Hakeenah
The first day of the inaugural African Climate Summit in Nairobi started with long queues as thousands of journalists and tens of thousands of delegates tried to get into the Kenyatta International Convention Center. ...
by Njenga Hakeenah
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