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

Q&A: African, Chinese and European Scientists Collaborating to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Kenya’s Smallholder Farms

Zhu Yuhao (R) with his Post-doctoral supervisor Sonja Leitner at the ILRI Headquarters in Nairobi in this August 28, 2023 photo. The two are studying greenhouse gas emissions by livestock on smallholder farms in Kenya. [Photo/Njenga Hakeenah/CGSP]
A growing number of joint research projects between Chinese and African scientists on climate change is increasing collaboration, producing different data to help address challenges brought on by changing weather patterns. At the International Livestock ...
by Njenga Hakeenah

Kenya Hosts Climate Summit With Hopes of Debt Restructuring, Green Financing and China’s “Small or Beautiful” Impact on Energy Access

A worker walks past an Africa Climate Summit logo during preparations ahead of the Africa Climate Summit 2023 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya on September 2, 2023. Luis Tato / AFP
A Chinese delegation led by their Minister of Environment, Huang Runqiu, is in Kenya for the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS) kicking off today and which will be used as a platform ...
by Njenga Hakeenah

WEEK IN REVIEW: Russian President Vladimir Putin Will Reportedly Travel to China in October

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 20, 2023. Sergei KARPUKHIN / SPUTNIK / AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin will reportedly travel to China to attend the Belt and Road Forum in October, his first overseas visit since the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest on alleged ...
by Eric Olander

Indonesian Raid Highlights the Criminal Economy of Chinese Online Scams in Southeast Asia

Some of the 88 Chinese nationals arrested in Indonesia on suspicion of being involved in cross-border telecom and online romance scams. Image: STR / AFP
Indonesian police arrested 88 Chinese citizens on suspicion of being involved in cross-border internet scams following a tip-off from Chinese authorities. They are accused of running so-called romance scams, where they establish long-term ...
by Cobus van Staden

Tearful Goodbyes in Malaysia as Pandas Head Back to China

A 2022 file image of Sheng Yi, one of the panda cubs recently returned to China from Malaysia. Image: Mohd Rasfan / AFP
Malaysian fans were reportedly in tears as two giant panda cubs returned back to China on Tuesday. Yi Yi and Sheng Yi were the offspring of Xing Xing and Liang Liang, who were ...
by Cobus van Staden

India Fumes Over China’s New Map That New Delhi Claims Includes a Lot of Its Territory

China's official new "standard map" was released on Monday that India claims includes a lot of its territory and also added a 10th dash to the controversial 9-dash line in the South China Sea.
The Indian government issued a formal diplomatic protest on Tuesday against China over the publication of Beijing’s new official map that New Delhi claims includes large swathes of its territory. The 2023 edition ...
by Eric Olander

The Starkly Different Responses by the U.S. and China to Zimbabwe’s Controversial Election

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin speaks on the 2023 Zimbabwe Elections. Image via @ChineseZimbabwe
The Chinese government said it is “ready to work” with the new (old) Zimbabwean government and claimed that the controversial vote was conducted in “peaceful and orderly fashion.” Although Beijing did acknowledge some ...
by Eric Olander

Two of China’s Largest Construction Companies Face New Legal Challenges in Kenya

Aerial view of the the Nairobi Western Bypass that was built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation but not completed according to the contract, according to Kenya's auditor general.
Two of China’s largest construction companies, the China Road and Bridge Corporation and China Gezhouba Group, are facing new legal challenges from local partners and authorities in Kenya: NAIROBI WESTERN BYPASS: ...
by Eric Olander

South African Avocados Are the Latest Entrant Into China’s Already-Saturated Market

File image of South African farm workers picking avocados, some of which may soon be on their way to supermarkets in China. GUILLEM SARTORIO / AFP
Chinese consumers will soon be able to purchase South African avocados in their local supermarkets thanks to a new export agreement signed on the sidelines of last week’s BRICS summit in Johannesburg. The ...
by Eric Olander

Chinese Commentators Are Nervous About Russian and Western Influence in Niger

A supporter of the Niger's National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) holds a Niger's flag with a picture of Niger's new military ruler, General Abdourahamane Tiani, at a demonstration ouside the Niger and French airbases in Niamey on August 27, 2023. AFP
Until now, Chinese commentators have been largely quiet about the implications of the July 26 coup in Niger on Chinese interests in the West African country. Now, though, that’s starting to change as ...
by Han Zhen

South African Singer MOE’s Amazing Journey on China’s Top Singing Competition Comes to an End Following Show’s Cancellation

The South African singer who took China by storm earlier this month with a jaw-dropping performance on the country’s most popular singing competition show, sent a note to her Chinese fans to thank ...
by Han Zhen

Backgrounder: Why Next Week’s ASEAN Summit is Worth Watching

Leaders wave during an earlier ASEAN summit in May in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Bay Ismoyo / AFP
Attendees at next week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ summit will face a roster of tough issues. In addition to the alarming rise of tensions in the South China Sea and the ...
by Cobus van Staden

A Closer Look At South Africa’s Electricity Deals With China

South African Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa signing the new energy deals with China. Image via @Kgosientsho_R
Details are emerging about expansive new cooperation agreements between South Africa and China on electricity. They were signed during last week’s BRICS summit in Johannesburg, and they were somewhat overshadowed by the focus on the ...
by Cobus van Staden

Xi-Modi Talks in Joburg Sparks New Optimism About Improving Ties With India

HEADLINE TRANSLATION: Why was the summit meeting between India and China so important?
Reactions in China to last week’s brief conversation between President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were far more upbeat than those in India. To be sure, there was nowhere near ...
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 ...

Modi Subtly Blames China for the Global South Debt Crisis

Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi re-surfaced longstanding suspicions that China is fueling the Global South debt crisis by engaging in predatory lending. In an interview with India Today published on Friday, the ...
by Eric Olander

China’s “Aggressive Behavior” in the South China Sea Must be Checked, Says U.S. Navy’s Top Pacific Commander

A U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon reconaissance aircraft circled over a Chinese Coast Guard vessel during a Philippines Navy re-supply mission of an outpost on a remote shoal in the South China Sea on August 22, 2023. TED ALJIBE / AFP
The United States Navy is ratcheting up the pressure on China over recent confrontations between the Chinese Coast Guard and Philippines maritime forces in the South China Sea. “You’ve got to push back,” 
by Eric Olander

Chinese EV Makers Are Rushing to Set Up Operations in Thailand

Aion, the EV subsdiary of Chinese auto major Geely, plans to ramp up production in Thailand with new a new plant and dealer network. Image via GAC.
Two of China’s largest automakers, Changan and Geely, both announced new plans to set up manufacturing and sales operations in Thailand for their new line of electric vehicles. Geely’s EV unit AION ...
by Eric Olander

Saudi Arabia Eying China to Build Nuclear Power Program as Part of an Effort to Pressure U.S.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is reportedly weighing offers from both France and China to build a civilian nuclear power program. SPA / AFP
The U.S. wants Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia wants to build a civilian nuclear power program but the U.S. doesn’t want Riyadh to enrich its own uranium for fear ...
by Eric Olander

WEEK IN REVIEW: Philippines Coast Guard Successfully Circumvented Chinese Maritime Forces in the South China Sea

A file image of BRP Sierra Madre, a stranded wreck from the Second World War, now at the heart tof a diplomatic dispute between China and the Philippines. Image: Ted Aljibe / AFP
The Philippines Coast Guard successfully circumvented Chinese maritime forces in the South China Sea to deliver provisions to the BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated WWII-era warship grounded on a contested shoal. China denounced Tuesday’s delivery as “illegal.” 
by Eric Olander

No New Members Will be Added to the BRICS Bank, Says CFO

STR / AFP
While the BRICS group itself will become larger at the conclusion of the ongoing leaders summit underway in Johannesburg, that is not the case for the bloc’s bank known as the New Development ...
by Eric Olander

Xi Holds Bilateral Meetings on the Sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg

Senegal President Macky Sall (top left), Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (top right), Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (bottom left) and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel (bottom right)
Chinese President Xi Jinping held a flurry of sideline meetings with various Global South leaders Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg: ETHIOPIA: Xi informed PM Abiy Ahmed ...
by Eric Olander

It’s Business as Usual for Xi and Modi, No Indication if the Two Plan to Meet in South Africa

India media is closely monitoring the body language of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for clues about a possible meeting in Johannesburg. Image via ANI.
All week, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have maintained disciplined poker faces in their interactions with one another throughout the ongoing BRICS summit in Johannesburg — not giving ...
by Eric Olander

Indian Media Bashes Xi, Praises Modi Over Flag Markers at BRICS Photo Shoot

Indian media like Times Now celebrated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to pick up his flag that served as a marker during a photo shoot at the BRICS summit on Wednesday.
The South African organizers of the BRICS summit stupidly used small national flags as floor markers for where the five leaders should stand during a photo shoot on Wednesday. Putting a flag on ...
by Eric Olander

U.S.-Based Analysts Reflect on This Week’s BRICS Summit and What It Says About the Current State of International Relations

IANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP
As the BRICS summit draws to a close in Johannesburg, international affairs analysts at prominent U.S.-based think tanks and universities are reflecting on many of the key takeaways from the three-day event: ...
by Eric Olander

Xi Mysteriously Failed to Show Up at a BRICS Event, Sparking Wild Speculation Over What Happened

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao delivered an address on behalf of President Xi Jinping who was inexplicably absent from the BRICS Business Forum in Johannesburg on August 22, 2023. GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP
The opening day of the BRICS summit in South Africa began as expected on Tuesday with a flurry of high-profile arrivals in Johannesburg followed by a bilateral meeting between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ...
by Eric Olander

Even Xi’s Spokesperson Didn’t Seem to Know What Happened

Image from the BRICS Business Forum 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 22 August 2023. Image via @SpokespersonCHN
President Xi’s unexplained absence from the BRICS Business Forum on Tuesday also seemingly caught the Foreign Ministry’s top spokesperson off guard as well. Hua Chunying published a post on X following the event, ...
by Eric Olander

Relations Between China and South Africa Have Entered a “Golden Era,” Says Xi

President of China Xi Jinping delivers opening remarks from their meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after being bestowed with the Order of South Africa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on August 22, 2023. PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP
Chinese President Xi Jinping began his visit to South Africa on Tuesday with a round of bilateral diplomacy with his host Cyril Ramaphosa. The two leaders met for talks in the capital ...
by Eric Olander

Key Policy Differences Emerge on Day 1 of BRICS Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his remarks virtually during the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on August 22, 2023. Marco Longari / AFP
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pushed back against the suggestion that the BRICS group should become an ideological opponent against the West. “We do not want to be a counterpoint to the ...
by Eric Olander

New Development Bank Moves Forward With Local Currency Bonds in Bid to Reduce Dependence on the U.S. Dollar

Chair of the New Development Bank Dilma Rousseff attends the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on August 22, 2023. GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP
The Shanghai-based New Development Bank, aka the BRICS Bank, said it is proceeding with plans to issue bonds and lend more money in local currencies as part of a larger effort to reduce ...
by Eric Olander

Xi Jinping Will Cover Many Bases During His Visit to South Africa

Chinese President Xi Jinping is welcomed in Johannesburg by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Xi is attending the BRICS Summit being held in Johannesburg. @PresidencyZA
China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to the BRICS summit also includes an official state visit to South Africa on Tuesday. Both governments emphasized their long relationship (this year marks 25 years of diplomatic ties) ...
by Cobus van Staden
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