Live Feed

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

Philippines Will Give Up ‘Not One Inch’ of Territory in South China Sea

A message of defiance against China's territorial claims in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) on display at an Ortigas mall in Manila. Image by Joseph Morong.
The photo above, posted on X by reporter Joseph Morong of Philippine news outlet GMA News, shows part of an exhibit at a Manila mall entitled “Not One Inch.” Other poster-size photos at the ...
by Han Zhen

Thailand Promotes Land Bridge Project at APEC

An image of Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin promoting the Land Bridge project circulated on social media.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is pitching a $28 billion project aimed at bypassing the Straits of Malacca at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week. He also promoted the project at China’s Belt and ...
by Cobus van Staden

Thai Leader Debunks Idea of Hosting Chinese Police for Joint Patrols in Tourist Zones

Thailand's police chief Torsak Sukvimol (C) is seen outside Siam Paragon shopping centre in Bangkok on October 3, 2023, following a shooting incident in the mall that killed two people, including a Chinese national. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the country would not be inviting Chinese police officers to patrol Thai tourist destinations after reports of such a plan sparked an outcry. Tourism officials had recently ...
by Han Zhen

India-China Dispute Has Lessons for Other Countries: Report

Source: Mapcreator. November 2023 Crisis Group. CB-G/ES
China’s choice of a show of force on its border with India in 2020 had unintended consequences that put the relationship in crisis. It also offers lessons for other border disputes, particularly in ...
by Cobus van Staden

Why Working With South Africa is Important, But Complicated for Both the U.S. and China

South Africa’s relationship with China and Russia has painted a target on its back in Washington, with some policymakers calling for it to be kicked out of the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade ...
by Cobus van Staden

New Philippine Strategy in South China Sea Confrontations: Invite the International Press

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
As the Philippines faces a larger military opponent in its maritime confrontations with China, it is increasingly looking for an advantage by controlling the international media narrative. Reporters from leading Western and local ...
by Han Zhen

New Satellite Images Reveal Cambodia’s New Chinese-Built Navy Base Will be Large Enough to Dock Aircraft Carriers

Construction progress from last November (left) to last week (right) that shows considerable progress in the construction of a new Chinese-built navy base in Ream, Cambodia.
It now appears that the new Cambodian navy base that China is building in Ream will be large enough to accommodate an aircraft carrier even though the Cambodian navy doesn’t have vessels anywhere ...
by Eric Olander

Experts Weigh In on China-Philippines Standoffs in the South China Sea

Chinese Coast Guard vessel (L) blocks the ML Kalayaan chartered supply boat (R) during a mission to deliver provisions at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on November 10, 2023. JAM STA ROSA / AFP
Here is a sliver of the growing commentary emerging about the Philippines’ attempt to fight off what it sees as incursions by Chinese forces into its backyard in the South China Sea.
by Han Zhen

Indonesia’s Widodo Visits White House as U.S. and China Seek Stronger Ties With World’s Leading Nickel Producer

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Indonesian President Joko Widodo during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2023. SAUL LOEB / AFP
U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo at the White House as the two leaders prepare for the APEC summit in San Francisco, where Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. ...
by Han Zhen

U.S. Navy Plane Returns to Skies as China-Philippines Face Off in South China Sea

A US Navy plane was flying overhead as Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rubber boats carrying journalists sped toward the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea during a resupply mission on November 10 2023. Image via @FMangosingINQ
A U.S. Navy plane circled the skies during the latest China-Philippines confrontation in the South China Sea, underscoring the seriousness of the situation and the amount of multinational military hardware in the region. The ...
by Han Zhen

Philippine President to Meet With U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Amid APEC Summit

Both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. will be in San Francisco for this week's APEC summit. Loren Elliott / AFP
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the president of the Philippines, will reportedly make a stop-off in Hawaii to visit the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on his way back from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco ...
by Cobus van Staden

Vietnamese and Chinese Officials Talk Territorial, Border Issues

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Minh Vũ and Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong
China said its vice foreign minister held direct and friendly talks with his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi that covered bilateral ties, land borders, and maritime issues. Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Vietnam’s ...
by Han Zhen

“Enough is Enough” – China Takes a Stronger Stand on Israel Crisis

Chinese ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun speaking as the rotating president of the Security Council. Image via @Chinamission2un.
China is using its presidency of the UN Security Council to call for a ceasefire in Gaza amid spiraling civilian casualties. In remarks at a Security Council briefing about the crisis on Friday, ...
by Cobus van Staden

China’s Imports of Iranian Oil Rise as U.S. Eyes Sanctions

Source: Kpler via Bloomberg News
China bought an average of 1.05 million barrels of Iranian oil per day for the first ten months of the year, as Iran’s output keeps growing. The data from the shipping tracker Vortexa shows ...
by Cobus van Staden

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Fraying Story of the “West” and What’s Next

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech in Davos marked a new era in how the West talks about itself. One could say he was the first Global North leader to frame the rules-based international order (RIP) in Global South terms: 
“We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. And we knew ...

Chinese Stunt Fliers Hype Fighter Jets at Dubai Air Show

A Chinese Air Force J-10C fighter aircraft taxing at the Dubai Airshow. Indonesia’s J-10C plan tests an “independent and active” strategy; mixed fleets, interoperability, and how to make every system talk. Image via @modgovae.
Seven Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets will take part in displays at the Dubai Airshow starting on Monday. They will be flown by the PLA Airforce’s Bayi Aerobatics team in-flight performances, including twenty different maneuvers. ...
by Cobus van Staden

Four Key Trends in Battery Metals

Source: S&P Global Commodity Insights
Amid heightened demand for green technology, prices for critical minerals should be going up, up, up, right? In reality, prices have proven volatile. Even as demand keeps rising, new supply sources are coming ...
by Cobus van Staden

China Warns Against Maritime ‘Bloc Confrontations’ as Region Swells With Military Activity

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed the Symposium Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance that was held in Sanya, China on November 8, 2023. Image via GMCOG.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said maritime disputes should be settled through dialogue and warned against “bloc confrontations” just hours before the kickoff of major military exercises by the U.S., Japan, and South ...
by Han Zhen

Hal Brands on the Politics of “America’s Absurd Pledge to Defend a Decaying Rust Bucket”

Chinese coast guard ship blocking a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources' ship while its personnel aboard a rigid hull inflatable boat sailing past the Philippine ship as it neared the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. Ted ALJIBE / AFP
The confrontation between China and the Philippines over disputed territory in the South China Sea is getting very little attention in the United States, where everyone is much more focused on the war ...
by Eric Olander

Changan Becomes Latest Chinese Automaker to Break Ground in Thailand

Participants attend a groundbreaking ceremony for Chinese automaker Changan in Rayong, Thailand, November 8, 2023. Image via Xinhua.
Changan, one of China’s Big Four automakers, held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for its first assembly plant in Thailand, following other Chinese car sellers in a rapid expansion into Southeast Asia. The new ...
by Han Zhen

Xinhua Lays Out China’s Approach in the Middle East

An Israeli flag flies at a position in southern Israel while across the border in the Gaza Strip a fireball erupts during Israeli bombardment on November 8, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP
Since the Hamas attacks on Israel triggered a growing conflict, China’s position has come in for a lot of discussion around whether it will mediate in the crisis, as offered earlier. However, China has ...
by Cobus van Staden

Inside the Chinese-Built Party School in Tanzania

The Chinese financed and built Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Kibaha, Tanzania. Image via AFZ.
When Tanzania’s Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School, which was built and financed by China was launched in 2022, it drew a lot of attention. It’s an academy aimed at training officials from ...
by Cobus van Staden

U.S. Leads Multilateral Military Drills in Philippines as China Tensions Simmer

Image from the 7th Fleet's official X account @US7thFleet
Troops from the Philippines, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are set to conduct a series of joint training exercises across the Philippines as tensions between China and other countries in the region remain ...
by Han Zhen

U.S.-China Meeting on Middle East

U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns (L) meeting with Special Envoy Zhai Jun. Image: Xinhua
Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun met with Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China. They discussed the Gaza crisis and the wider situation in the Middle East, according to ...
by Cobus van Staden

Kenya Wildly Overpaid for Chinese-Built Railway: Politician

Kenyan politician Jimi Wanjigi. Image via SpiceFM
As increased debt payments eat into Kenya’s budget, the business executive and 2022 presidential contender Jimi Wanjigi alleges that the country overpaid by more than 100% for the Standard Gauge Railway. The controversial project, ...
by Cobus van Staden

How Illegal African Timber Ends Up in Home Depot

A 2022 file image of a Home Depot store in Annapolis, Maryland. Jim Watson / AFP
At least 1.2 million doors sold to U.S. consumers between 2017 and 2022 at the massive home improvement chain Home Depot came from threatened forests in Equatorial Guinea via China. This is the ...
by Cobus van Staden

Truckers Strike Paralyzes Chinese Copper/Cobalt Shipments From the DR Congo

Truckers in the DR Congo have brought the all-important copper and cobalt trade to a standstill over their refusal to drive unless logistics firms pay an additional $700 risk allowance fee. The ...
by Eric Olander

Why Rock Bottom Prices for EV Battery Metals Bolsters China’s Longterm Strategy to Dominate Critical Minerals

Source: Bloomberg, Fastmarkets, London Metal Exchange, Asian Metal
South Africa’s Impala Platinum announced voluntary buyouts this week in a bid to cut costs as the mining company grapples with persistently low metal prices. With the price of palladium down 40% this year ...
by Eric Olander

Thaw Between China and Australia Could Have Big Implications for Global South

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Image via Xinhua.
China and Australia have “no fundamental conflicts of interest.” This was the line from Chinese President Xi Jinping during his meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Beijing on Monday. The visit, the ...
by Cobus van Staden

Three Pacific Islands Leaders to Skip Annual Bloc Summit Amid China-U.S. Rivalry

Representatives at the Pacific Islands Forum. Images via @ForumSEC.
The leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week’s annual Pacific Islands Forum, hampering the consensus-based group’s efforts to project unity as China and the United States ...
by Han Zhen

Chinese Aircraft Carrier Sails Into South China Sea After Nine Days of Drills in Pacific

Movement of Chinese aircraft carrier groups in the west Pacific. Photo via X.com account @detresfa_.
The Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong and other warships sailed through the waters between the Philippines and Taiwan and into the South China Sea after conducting landing drills in the Pacific Ocean. Japan’s defense ministry ...
by Han Zhen
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