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

Meet the Chinese VP Who is Fast Becoming a Major Player in Beijing’s Diplomacy

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meeting with high-level officials from Malaysia (top left), Singapore (center right), the United States (top right), Bhutan (lower left) and South Africa (lower right).
The role of a Chinese vice president, like their U.S. counterpart, has largely been ceremonial, particularly in the diplomatic sphere where the Director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission and ...
by Eric Olander

Malaysia Leader Pushes ‘Active Neutrality’ Strategy Toward U.S and China

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during the “The Global Economy and the State of the World” conversation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Week in San Francisco, California, on November 15, 2023. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
China and the U.S. can both be economic partners and friends of Malaysia, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said at this week’s APEC summit, adding that a Cold War view of the ...
by Han Zhen

ASEAN Defense Chiefs Expand Talks to China, U.S., India

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Vietnamese counterpart, General Phan Văn Giang. Image via @SecDef
ASEAN defense ministers gathering in Jakarta expanded talks on Thursday to include defense chiefs from China, the U.S., Japan, and India. U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin attended but did not meet with a ...
by Han Zhen

China Adamantly Refuses to Get Pulled Into Israel-Hamas Conflict

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China plans to coordinate with Arab countries in a bid to halt fighting between Israel and Hamas. Image via China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
An Al Jazeera reporter at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular press briefing in Beijing did their level best on Tuesday to try and get Spokesperson Mao Ning to budge, even a little, on ...
by Eric Olander

New Power Station in the DR Congo Showcases Why Democratically-Elected Leaders in Africa Really Like Working With China

DRC President Félix Tshisekedi inaugurated a new power substation in Kinshasa that was completed by Chinese contractors during his time in office. Images via @presidence_rdc.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi was all smiles on Tuesday when he officially inaugurated a new 220Kv power substation that will significantly improve the power supply to an estimated two million residents in the capital, ...
by Eric Olander

Flurry of Events Outline China’s Africa Focus

Representatives from various African countries recently participated in the 2nd Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Agriculture on China's Hainan Island. Images via Xinhua.
The last two weeks saw several official Africa-China events that reveal focus areas in the relationship. Coming in the wake of October’s Belt and Road Forum, they reflect an uptick in official exchanges. ...
by Cobus van Staden

Argentina Election Could Usher in Dramatic Change in China Ties

A supporter of Argentina's Economy Minister and presidential candidate for the Union por la Patria party, Sergio Massa, shouts at supporters of Argentine congressman and presidential candidate for the La Libertad Avanza Alliance, Javier Milei, during a Mileis' campaign rally in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires province, on November 15, 2023. Luis ROBAYO / AFP
Argentina’s neck-and-neck presidential election this week will decide between two starkly different candidates with wildly opposing visions for the country’s relations with China. Centrist Sergio Massa faces libertarian Javier Milei in the presidential ...
by Han Zhen

While Global Powers Fight a Bipolar Battle, the World Is Calling for the Menu

Graphs indicatiing diverging opinions on security and trade cooperation in different countries. Via The Guardian.
As Presidents Xi and Biden meet amid calls for decoupling, a new survey reveals many countries want to work with both the United States and China in an “a la carte” way.
by Cobus van Staden

ASEAN Defense Ministers Meet Amid Growing China-Philippines Maritime Tensions

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn (L) arrives to attend the opening session of the 17th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) in Jakarta on November 15, 2023. WILLY KURNIAWAN / POOL / AFP
China-Philippines tensions in the South China Sea are atop the agenda for this week’s gathering of ASEAN defense ministers in Jakarta. The bloc’s defense chiefs held talks on Wednesday on a range of issues, ...
by Han Zhen

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

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 ...

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

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
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