Live Feed

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

Kenya’s Debt-Servicing Costs Edge Higher Amid Street Protests and Heightened Uncertainty

Source: National Treasury, Controller of Budget Note: Chart shows data for fiscal years ending June 30.
Kenya spent 59% of all the money it collects in taxes to service the country’s ballooning debt, a slight increase from the previous fiscal year. The news adds further pressure on President William ...
by Eric Olander

Corruption and Mismanagement at the Root of Kenya’s Debt Crisis, Not Chinese Loans, Say Policymakers

Critics of Chinese lending practices in developing countries often point to Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) as the prime example of Beijing’s aggressive tactics that underlie the “debt trap” accusation. But in Kenya, ...
by Eric Olander

Heard About Those Escrow Accounts Used to Secure Chinese Loans in Africa? Here’s What They Look Like in Action

Excerpt from a new report by the IMF that reviewed the Republic of Congo's debt situation and detailed the use of escrow accounts to service Chinese loans.
There’s been a lot of discussion in recent years about how Chinese lenders required high-risk borrowers in Africa and other developing countries to put large pools of money in offshore escrow accounts as a ...
by Eric Olander

Cambodia’s Unopposed Election Signals Unchanged Relationship with China

Hun Manet, the son and presumptive successor of long-ruling Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, showing his ink-stained thumb, which proves he voted. Image: STR / AFP
The Cambodian government lauded the results of the weekend’s landslide victory for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. The choice was clear – it was essentially a one-horse race, with long-time Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ...
by Cobus van Staden

Chinese-Funded Naval Base in Cambodia Looks Strikingly Familiar

Cambodia’s Chinese-built Ream naval base is reportedly nearing completion. The base has long been controversial, with U.S. defense officials charging that it could serve as a Chinese naval base. Satellite images ...
by Cobus van Staden

Graph of the Day: How Chinese Demand Is Shifting the Global Soybean Market from the U.S. to Brazil

China is now the largest buyer of Brazil’s soybean crop, as part of a move away from U.S. exports. Chinese buyers have consistently bought large quantities of Brazilian soybeans but are now even ...
by Cobus van Staden

Russian, Indian Media Claim Retired Chinese Diplomat Yang Jiechi to Resurface in South Africa for BRICS Gathering

Veteran Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Image via @RT_India_news
Major Indian and Russian media outlets circulated an unusual story over the weekend that veteran Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi will come out of retirement to meet with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on the sidelines ...
by Eric Olander

Japanese Foreign Minister to Embark on Six-Nation Tour of South Asia and Africa

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference with Japan at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta on July 13, 2023. BAGUS INDAHONO / POOL / AFP
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will head out this week on a six-nation Asian and African tour to discuss Tokyo’s vision for Global South cooperation. Hayashi said at a press conference on Friday ...
by Eric Olander

Malawian Court Convicts Chinese Man at the Center of BBC Expose for Exploiting Children to Make Videos

File image of Chinese national Lu Ke, who was convicted by a Malawian court for producing videos that racially exploited local children. He ordered to leave the country within seven days. Image via the Malawi Police Service.
A Malawian court convicted Lu Ke, the Chinese man featured in a BBC Eye on Africa documentary about the highly exploitative practice of showcasing African children in so-called “blessing videos.” The court ...
by Eric Olander

Indian Navy Transfers Fully Operational Warship to Vietnam, Adding Yet More Naval Hardware to the South China Sea

The Indian navy led a handover ceremony on Saturday for the INS Kirpan, the first time that New Delhi has gifted another country with a full-functioning warship. Images via the Indian Navy.
The Indian Navy gifted the Vietnam People’s Navy with an aging yet still functioning warship on Saturday during a handover ceremony for the INS Kirpan in the central Vietnamese port city of Cam ...
by Eric Olander

Viral Video That Purportedly Shows Wife of China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Beating Maid is Inaccurate

Screengrab from a viral video that circulated online last week that claims to show the wife of China's ambassador to Pakistan assaulting a woman in Islamabad.
A Twitter video that claims to show the wife of the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Nong Rong, violently beating a woman on the streets of Islamabad is likely false, according to fact-checkers who ...
by Eric Olander

WEEK IN REVIEW: China’s Top Diplomat Wang Yi Will Travel to Africa Next Week

Former Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. ANGELOS TZORTZINIS / AFP
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will travel to Africa next week. He is attending a meeting of BRICS national security advisors in Johannesburg on 24 and 25 July. In addition to South Africa, he ...
by Eric Olander

Communist Party of China Plans Arab Outreach

File image of Liu Jianchao, China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the head of the CPC's International Liaison Department. Image: Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP
The Communist Party of China wants to sharply increase its coordination with Arab countries. This was a key takeaway from the mid-July’s fourth China-Arab States Political Parties Dialogue, which brought CPC officials together ...
by Cobus van Staden

Chart of the Day: Why Are China’s Exports to Central Asia Growing So Rapidly?

Chart via the Lowy Institute
China’s trade with its Central Asian neighbors is booming. While countries like Kazakhstan export a lot of oil to China, Chinese exports to the region have jumped significantly.  China’s exports to Central Asia stand ...
by Cobus van Staden

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Pain of Un-Polarity

“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”
This post by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may end up leaving a more lasting mark than the actual summit he attended.

Get a daily email packed with the latest news and analysis from Africa, Asia, and across the Global South.
Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping ...

Why the G7’s Energy Offer to the Global South Could Backfire

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani (R) shaking hands with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (L) and the CEO of the Millenium Challenge Corporation, Alice Albright at the signing of Indonesia's Just Enegy Transition Partnership in 2022. Image: Stefani Reynolds / AFP
2023 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded human history. The summer’s record heat waves, fires, and floods come as attempts by U.S. and Chinese lawmakers to restart talks about ...
by Cobus van Staden

China Turns to Ex-President Duterte to Try and Salvage Ties With the Philippines

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte met with Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday to discuss how to repair the two countries' deterioirating relations. Image via Xinhua.
Chinese President Xi Jinping turned to an old friend this week in an effort to repair badly-damaged ties with the Philippines. Xi met with former president Rodrigo Duterte at the Diaoyutai State ...
by Eric Olander

How China’s CMOC Came Out Ahead in $2 Billion Settlement to End Congo Mining Feud

Press release published by the Chinese cobalt mining giant CMOC announcing the financial terms of its resolution with the Congolese state mining company Gécamines.
Chinese mining giant CMOC announced that it has settled a years-long dispute with the DR Congo’s state-run mining company Gécamines that both sides hope will conclude a bitter feud between the two firms ...
by Christian Geraud Neema Byamungu

China’s New Ambassador to the DRC Tours Mining Sites in the Copper/Cobalt Belt

Flanked by security agents, newly-arrived ambassador to the DR Congo, Zhao Bin, visited Chinese mining sites in Lualalaba province. Image via Africa Yellow and Black.
China’s new envoy to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zhao Bin, traveled to the southern Lualaba province last week for his first tour of a Chinese mining facility. Zhao led an embassy ...
by Eric Olander

Nigerian Trader Sparks Online Controversy When He Shows How Much He Bought for Just $63

Nigerian importer @timi_perfection triggered disbelief on TikTok when he showed off what one can buy in China for very little money.
Nigerian TikTok users couldn’t believe what they were seeing when a China-based importer who goes by the TikTok handle @timi_perfection posted a video that laid out everything he bought for just 50,000 nairas (about ...
by Eric Olander

Yet Another Failed G20 Debt Gathering

China's Finance Minister Liu Kun (L) emerges during a break in the G20 Finance Ministers' meeting in Gujarat, India. Image: Puni Paranjpe / AFP
A meeting of finance ministers and central bank heads of the G20 group of leading economies produced few results despite increasingly shrill calls for action to help the roughly 50% of developing countries stalked ...
by Cobus van Staden

African and Chinese Scientists Collaborating to Stop Desertification in Vulnerable Countries

"The edges of the Sahara desert" by TREEAID is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
The 3rd Taklimakan Summit in Xinjiang last month saw experts from Ethiopia and Nigeria joining specialists and representatives from 14 countries for a series of training and field visit experiences on combating desertification deep ...
by Njenga Hakeenah

Why Did Taiwan’s Foxconn Exit Indian Chip Deal? Chinese Columnist Drops Some Gossip

A file image showing a Foxconn sign in a special economic zone outside of Chennai, India in 2021. Image: Arun Sankar / AFP
Earlier in July, the Taiwanese contract electronics maker Foxconn, one of Apple’s largest suppliers, announced it was pulling out of a $19.5 billion deal to produce semiconductors in India. The joint venture between Foxconn ...
by Cobus van Staden

Iraqi Air Force Denies Rumors It Agreed to Buy Chinese JF-17 Fighter Jets From Pakistan

Chinese jet JF-17 manufactured in Pakistan under license. Image via @pk_economy
Reports began circulating late last week that Iraq had finalized a deal to purchase 12 JF-17 Thunder fighter jets from Pakistan for $664 million. The news lit up Pakistani Twitter as hundreds of ...
by Eric Olander

What Happened to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang?

Screenshot of a video featuring then Chinese ambassador to the United States and current Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, with Phoenix News reporter Fu Xiaotian who, according to online rumors, had a child following an affair.
It’s been three weeks since Qin Gang was last seen in public, sparking a wave of rumors (many emanating from Taiwan) that the Chinese Foreign Minister has been benched for allegedly having an affair ...
by Eric Olander

Worrying Signs for Global South Countries in China’s H1 2023 Trade Results

China's General Administration of Cusoms figures for trade results in the first half of the year
Chinese diplomats around the world tried to put a positive spin on the country’s latest trade figures which indicate a marked drop in the first half of the year compared to the same period ...
by Eric Olander

PLA Navy Tour of Africa Stops in the Republic of Congo

Republic of Congo Defense Minister Charles Richard Mondjo inspects a PLA Navy honor guard during a port of call in Pointe-Noire on July 14, 2023. Images via XInhua.
A weeks-long tour of Africa by a trio of Chinese warships continued with a stop in the Republic of Congo on Friday, where they were greeted by Defense Minister Richard Mondjo. The PLA ...
by Eric Olander

WEEK IN REVIEW: Solomon Islands Signs Police Cooperation Agreement With China

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspect an honor guard during the former's state visit earlier this week. Image: Andy Wong / AFP
The Solomon Islands signed a police cooperation agreement with China, as part of upgrading their ties to a strategic comprehensive partnership. This resulted from a state visit by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to Beijing, and follows ...
by Eric Olander

NATO Communique Dials Up Tensions

Image via @XHNews
Chinese state media is responding strongly to a NATO communique released this week that characterizes China as a threat to the bloc’s interests. The communique, released during a two-day NATO summit in Lithuania, ...
by Cobus van Staden

The Solomon Islands’ Beijing Embassy Opens Amid Western Concern About Stronger China Ties

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspect an honor guard during the former's state visit earlier this week. Image: Andy Wong / AFP
The Solomon Islands officially opened its new embassy in Beijing this week, following the upgrading of their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. These stronger ties include an agreement on police cooperation. This follows 
by Cobus van Staden

Is Ethiopia Planning a Joint Policing Center with China?

A blocked post on a WeChat group serving the Chinese Community in Ethiopia. It reads: "This content cannot be viewed because of policy violations. This content violates the Network Security Law of the People's Republic of China"
On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy to Ethiopia put out a press release outlining a meeting between Chen Zhiyuan, China’s Vice Minister of Public Security and the Ethiopian Federal Police Chief Commissioner General Demelash Gebre-Michael. ...
by Han Zhen
Page 94 of 2141…939495…214

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2
Uncertainty Roils Minerals Markets
3 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
4 From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans
5
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
6
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths

CGSP Intelligence

Special Report

Indonesia’s China-Backed Nickel-to-Battery Ambition

Special Report

Data Tool

Track cobalt mining and processing in the DRC

Data Tool

Data Tool

The CGSP China-Africa Energy Tracker : trace Chinese energy projects by type

Data Tool

Introducing CGSP Intelligence

CGSP Intelligence gives you the information advantage on Chinese activities in the Global South. CGSP Intelligence is launching in Summer 2025, with analysis and a full set of data tools designed for corporate and enterprise leaders.