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Unsubstantiated rumors started to spread on Pakistani Twitter over the weekend that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the country and, more specifically, inaugurate a new Chinese-built airport in the port city of Gwadar.

There's good reason to be suspicious of this claim given that all of the Tweets and subsequent news reports source back to a single comment made by just one person​, the former caretaker Chief Minister Balochistan Alauddin Marri.

None of the Tweets or news reports provide any details on when the visit would take place or why Marri appears to be the only person to know about it. None of Pakistan's more reputable media or either of the two governments have commented on the purported visit.

The European Union's top foreign policy official Josep Borrell is the latest foreign dignitary to pass through Pretoria in what appears to be a vain effort to persuade South Africa's international relations minister Naledi Pandor to reconsider Pretoria's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and upcoming joint naval exercises with both Russia and China.

Borrell was in town last week for the European Union Ministerial Political Dialogue with South Africa that wrapped up on Friday. Shortly before he left, Borrell held a joint press conference with Pandor and said the timing of the upcoming joint naval exercises is unfortunate:

About navy drills between the South African Navy, the Russian Navy and the Chinese Navy, this is part of my first statement: every country has the right to develop its foreign policy according to its own interests. In other moments of the time, there were drills with other fleets and I understand the desire of certain countries – including South Africa – to spare Russia, for one reason or another. 

I cannot be against any activity, but I have to say that this coincidence between the [anniversary of the] starting of the war and these military drills, for us is something that is not the best thing that we would have preferred. But our preferences do not mark the foreign decisions of our partners.

Read a full transcript of Borrell and Pandor's comments on the European Commission website.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira warned that the South American Common Market known as Mercosur is in jeopardy if Uruguay signs a free trade agreement with China. Viera told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper that if Chinese goods enter the common market via Uruguay, it would "destroy" Mercosur. The bloc’s other partners, Paraguay, and Argentina have also called on Uruguay to halt bilateral talks with China and negotiate a collective deal. (MERCOPRESS)

The Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to conduct a massive military exercise in the northeast along its disputed border with China. The IAF said Exercise Pralay would take place this week but did not specify when. The drills will involve all of its bases in the region and will include drones, Rafale and SU-30 fighter jets along with S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries. The drills come amid escalating tensions between the two Asian powers over their contested border in the Himalayas.(HINDUSTAN TIMES)

Imported Chinese goods in Kenya are now more affordable due to plunging freight costs between the two countries. Kenyan traders report that the cost of a 40-foot shipping container from China has dropped to a new low of $3,500, half of what it was at the height of the pandemic when a large share of the world's container supply was stuck in Chinese ports. Every year, Kenya imports between $3-$4 billion worth of goods from China.(BUSINESS DAILY)

The Indian navy launched a massive combat exercise on Tuesday in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR.) They are expressly aimed at combatting growing Chinese and Pakistani maritime influence in the region. The exercise, code-named Tropex, will be held until March with units from the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Separately, Indian Air Force exercises along the disputed northeastern border with China will also start this week. (TIMES OF INDIA)

The Ethiopian Army is taking delivery of 32 Chinese-made truck-mounted howitzer cannons. Each of these artillery systems reportedly costs around $2.1 million and will be used to bolster the Army's capabilities that have been depleted by the war in the Tigray region that concluded last November. The weapons buy highlights China's growing popularity as a leading arms vendor in Africa.(MILITARY AFRICA)

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang called on his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi to improve security for Chinese enterprises operating in the Southeast Asian country.  Qin's request is in response to the deadly riots that broke out earlier this month at a Chinese-owned nickel smelting facility when workers protested against poor labor conditions. (CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS)

India sent invitations to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Pakistan's Bilawal Bhutto to participate in an upcoming forum for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). India is the rotating chair of the SCO which could serve as a venue for New Delhi to hold its highest-level talks with rivals in both Islamabad and Beijing. India's ties with both countries have deteriorated considerably over the past year.(HINDUSTAN TIMES)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he will propose the use of a new currency to facilitate trade among members of the BRICS group. Lavrov said he'll put the issue on the agenda at the August BRICS summit in South Africa. Russia sees the BRICS group as a viable way to circumvent U.S. and European sanctions imposed in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. (TASS NEWS AGENCY)

The U.S. embassy in Pretoria said it is concerned about next month's joint naval exercises among South Africa, Russia and China. Spokesperson David Feldmann told CBS News that it was unfortunate "Operation Mosi II" will take place while "Moscow continues its brutal and unlawful war of aggression against Ukraine." The two-day exercise is scheduled to begin on February 25th. (CBS NEWS)

Two U.S. cabinet secretaries are currently touring Africa to fulfill President Joe Biden's promise that the United States is "all in" when it comes to bolstering ties with countries across the continent.

A key part of the message that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield are telling their hosts is that the United States is a better, more reliable partner than China for Africa's long-term development.

But the optics this week present an awkward challenge to that assertion as leaders in various countries across the continent cut ribbons to commission several high-profile Chinese-built development projects:

• PORT: Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the new Lekki Deep Water Port in Lagos, which is now West Africa's largest and most sophisticated port. The project is a joint venture with the China Harbor Engineering Company. (REUTERS)

• RAIL: The Nigerian president also inaugurated Lagos' new Chinese-financed and built 27km Blue Line light rail system that is forecast to transport 7.5 million passengers a month. (PUNCH)

• ENERGY: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni commissioned the new Chinese-built Kingfisher oil drilling platform on Lake Albert, which is a key part of the president's ambitions to eventually produce 230,000 barrels a day of crude oil. (REUTERS)

• CULTURE: Outgoing Chinese ambassador to the DR Congo, Zhu Jing, posted images of the vast new Central African Cultural and Arts Center that's now under construction in the capital Kinshasa. (@AMB_ZHUJING)

It's unknown if these events were all timed to coincide with Yellen and Thomas-Greenfield's visit (unlikely) but regardless, it demonstrates the challenge that Washington is up against if it truly wants to challenge China's dominance as the preferred infrastructure development partner for many African nations.

These projects, like the Nairobi Expressway and the new Africa CDC headquarters in Addis Ababa, are highly-visible and, as is the case for the light rail and new port in Nigeria, are potentially transformative for the local economies.

So, if U.S. officials want to know what they're up against and what the expectations are of partner countries in Africa, then they may want to make note of what happened this week to serve as a benchmark.

SUGGESTED READING:

• Reuters: As Yellen woos Africa, sceptics ask 'Is the U.S. here to stay?' by Andrea Shalal and Carien Duplessis
• Bloomberg: Yellen Woos Africa as US Vies With China, Russia for Clout by Christopher Condon

Even though Huawei's mobile phone business is just a fraction of the size it was before the U.S. slapped crippling sanctions on the company, blocking it from using Google and other American technology, South African consumers are still keen to buy the Chinese tech giant's devices.

Huawei announced that it will launch its high-end Mate50 series smartphones next Wednesday in South Africa. (GIZMO CHINA)

Chinese ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo stopped by the Defense Ministry in Kinshasa this week to say goodbye to Minister Gilbert Kabanda. 

Zhu also left a parting gift of $27 million of security assistance for the Congolese military.

During his tenure as envoy to Kinshasa, Zhu emerged as one of China's highest-profile ambassadors on the continent, energetically defending China's controversial mining interests in the country and unafraid to tussle online with critics, particularly from the United States.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT? The DRC is arguably the most important country in Africa for China, given its vast reserves of critical resources that also makes it a frontline state in the burgeoning Great Power duel with the United States.

SUGGESTED READING:

• Luben Today: China Provides $27 Million to Support DR Congo's Defense and Security Sector (in Chinese)
• The China-Global South Project: Q&A: China’s DRC Envoy Says Beijing Open to Cooperate With U.S. in Congo by C. Geraud Neema

Three years after Chinese contractors broke ground to build the new Central African Cultural and Arts Center in the DR Congo capital of Kinshasa, the 36,000-square-meter development is now taking shape.

Outgoing Chinese ambassador to the DRC, Zhu Jing, posted an update on Twitter about the complex's construction that when finished will have a 2,000-seat main theater along with an 800-seat rehearsal hall.

It’ll also become the second iconic Chinese-built landmark in the Congolese capital, alongside the Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte, which was constructed in 1993.

China is on the verge of displacing Germany to become the world's second-largest auto exporting nation (Japan is #1). This is a remarkable accomplishment given the speed that China's automakers have gained international market share, tripling sales to 2.5 million units since 2020.

This trend is likely to accelerate quickly in the next few years as Chinese automakers leverage their advantage in electric vehicle manufacturing to roll into new markets around the world, particularly in the Global South.

Already, countries in Asia and the Americas account for half of all Chinese auto sales globally and with a big push underway in Africa and the Middle East, Chinese automakers are forecast to challenge powerful incumbents like Toyota and Ford, among others.

SUGGESTED READING:

• Bloomberg: The US Hasn’t Noticed That China-Made Cars Are Taking Over the World by Tom Hancock
• Reuters: China's BYD expands electric vehicle operation in Brazil by Alberto Alerigi

The Chinese embassy in Lusaka clapped back at U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for her remarks that Beijing was acting as a "barrier" in Zambia's drawn-out debt restructuring process.

In a sharply worded statement posted on its website Tuesday, the embassy said Yellen is in no position to lecture China on debt issues given Washington's "catastrophic debt problem" including a potential default on its $31.4 trillion debt if the House of Representatives does not increase the country's borrowing limit.

Other China-Zambia Debt Headlines:

• INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said she's reached an "understanding in principle" with China to stretch out repayment terms and reduce interest rates on Zambia's estimated $6 billion of outstanding Chinese obligations. (REUTERS)

• WORLD BANK: President David Malpass backed accusations by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that China is responsible for the delays in reaching a debt restructuring agreement. “China is asking lots of questions in the creditors' committees, and that causes delays, that strings out the process,” he said. (BLOOMBERG)

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Zambian finance ministry officials and other stakeholders in the debt restructuring process appear to be increasingly impatient with China in its role as co-chair of the Creditor Committee and Beijing's apparent refusal to accept any write-downs on its loans in Zambia.

The problem here is that if Chinese creditors don't agree to cancel portions of their Zambian debt, other creditors, for example, bondholders, will likely balk as well.

SUGGESTED READING:

• Associated Press: China uses US debt battle to deflect pressure on Africa debt
• Financial Times: China’s pivotal role under scrutiny as Zambia seeks debt relief by Jonathan Wheatley, Joseph Coterill and Sun Yu

Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the final day of a leaders summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, where he renewed calls for closer coordination among developing countries and improved South-South cooperation.

The President's speech didn't include any policy announcements or much of anything new. But it was notable that he was invited to address the gathering by the host, Argentinian President Alberto Fernández, who has emerged as one of Beijing's most ardent defenders.

Fernández said the CELAC summit "can help deepen links with China" and criticized the United States for "demonizing" Beijing.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? China's economic engagement with Latin American-Caribbean countries has been steadily growing in recent years, with total trade nearing half a trillion dollars in 2022. This is prompting growing anxiety in the U.S. that Chinese political sway will also increase in a region that Washington has long considered to be its traditional sphere of influence.

SUGGESTED READING:

• Xinhua: Xi delivers video address at CELAC 7th summit
• MercoPress: Hopefully, CELAC will “help us deepen links with China”, Argentine president

By Rebecca Ray

After providing a staggering amount of finance for overseas development projects in the wake of the global financial crisis, Chinese overseas development finance has been on a general downward trend for several years. New data shows the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 are no exception.

The China’s Overseas Development Finance (CODF) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, recorded 28 new loan commitments in 2020 and 2021 worth a combined value of $10.5 billion, the lowest in recent years.

A new policy brief shares insights on the state of China’s overseas development finance from 2008-2021 and how borrowers, sectors and loan types have changed over the years, especially compared to the World Bank.

Key Findings From the Global Development Policy Center's Latest Research on Chinese Overseas Development Financing:

• TOTAL # OF LOAN COMMITMENTS: The CODF Database records a total of 1,099 Chinese overseas development finance commitments made to 100 countries, totaling $498 billion between 2008-2021. This level of lending (83 percent of World Bank sovereign lending during these years) places China’s development finance institutions (DFIs) among the most active DFIs in the world. Loans have been made on nearly every continent, with concentrations in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America.

• CHINA'S NEW "SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL" APPROACH: As Chinese overseas development finance has fallen in total value, so too has the average loan commitment size, both in monetary value and in the geographic footprint of financed projects. This trend supports the “small is beautiful” approach to Chinese economic engagement in recent years, which prioritizes smaller and more targeted projects.

• WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING?  China’s development finance has been concentrated among its top ten borrowers — Angola, Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia and Venezuela — which account for $296.3 billion, or 59 percent, of total loan commitments. The top three sectors for China’s development finance are extraction and pipelines, transport and power, accounting for $331 billion, or 66 percent, of total loan commitments.

Rebecca Ray is a Senior Academic Researcher at Boston University's Global Development Policy Center

SUGGESTED READING:

• The Boston University Global Development Policy Center: “Small is Beautiful”: A New Era in China’s Overseas Development Finance?
• The China-Global South Project: Diversifying Development: Why Countries Are Seeking Development Finance from Both China and the World Bank by Rebecca Ray

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen accused China of blocking progress for Zambia's drawn-out debt restructuring process that is now entering its second year.

“I know the Chinese have been a barrier to concluding the negotiations,” she said in Lusaka on Monday, the second stop of a 10-day Africa tour that began in Senegal and will end in South Africa.

Yellen added that Zambia's debt relief talks with both its bilateral creditors and bondholders have “taken far too long already to resolve.”

Neither the Chinese embassy nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on Monday to Yellen's comments but it's likely they're going to push back hard.

China, together with France, is co-chairing the Zambian Creditor Committee that is leading the debt restructuring process and has expressed on several occasions its desire to complete the talks in a timely manner. 

Nonetheless, China is new to the multilateral debt negotiation process and, as such, has reportedly struggled from the beginning, according to French officials involved in the talks.

Separately, Yellen's comments also broke protocol from other senior U.S. officials during recent visits to Africa when they've assiduously avoided direct references to China.

Yellen, instead, has repeatedly singled out China for criticism during this trip, accusing Beijing of engaging in predatory lending practices and not doing enough to provide debt relief:

• RISKY CHINESE LOANS: “Countries need to be wary of shiny deals that may be opaque and ultimately fail to actually benefit the people they were purportedly designed to help in the first place. This can leave countries with a legacy of debt, diverted resources and environmental destruction.” (BLOOMBERG)

• SINGLING OUT CHINA FOR DEBT RELIEF: "We believe that the international community, including China, needs to provide meaningful debt relief to help countries regain their footing. Timely debt relief is in the interests of both debtors and creditors." (AXIOS)

Expect U.S. criticism of Chinese engagement in Africa to stay in the headlines over the next few days when U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield embarks on a three-nation tour to Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya. Thomas-Greenfield is among the administration's most outspoken critics of Chinese lending practices in Africa.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? The Biden administration is clearly prioritizing diplomacy in Africa and after laying low about China in Africa for the past year, Yellen's comments and Thomas-Greenfield's upcoming visit may show that U.S. officials are becoming more aggressive in differentiating Washington's approach from Beijing's.

SUGGESTED READING:

• The Wall Street Journal: Janet Yellen Pushes China on Debt Relief for Zambia by By Andrew Duehren and Gabriele Steinhauser
• The Financial Times: China is ‘barrier’ to ending Zambian debt crisis, says Janet Yellen by Joseph Cotterill

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's long-held ambition to export oil via the controversial East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) will move closer to reality on Tuesday when he commissions the country's first new drilling site in Lake Albert.

The President will inaugurate the Kingfisher drilling rig operated by the Chinese state-owned oil services giant CNOOC.

CNOOC's deep drilling technology will tap 31 wells, including some as deep as 7 kilometers. 

The crude output from Kingfisher will either be refined at the proposed Kabale refinery for domestic use or transported to the Tanga Port in Tanzania through the proposed East African Crude Oil Pipeline.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? While China often claims that it supports clean energy development in Africa, CNOOC's participation in the Kingfisher and EACOP projects nonetheless demonstrates Beijing's longstanding commitment to fossil fuel extraction on the continent.

SUGGESTED READING:

• Daily Monitor: Museveni to launch oil drilling on Tuesday by Paul Murungi
• Daily Monitor: Historic day as Uganda starts first oil drilling by Frederi Musisi

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari officially opened West Africa's largest port facility on Tuesday when he commissioned the new Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos State.

The opening coincided with the docking of the first cargo vessel, the French-flagged CMA CGM Mozart, to mark the beginning of operations at West Africa's largest and most sophisticated port facility.

This port is also a critical test for Chinese infrastructure development in Africa that relied on equity, not loans, to finance a large portion of the $1.5 billion project.

The state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) took a $221 million ownership stake in the Lekki port and is jointly operating the facility.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Now that the era of China financing large-scale infrastructure projects in Africa is over, both Chinese and African stakeholders will be looking for new financing methods like CHEC's in Nigeria that don't generate additional debt burdens for borrowing countries.

SUGGESTED READING:

• This Day: History as Buhari Inaugurates $1.5bn Lekki Deep Sea Port, Witnesses First Cargo Ship Offloading
• PM News Nigeria: Lekki Deep Sea Port: Buhari breaks another jinx

The producers of this year's Spring Gala television variety show in China appear to have learned from recent scandals around Chinese actors in blackface appearing in the hugely popular annual Lunar New Year program.

Instead, Tanzanian singer Coronia Kila performed on stage with a Chinese band and backup singers in front of an audience of more than 700 million people.

In the 2021 and 2018 shows, performers dressed in offensive blackface makeup sparked widespread outrage.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Clearly, officials feel strongly about including an Africa-themed performance in the show but at least the producers seemed to have finally got the message that masquerading Chinese people as Black people is wholly unacceptable.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will leave Tuesday on an 11-day, three-nation tour of Africa that Biden administration officials say is intended to rejuvenate ties on the continent and counter Chinese influence. Yellen will visit South Africa, Senegal, and Zambia, where debt issues are expected to feature prominently on her agenda. Previously, Yellen has said China is the biggest obstacle to progress in resolving debt crises. (BLOOMBERG)

The Indonesian navy deployed a warship, surveillance aircraft, and drones to its resource-rich North Natuna Sea to monitor a Chinese coast guard vessel that’s been in its exclusive economic zone for the past two weeks. Indonesia’s navy chief said on Saturday that the Chinese vessel isn’t behaving suspiciously but that his forces are keeping a close watch just in case. (REUTERS)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged the United States to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact in order to better counter China's growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region. The Prime Minister said during an official visit to Washington, D.C. on Friday that with the U.S. back in the TPP it would contribute to the creation of a "fair economic order."  (THE MAINICHI)

The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. rejected comments by Donald Lu, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia calling China’s conduct along its border with India ‘aggressive.’ An embassy spokesperson called the border situation is ‘overall stable’ and said “The Chinese side is firmly opposed to such acts that a third country point fingers at the bilateral issue between other two countries out of geopolitical consideration.” (HINDUSTAN TIMES)

Chinese demand helped to drive Iranian oil exports in November and December 2022 to their highest levels since 2019. Exports in December averaged 1.137 million barrels per day, despite ongoing sanctions against the country because of the as-yet unresolved nuclear deal. (REUTERS)

Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan feels the kingdom can bridge the geopolitical divide between the United States and China. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the minister said Saudi Arabia’s ‘close’ relationship with China and ‘very strategic’ relationship with the United States positions it as a potential mediator. (CNBC)

China renewed longstanding accusations that the United States is "plundering" Syrian oil. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin repeated Damascus's allegation that 80% of its oil had been "smuggled out of the country by U.S. occupation troops." Both China and Syria have repeated this claim since at least 2019. (CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS)

A group of 10 Ugandan workers staged a silent protest outside the Chinese embassy in Kampala on Tuesday to appeal for three years of unpaid back wages by their former Chinese employer. The group held a banner in Chinese calling on the diplomatic mission to help settle their dispute. No one from the embassy responded and the group dispersed after security threatened to arrest them. (DAILY MONITOR)

Mauritania is the 55th non-Asian country to join the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB) and the 21st from Africa. The West African country's admission last week coincided with the bank's seventh anniversary. In terms of membership, the AIIB is now the world's second-largest multilateral development institution behind the World Bank. (CHINA DAILY)

More than a dozen of Apple’s Chinese suppliers are reportedly receiving initial clearances to expand their operations in India, adding speed to the tech giant’s moves to expand its production beyond China. These companies will likely also be required to find Indian joint venture partners. (BLOOMBERG)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit the Philippines and South Korea in the next few weeks to boost cooperation in the region. This follows recent high-level defense talks with Japan focusing on working together against China, Russia and North Korea. (KYODO)

Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan seemingly can’t stop dropping hints about how his country ranks its relationships with China and the United States. He told a World Economic Forum audience in Davos that China "is very important for Saudi" and its largest trade partner, "but also the U.S. is a very important and strategic partner." Earlier this week he called the relationship with China “close” while ties with the U.S. were labeled “very strategic.” (REUTERS)

Sri Lanka’s desperate attempts to get China’s support for its debt restructuring could be blown up from the inside. This follows an invitation from senior Buddhist clerics to the Dalai Lama to visit the bankrupt island state.

The Chinese embassy was predictably not happy. It called the Tibetan spiritual leader "the head of a feudal serfdom” and met with Buddhist prelates in the religious center of Kandy to express their opposition.

China will probably also not be thrilled by Colombo's joint naval and air force exercises with the United States from 19 to 26 January.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?: China's next step in this dispute will be revealing. Judging by a similar case in South Africa, it could put pressure on the Sri Lankan government not to give the Dalai Lama a visa.

SUGGESTED READING

• The Economic Times: China Opposes Dalai Lama's Planned Visit to Sri Lanka
• U.S. Indo-Pacific Command: Sri Lanka and U.S. Militaries Commence Joint Training Exercises

The Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka did not take well to U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung's accusation that China is a potential "spoiler" in the South Asian country's debt restructuring process.

The embassy was furious over remarks Chung made in an interview that aired last week on the BBC's flagship program Newsnight during which she blamed China for the delays in approving Colombo's debt plan.

"Sri Lanka does not have time to delay. They need these assurances immediately," she told Newsnight's Economics Editor Ben Chu. 

"We've seen again delays in Zambia and Chad and other countries where for one reason or another it's been held up and China has been the spoiler. So, again, for the sake of the Sri Lankan people, we certainly hope the PRC is not a spoiler," said Chung.

In response, the embassy published a scathing press release on Tuesday and then took to Twitter, where it lashed out at Chung's remarks in a seven-part thread:

"China, China, China!”, our U.S. colleague starts chanting this infamous mantra and blaming China as a “spoiler” to the island’s negotiation with the IMF during her recent interview with a UK television program on Sri Lanka’s debt issue.

Isn’t it hypocrisy at its finest for our U.S. colleague to play the blame game instead of a self-examination? After all, why didn’t the U.S. take decisive actions in the IMF for a more comfortable solution for Sri Lanka?

Or extend grant to the island with the rocket amount of U.S. dollars they print every year, instead of sowing discord between China and Sri Lanka?

Both Chinese and Sri Lankan people are wise enough to judge without any foreign lecturing who is the spoiler of our development.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?: The Sri Lankan debt issue was already burdened by major power rivalries involving China, Japan and India but the U.S. was, until now, not a factor. Now that a U.S. diplomat has jumped into the ring, geopolitical posturing could further delay the island's economic recovery.

SUGGESTED READING AND VIEWING:

• The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka: Media Release on the "Spoiler" hypocrisy
• BBC Newsnight: How Sri Lanka is caught in a dance between two rival geopolitical powers by Ben Chu

There's an emerging consensus in U.S. national security circles that bolstering ties with India will be the best way to confront China's surging influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

But if that is the case, then it appears U.S. stakeholders have some work to do to improve their standing with the Indian public, who see Washington as a major military threat to the country, second only to China.

The fact that nearly half of those surveyed by the U.S. private intelligence company Morning Consult regard China as the primary threat should not come as a surprise given the two Asian powers' history and current border disputes.

But that nearly a quarter of those polled feel the same about the U.S. is notable.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?: The poll reveals that while India is a member of the Quad and shares U.S. concerns about China, it doesn't mean New Delhi or the Indian public are ideologically aligned with Washington.

SUGGESTED READING:

• Morning Consult: India in Between: Modi’s Delicate Dance of Diplomatic Moderation Offers Risks and Rewards by Scott Moskowitz & Sonnet Frisbie
• Bloomberg: Indians View US as Biggest Threat After China, Survey Shows by Eltaf Najafizada

Production is up and running again at a Chinese-owned nickel smelting plant in Indonesia following last week's violent uprising by laborers over poor working conditions.

Two people, one Chinese and one Indonesian, were killed during the riot.

The story didn't generate much attention on Chinese social media platforms like Weibo, with just a few stories re-posting Reuters coverage of the violence.

Interestingly, the comments on these pages were all rather benign, mostly expressing concern for the well-being of Chinese workers at the plant.

But that was apparently enough to trigger China's notorious online censors to take action. Curiously, though, the censors targeted posts only on large major media outlets like Global Times but permitted individuals to continue to share videos and comments.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?: This kind of censorship allows misinformation to spread online when supposedly credible media outlets are prevented from reporting a story while other users are free to share unverified content. 

South Africa’s state railway company Transnet has put out a tender for any company that can fix non-operational Chinese-made locomotives acquired under a corrupt deal.

The original manufacturer of the locomotives, China Railway Rolling Stock Corp (CRRC), refused to supply the needed parts after South African authorities overturned the contract for irregularities related to the take-over of South African state institutions by corrupt officials.

Despite an in-principle deal between the company and Transnet in 2022, the two are now at a stalemate.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?: SA's mineral council blames Transnet for $3 billion in lost revenue last year alone as the corruption-addled company's failures hit rail and ports logistics. South Africa makes up one-fifth of all China's African trade.

SUGGESTED READING:

• News24: Transnet launches urgent tender for critical spares as deal with Chinese firm stalls by Lisa Steyn
• Bloomberg: Transnet Gives Up on Chinese Rail Deal, Plans New Tender by Felix Njini

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is heading to Africa for a 10-day trip to Senegal, South Africa and Zambia.

The continent’s green transition will feature prominently, with Yellen visiting South African coal country to champion the implementation of an $8.5 billion deal, partly funded by the U.S., to boost the country’s move to green energy in the face of knotted government hydrocarbon interests.

Yellen’s visit to Zambia is expected to be dominated by its troubled debt renegotiation process. She is a prominent critic of China’s role in the process. The U.S. Treasury announced earlier this week that Yellen will make a detour to Switzerland to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Wednesday to discuss “macroeconomic developments and other economic issues.” Debt is likely to feature prominently in this discussion too.

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, will also travel to Zambia in two weeks in the run-up to a meeting of a new sovereign debt roundtable (which will include China) on the sidelines of G20 finance ministers’ meeting in India in February.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?: Yellen’s visit signals a reenergizing of the United States’s relationship with the continent in the wake of 2022’s U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit and sets up trips by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris this year.

SUGGESTED READING:

• Financial Times: Janet Yellen to visit African countries as US steps up overtures to continent by David Pilling, James Politi and Joseph Cotterill
• National Public Radio: What Janet Yellen hopes to accomplish during her trip to Africa