CGSP Podcasts
Weekly discussions with key thought leaders about China’s engagement in Africa and the Global South.
podcast
Trump, China and the New Power Politics in Asia
Chinese exports are booming—but ties with the U.S. are collapsing. Across Asia, from Beijing to Manila, Washington’s shifting strategy under Trump is reshaping alliances and testing security guarantees that have underpinned the region for decades. ...
podcast
Kenya’s China Debt Deal Challenges Old Narratives
Kenya and China have reached a groundbreaking agreement to restructure $3.5 billion in railway loans, converting them from U.S. dollars into Chinese yuan. The move could save Kenya $215 million in debt servicing costs and marks the first time an African ...
How China is Displacing U.S. Economic Power in Latin America
For centuries, the United States was the undisputed hegemonic power across the Western Hemisphere; however, that is no longer the case today. China is now the largest trading partner for the majority of countries in Latin America and is quickly filling ...
China’s Play for Global Governance Leadership
In the weeks since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the new Global Governance Initiative (GGI) during a speech at the SCO summit in Tianjin, Beijing's propaganda apparatus has been working overtime to build support for the new plan, particularly in Africa, ...
Africa Buys More From China Than Ever. That’s a Problem.
China-Africa trade in the first eight months of the year increased by 15% to more than $220 billion, on track to break another annual record. A significant portion of that growth, however, stemmed from a surge in Chinese exports to African ...
An Armed Taliban security personnel stands guard near the closed gate of the zero point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan at Spin Boldak district in Kandahar province on October 12, 2025. Photo by SANAULLAH SEIAM / AFP
By Lukas Fiala and Saniya Kulkarni The recent escalation between Afghanistan and Pakistan has demonstrated once more the potential for instability in China’s neighborhood. With both sides reaching an initial truce on Wednesday after a series of strikes, Beijing is again confronted with the ...
[CGSP FORUM] Africa’s Energy Future and China: Gauging the Price of Power
In CGSP’s first-ever China–Africa Energy Forum, Managing Editor Cobus van Staden hosts three leading experts to explore how Chinese finance, technology, and policy are transforming Africa’s power landscape: Frangton ChiyemuraLecturer in International Development, Open ...
Chinese Online Outrage Over $80 Billion Zambia River Suit
More than six months after 50,000 liters of toxic water from a Chinese-run mining site spilled into Zambia's Kafue River, there's still no resolution to what's become a massive environmental crisis. The government is siding ...
Why Chinese Companies Are Pouring Money Into Brazil
China’s economic ties with Brazil are booming, and 2024 saw a stunning 113% jump in Chinese investment, totaling $4.2 billion across 39 projects, the highest number ever, according to a new report by the Brazil-China Business Council.
Kenya’s Silent EV Revolution: Custom Chinese EVs Solving Transport Gaps
The electric shift in many African countries is largely silent where unique approaches are solving daily transport problems caused by lax government policies that have left glaring gaps. In countries like Kenya, where public transport ...
China’s Gradual but Growing Security Influence in Africa
China is steadily expanding its security presence in Africa through deeper military ties, weapons sales, and multinational deployments as UN Peacekeepers. In fact, China is now the largest arms supplier to Sub-Saharan Africa, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace ...
Plugging-In Africa: Citi’s Ambitious EV Financing Future
The African electric vehicle (EV) market is projected to grow by 25 percent annually over the next five years. This means that stakeholders, including financiers, have to plan for this expansion if they are to benefit from the sector.
India-China Reset? Modi and Xi Test a Fragile Rapprochement
The reset between India and China appears to be holding. Nearly two weeks after President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Tianjin, five years of frigid ties between the two Asian ...
The Trump, Xi Foreign Policy Duel in Southeast Asia
Two sharply contrasting foreign policy visions emerged this week from China and the United States. In Beijing, President Xi Jinping outlined an agenda in talks with fellow BRICS leaders that directly challenged Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine, urging instead for stronger ...
Kenya Caught Uncomfortably Between the U.S. and China
The Kenyan government is under mounting pressure from the United States over its close ties with China. Influential lawmakers in Washington are furious over comments made by President William Ruto during a visit to Beijing earlier this year, where he said ...
China’s Small State Diplomacy Strategy in Latin America
While most of the world's attention at this week's Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin was on Xi Jinping's meetings with leaders from the big powers, namely India and Russia, the Chinese President also spent considerable time with heads of state ...
SCO Summit Review: Xi, Modi & Putin Present a United Front
This week's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin signaled China’s ambition to redefine global governance. Leaders from more than 20 countries endorsed the Tianjin Declaration, pressing for a multipolar order, tighter security cooperation, and expanded economic integration.
SCO Preview: Modi Heads to China Amid U.S. Tariff Shock
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left Northeast Asia this week, embarking on a two-stop trip that includes Japan and then China, where he will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which begins on Sunday. ...