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The New Dilemma for Middle Powers Caught Between the U.S. and China

In this episode of the China Global South Podcast, Eric & Cobus unpack a major question facing middle powers everywhere: What happens when the global security architecture you relied on for decades no longer exists? Fresh from ...

China to Donate Over $400,000 in Police Gear to Vanuatu: Minister

Vanuatu's interior minister has said China will donate hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of police equipment to the Pacific island nation, local media reported Tuesday, as Beijing deepens its influence in the region. Internal Affairs Minister Andrew Solomon Napuat said ...

China Warns Papua New Guinea Over Australian Defense Deal

China cautioned Papua New Guinea against "undermining" its interests and sovereignty in signing a mutual defense pact with Australia widely seen as a counter to Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. Australia and Papua New Guinea this week agreed on the ...

Australia Moves to Counter China With Vanuatu Security Pact

Australia on Wednesday hailed a breakthrough in efforts to sign a security agreement with Vanuatu, a deal that could dilute China's influence in the Pacific island nation. A delegation of Australian ministers ironed out the deal during negotiations on the slopes ...

China Says No Ambition to Build South Pacific Military Base

China's embassy in Fiji has insisted Beijing is not seeking a military base in the South Pacific, saying aid pledged to developing island nations came with "no political strings attached". Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka warned this week against any Chinese ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

2026: Africa-China Relations in a World Shaped by North-South Geopolitics

When talking about Africa–China relations, one is always moving along a sliding scale. There are myriad interactions with Chinese entities that concern only individual African countries, segueing into trends affecting the whole continent and sliding further into global dynamics shaping the developing world, of which Africa is the heart.

The Africa-China relationship is its own thing, but Africa’s fate can’t easily be separated from factors affecting the wider Global South, ...

New Zealand Halts Aid to Cook Islands Over China Deals

New Zealand's government halted aid to close partner the Cook Islands on Thursday because of a row over agreements the Pacific island nation struck with China. New Zealand "paused" the payments and would not resume them until the Cook Islands took ...

China Carefully Assembling a Deep-Sea Mining Strategy

By Amelie Bottolier-Depois with Mary Yang in Beijing In a world hungry for crucial resources, China may not be poised to start deep-sea mining but it is planting seeds for such operations in a meticulously planned economic and geopolitical strategy.

China Offers Pacific Islands Climate, Development Cooperation

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi focused on climate change and development cooperation during the China-Pacific Islands Forum ministerial meeting that took place on 28 and 29 May in Xiamen, Fujian Province. It was the first in-person event since its launch in 2021. It included senior officials from ...

Australia Agrees Deal to Strengthen Solomons Police

Australia said Friday it had agreed to boost Solomon Islands' police force with a multi-year funding, training and infrastructure package for the Pacific nation, which has fostered close ties with China. However, as a sign of the competition it faced from ...

Australia Woos Solomon Islands After Pro-China PM’s Exit

Australia touted on Thursday a "much bigger" relationship with the Solomon Islands, further ramping up efforts to woo a Pacific nation that has lurched closer to China in recent years. Foreign Minister Penny Wong arrived in Honiara for talks with new ...

Solomon Islands Lawmakers to Elect PM, With Consequences for China

China-friendly former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele was elected prime minister of the Solomon Islands on Thursday, defeating an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing's reach in the Pacific nation. Governor-General David Vunagi said Manele won 31 votes in a secret ballot ...

Solomon Islands PM Assures Australia It Remains “Security Partner of Choice”

Manasseh Sogavare, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, moved to calm Australian fears about his country's new security pact with China.  In an interview with The Guardian, Sogavare said there will never be a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands because ...
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