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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 ...

Beijing on the Ballot: How China Shapes Latin America’s Elections

It’s a busy time for politics in Latin America. In the next year, many countries will go to the polls to elect new presidents. Within this context, a clear trend is taking shape: across the region, candidates’ positions on China are ...

China’s Xi at Center of World Stage After Days of High-Level Hobnobbing

By Rebecca Bailey Two blockbuster events in China this week were a successful exposition of President Xi Jinping's vision of a new world order -- one that puts him and his country firmly at its center while sidelining his rival, the ...

China and Russia Start Joint Drills in Sea of Japan

China and Russia began joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan on Sunday as they seek to reinforce their partnership and counterbalance what they see as a U.S.-led global order. Alongside economic and political ties, Moscow and Beijing have strengthened ...

Chinese Commentators Cheer Over Iran Ditches GPS for Beidou

In a move hailed by Chinese media as a geopolitical turning point, Iran has announced plans to gradually replace the U.S.-controlled GPS system with China’s Beidou satellite navigation network. The decision, revealed in mid-July by Iran’s Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology, is being framed in ...

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, ...

China Says to Hold Military Drills With Russia in August

China said Wednesday it would conduct joint military drills with Russia in August, including sea and air exercises near Vladivostok and joint naval patrols in the Pacific. Alongside economic and political ties, Moscow and Beijing have deepened military cooperation in recent ...

How Middle Powers Are Navigating the U.S.–China Rivalry

In this new era of surging instability and geopolitical uncertainty, so-called "Middle Power" states are rapidly diversifying their foreign policies to deepen engagement with other countries in the Global South, while reducing their exposure to the U.S. and China. 

Trump’s Middle East Pivot Aims to Counter China’s Rising Influence

By Maria Papageorgiou The U.S. president, Donald Trump, claimed he was able to secure deals totalling more than $2 trillion for the U.S. on his tour of the Gulf states in May. Trump said “there has never been anything like” the amount ...

New Corridor, New Strategy: China’s Bi-Oceanic Railway and Latin America’s Trade Route Battleground

A series of geopolitical pressures is forcing China to rethink its approach to Latin America’s strategic waterways. Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office, Washington has stepped up efforts to curtail Chinese influence in the Panama Canal, a vital artery for global trade and military logistics. ...

Malaysia’s PM Urges Stronger China Ties Amid U.S. Tariff Threats and Rising U.S.-China Rivalry

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday issued a call to action for ASEAN, urging the region to move beyond traditional trade and investment strategies and embrace a future defined by technological collaboration, economic resilience in ASEAN, and sustainable growth. Speaking ...

Singapore’s Defense Chief: To Asia, the U.S. Has Shifted from Liberator to ‘Landlord Seeking Rent‘

Singapore’s defense chief, Ng Eng Hen, highlighted Asia’s shifting view of the U.S. during a roundtable at the Munich Security Conference. Eng Hen said that once seen as a force of “moral legitimacy” following World War II, Asia now views the ...