Rajpriya Gautam

Congolese ministers have been in Beijing all week  preparing for Wednesday’s arrival of President Félix Tshisekedi. Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula met with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on Monday and Mining Minister N’samba Kalambayi held talks with both corporate and government stakeholders the following day. But you’d never know from the Chinese media that the leaders of one of Africa’s largest and strategically most important countries are in town. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chi...

Traffic on South Africa’s main railway line that connects the country’s urban hubs of Johannesburg and Pretoria with Africa’s largest port in Durban operated at just 25% capacity last week — hobbled by rampant theft, vandalism and damage. The 688-kilometer rail line is one of the world’s most important arteries in the global supply chain as it transports millions of tons of raw materials from across southern Africa to the Port of Durban for shipment to China and other major industrial centers. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More ...

The South African government  announced  in May that discussions around setting up a common currency will be on the agenda of the BRICS summit in August. Calls for the bloc, made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, to work together to boost non-dollar trade have increased over recent months. Much of this pressure  has been political. The United States’s dollar-targeted sanctions against Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war  have elevated  the issue among these leaders, but these have largely been framed politically. So far,  concrete plans  for how to implement and administer such a scheme have lagged behind. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... fin...

While joint military exercises between China and countries like South Africa draw controversy, much less attention is being paid to the role of policing in Africa-China relations. A fascinating new paper  by the Africa-China security expert Paul Nantuyla maps the growing influence of Chinese law enforcement in Africa. This includes the normalization of Chinese policing norms via institutional links and training. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chinaglobalsouth.com/2023/05/23/the-growing-influence-of-c...

The central Chinese province of Hunan has spent years positioning itself as an African trading hub, and according to the latest customs data, its efforts are now paying significant dividends. Trade between the province and African countries surged by 90% in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year to $3.14 billion. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chinaglobalsouth.com/2023/05/23/hunans-trade-with-africa-is-up-90-in-2023/

The Chinese government lodged a formal complaint to Japan over the wording of the G7 communiqué published over the weekend.  Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Saturday that China felt it had been “attacked”  and that a number of points raised in the G7’s joint statement amounted to an “interference in its internal affairs.” Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chinaglobalsouth.com/2023/05/22/china-angry-with-japan-over-g7-joint-statement-labels-accusations-as-hype/

Pacific Island Countries (PIC) are the current focal point in the escalating competition for influence between the United States and China around the world. Both Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Micronesia signed defense agreements with the United States on Monday  during a brief visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chinaglobalsouth.com/2023/05/22/papua-new-guinea-micronesia-to-sign-agreement-with-u-s-as-pacific-island-countries-increasingly-take-sides-in-great-power-r...

If your media diet is predominantly from Western, Japanese or Indian sources, then it’s quite likely you’ve seen one of the countless obituaries this year for China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The narrative in articles like Foreign Policy’s “ China’s Belt and Road to Nowhere ” or Nikkei Asia’s “ Belt and Road Initiative at tipping point ” all highlight the debt problems that now bedevil many of the countries that borrowed heavily from China under the auspices of the BRI. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://ch...

The Chinese government  confirmed that DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi will embark on a five-day official state visit beginning Wednesday that will also include a meeting with Xi Jinping. Speculation about the President’s trip intensified over the weekend after it was  revealed that Congolese Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula arrived in Beijing on Sunday to make advance preparations for Tshisekedi’s arrival. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chinaglobalsouth.com/2023/05/22/drc-pr...

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit Australia in July in the latest indication that tensions between the two countries are easing.  In another sign of détente, Beijing is lifting many of the economic sanctions that it imposed on Australian agricultural and mining products for the past 2-3 years.  (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST) India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar denounced China’s “opaque lending practices” and warned other Indian Ocean states on Friday about Beijing’s disregard for the rule of law.  The minister also attacked China for not respecting “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”   (TIMES OF INDIA) Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s...

The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday  approved  a $3 billion debt bailout deal for Ghana. The debt-distressed country will receive an immediate payment of $600 million. The announcement is a win for China,  which co-chaired  the official creditor committee with France and participated in the negotiations towards the deal. However, it also reflects Ghana’s relatively limited exposure to Chinese debt, with  smaller loans and fewer lenders  than for example, in  Zambia . This likely made the negotiations less complex that in other cases (see below.) Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for u...

U.S. President Joe Biden will leave for Japan on Wednesday to attend a G7 leaders summit in Hiroshima, but rather than continue on to Australia and what would have been a landmark visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG), he’ll head straight back to Washington instead. The White House on Tuesday announced that the President is curtailing his Asia-Pacific tour  so he can manage negotiations with Republican lawmakers over the debt limit. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chinaglobalsouth.com/2023/05/17/domestic-u-...

Although now more than a decade old, China’s large media presence in Africa remains poorly understood on the continent and by most foreign observers. While investment to expand TV broadcaster CGTN, China Daily and China Radio International’s footprint on the continent stalled shortly after Xi Jinping took power in 2012, the Chinese are still very active in distributing CPC propaganda through free licensing arrangements with African media outlets and sponsoring dozens of African journalists and editors to travel to China each year on all-expense paid trips. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Sa...

A new set of charts compiled by the China-Mideast researcher Andrea Ghiselli provides an intriguing glimpse of how Chinese investment in Sub-Saharan Africa is evolving. The charts are reportedly based on data from statistical yearbooks and investment bulletins. Big Trends: Chinese Investment in Africa FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT:  Chinese FDI in Africa by stock remained roughly even between 2018 and 2021. However, Africa’s percentage of China’s total global FDI by stock is declining year by year. The two patterns arguably reveal a plateauing of investment in Africa while China’s global investment raced ahead. This should be concerning news for African policymakers. CONTRACTS:  The value of contracts won by Chinese companies fluctuated in the late 2010s but crept back up even during the pandemic. The trend contrasts with a sharp decline in financing from Chinese banks for African projects between the mid-2010s and the mid-pandemic. This could indicate that Chinese companie...

While China won’t formally attend this week’s G7 summit, starting from Thursday in Japan, it’s likely to dominate the discussions anyway. The bloc (made up of France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada) is not known for its interest in the developing world. However, this week’s summit is coming amid anxiety about China’s growing clout in the Global South, and early signs are that these concerns are expanding its gaze Southwards. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chinagl...

The China Exim Bank will reportedly come to the rescue of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline  after Standard Chartered Bank withdrew from the project  that aims to transport oil from western Uganda to the coast of Tanzania. Ugandan Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa confirmed that the Chinese policy bank, along with “several other Chinese banks”, will finance an unspecified amount of the $1.8 billion needed to build the 1,443-kilometer pipeline,  according to a report in the Daily Monitor newspaper. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click He...

First-quarter smartphone shipments to countries in the Mideast and Africa slumped to their lowest level in seven years, with some of China’s top device makers all losing share. High inflation and weak local currencies are largely to blame for the downturn,  according to analysts at the technology research firm Counterpoint . While shipments are down compared to the same period last year, they are showing signs of rebounding compared to Q3 and Q4 last year, when shipments fell by 20% and 18% respectively. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here ...

A 58% year-on-year surge in exports in the first quarter of the year propelled China past Japan to become the world’s largest auto exporting country. Sales to markets in Europe, Southeast Asia, South America and Africa together accounted for 40% of the 1.07 million units shipped in the January to April period, according to customs data. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chinaglobalsouth.com/2023/05/15/china-passes-japan-to-become-largest-auto-exporter/

Chinese imports fell for a second consecutive month in April, dipping 8% compared to the same time last year in what is potentially a worrisome trend for Global South commodity producers.  Chinese exports, however, increased last month by almost 9%, according to new customs data. (REUTERS) Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining robust ties with China despite worsening territorial disputes and closer security cooperation with the U.S.  “Disengagement is really not an option,” he told an audience in Washington, D.C. before returning home this weekend.  (PHILIPPINE STAR) China will conduct rare joint military exercises with Laos later this month in a bid to bolster regional security ties to counter the expanding U.S. presence in Southeast Asia.  The PLA’s Southern Command will send troops to the landlocked country for the two-week-long drills that are scheduled to begin on Tuesday.  (REUTERS) The UAE’s state-owned nuc...

As the  civil war in Sudan  threatens to turn into a regional conflict, it could take a significant chunk of Chinese financing with it. At least $5 billion  worth of Chinese loans to Sudan are now in danger as hundreds of thousands of Sudanese flee, and  conflict  rages in the capital of Khartoum. Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations. Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South. China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening. Subscribe today for unlimited access. Monthly $19/mo OR Yearly $199/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More source https://chinaglobalsouth.com/2023/05/11/sudan-crisis-is-adding-to-chinas-debt-woes-in-africa/