Rajpriya Gautam

China was the leading source of foreign direct investment in Africa from 2016 to 2020 in terms of both jobs and capital invested, but third behind the United States and France in terms of the number of projects,  according to Ernst & Young (EY)’s closely followed annual Attractiveness report that was recently published . Chinese investment on the continent during this period totaled $70.6 billion and created more than 170,000 jobs, three times as many as the U.S. and France, and more than four times as many as the UK. This marketing content will be shown in place of your protected content to anyone who is not allowed to read the post… 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 happeni...

While much of the news coverage in the immediate aftermath of this year’s FOCAC focused on the premature calculation that China had reduced its financial pledge by a third, now, a week later, more nuanced analysis from some of the world’s leading specialists in the field is beginning to emerge: MORE, NOT LESS FROM CHINA: “ The overall direction of Africa-China relations is intensification rather than a cooling. Not only that, but the plans unveiled at FOCAC 8 are more African-led – again, based on, a careful reading of all of the speeches and documents in comparison to previous declarations and action plans” —  Leah Lynch, Hannah Ryder, and Jing Cai from Development Reimagined   (READ MORE) GREAT POWER RIVALRY:  “While it is important to understand the China-Africa relationship on its own terms and in the context of its unique historical development, it is also increasingly relevant to see the relationship in a broader global context. In the wake of Blinken’s visit t...

Chinese President Xi Jinping  spoke at length last week  during his keynote address at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference in Dakar about the need to promote green energy development in Africa. The continent lags far behind the rest of the world in the use of solar, wind, and other sources of renewable energy (see the graph above) which presents both tremendous opportunities for Chinese companies to take the lead but also considerable risks, according to the findings from a new report by The  African Climate Foundation  (ACF) in partnership with the  Institute of Development Studies  (IDS) and the  Open University . China is potentially well-positioned in this new market, given its role as the dominant player in building and financing African energy projects. Between 2000 and 2018, Chinese creditors extended $37 billion of loans for power development and constructed nearly 17 gigawatts of new capacity. But very little of that effort ...

Within days of the conclusion of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Dakar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pivoted to focus on a similar ministerial forum with his counterparts from Latin America and the Caribbean. Wang last Friday chaired the third Ministers’ Meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (China-CELAC).  Just as with FOCAC, the CELAC agenda was topped by vaccines, green development and digital initiatives as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. But unlike the Africa forum that takes place consistently every three years, CELAC’s gatherings are less predictable, especially now amid the ongoing pandemic.  (XINHUA) This marketing content will be shown in place of your protected content to anyone who is not allowed to read the post… 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...

Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby (photo) struggled to answer reporters’ questions on Monday about the allegations published in a  Wall Street Journal article  that China is planning to build a military base on Africa’s Atlantic coast, most likely in Equatorial Guinea.  Reporters at the regular press briefing  focused on the fact that the U.S. military made the claim without providing any evidence. Kirby, for his part, did not answer the questions and instead reverted to well-established talking points on the U.S. perceptions of Chinese engagement in Africa: This marketing content will be shown in place of your protected content to anyone who is not allowed to read the post… 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...

China’s new ambassador to Tanzania, Cheng Mingjian, is the latest Chinese envoy to  open a Twitter accoun t. There are now 51 Chinese diplomats in Africa that use the platform. Click here  for a complete list of every Chinese ambassador, diplomat, and embassy in Africa that uses Twitter. This marketing content will be shown in place of your protected content to anyone who is not allowed to read the post… 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 $15/mo OR Yearly $149/yr (17% Savings) Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More The post China’s New Ambassador to Tanzania Signs on to Twitter appeared firs...

DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi  fired the powerful head of the country’s state-run mining company Gécamines on Friday  in an apparent effort to gain control of the narrative following last week’s release of a damning international investigation that revealed widespread corruption at the firm. Albert Yuma  (photo) had led Gécamines since 2010 and was even re-appointed by President Tshisekedi in 2019 when he assumed office. But it appears the domestic political pressure sparked by the  Congo Hold-Up report  gave the president the opening he had long sought to take action against both Yuma, a former Kabila ally, and the entire Gécamines board  who were all relieved of their positions . This marketing content will be shown in place of your protected content to anyone who is not allowed to read the post… Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis. Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relation...