Vol 66 No 19 | CHINAAFRICA How Trump’s tariffs help Beijing in Africa 26th September 2025 While Beijing has sharpened its trade offer to the continent, US protectionism has triggered record African imports of Chinese goods China’s announcement that it will offer tariff-free trade access for all African exporters was a shrewd soft-power move by Beijing – coming just after the United States government...
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 19 | ZAMBIACHINA Government demands Sino-Metals increases pay out for dam collapse 15th September 2025 February incident led to more than 1 million tonnes of toxic waste spilling into Kafue River President Hakainde Hichilema’s government has upped the ante in its dispute with Sino-Metals, demanding more compensation for a collapse at the dam that resulted in more than one... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 13 | CHINAAFRICA China’s new trade offer exploits Washington’s tariffs on African economies 16th June 2025 Officials in Washington are mulling changes to the tariff policy ahead of a US-Africa business summit in September China continues to position itself as Africa’s most important economic partner after offering tariff-free trade to all 54 African countries, other than Eswatini, which recognises Taiwan’s sovereignty. READ FOR FREE
Vol 66 No 9 | KENYACHINA Ruto pivots from Washington to Beijing 2nd May 2025 Kenya’s embattled president calculates that being nice to Donald Trump can only get you so far – his meeting with Xi Jinping may have netted billions For a cash-strapped government and a deeply unpopular president, William Ruto’s five-day trip to China could hardly have gone better. He returned with the promise of new investment...
Vol 65 No 19 | KENYACHINA Beijing leads battle for influence 19th September 2024 Although most western media paid it little attention, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, held from 4 to 6 September, received near wall-to-wall coverage across swathes of Africa. FOCAC’s...
Vol 65 No 18 | CHINAAFRICA Beijing’s green new deal pledges factories in Africa 4th September 2024 With its domestic market almost saturated and western tariffs biting, China is planning to make more electric vehicles in Africa A string of investment announcements for electric vehicle production across Africa are expected at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in Beijing from 4-6 September. Previous FOCACs have... READ FOR FREE
Vol 65 No 3 | TUNISIACHINA No bail-out on offer from Beijing 31st January 2024 Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been wooing North Africa but his help doesn't extend to financial rescue packages For President Kaïs Saïed's beleaguered and cash-strapped government, foreign interest – especially outside the usual suspects in the European Union – is regarded as politically useful even if...
Vol 64 No 14 | LIBYACHINA Cave-in hits bitcoin miners 6th July 2023 Up to 60 Chinese nationals, along with an undisclosed number of Libyans, were arrested in western Libya last month when police discovered major illegal Bitcoin-mining operations.
Vol 64 No 7 | CHINAAFRICA Beijing pushes back on debt 30th March 2023 An interview by Beijing-aligned newspaper guancha.cn with Professor Tang Xiaoyang, a top development economist in China, has spelt out official thinking about debt restructuring as differences over strategy...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 6 | KENYACHINA Row over China Square discount store after traders' protest presages diplomatic ructions 7th March 2023 Battle over Chinese retailer in Nairobi and mounting debts could ratchet up tensions between Beijing-Nairobi Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria's brash response to protests of unfair competition by a retail store in Nairobi is threatening a diplomatic spat between the country and China.... READ FOR FREE