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
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 3 | ZAMBIACHINAUNITED STATES East-West blame game on debt heats up 24th January 2023 IMF chief Georgieva and US Treasury secretary Yellen call for creditors to speed up key talks on Lusaka's finances Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema urged creditors on 23 January to accelerate negotiations to restructure some US$13 billion of the country's $17bn foreign debt after meeting with Kristalina Georgieva,... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 2 | CHINAAFRICA Beijing turns table on debt trap diplomacy claims 17th January 2023 On his January swing through Africa, China's new foreign minister has scored with subtle diplomacy, dropping the wolf warrior tactics favoured by some of his colleagues Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's remarks that multilateral lenders and commercial creditors should carry the biggest blame for the debt distress of some African states comes as a... READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 17 | CHINAAFRICA Beijing turns around on debt 25th August 2022 China's decision to waive repayment of 23 interest-free loans owed by 17 African countries and redirect $10 billion of its International Monetary Fund (IMF) reserves to the continent...