Courtesy of The Financial Times, an article on the railway that China hopes will take on the US in Africa: Mukololo Chanda still recalls the glory days of Africa’s “freedom railway”. Almost four decades ago, fresh from high school in Zambia, she began working as a switchboard operator on the railway built by Mao Zedong’s […]
Read more »Via The Diplomat, commentary on how the Chinese government frequently demands that businesses prove their political loyalty – even at the cost of their own financial interests: Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing is squarely in the middle of the latest geopolitical conflict thanks to his port assets in Panama. Following threats made by U.S. President […]
Read more »Via The Economist, an article on why China hates the Panama Canal deal, but still may not block it: “We didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.” Thus spoke Donald Trump shortly after BlackRock, an American investment firm, announced on March 4th that it would buy two ports […]
Read more »Via Foreign Policy Research Institute, a report on Georgia’s pivot towards China: As Georgia pivots away from the West and slides into dictatorship, China emerges as its key strategic partner. While Washington and Brussels struggle to find transatlantic unity and craft a unified approach to Russia and Ukraine, Beijing methodically expands its clout in the […]
Read more »Via Blue Europe, a report on Belarus, a strategic point to China’s BRI: 1. Introduction At the moment, the EU and China are each other’s largest trading partners (Leali, 2020). In particular, in 2022, China accounted for around 9 percent of goods exports of the entire EU and 20 percent of the EU good imports […]
Read more »Via The Washington Post, commentary on the recent agreement between China and the Cook Islands: China and the South Pacific nation of the Cook Islands are poised to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership deal on Friday, raising alarm that Beijing is extending its reach into the region in ways that could have security and environmental consequences. […]
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