The Chinese government issued a withering critique of the United States on Thursday, in a lengthy document that targeted American actions across the globe, including the African continent. “The United States is the inventor and master of coercive diplomacy,” said the report, called “America’s Coercive Diplomacy and Its Harm.” In…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
President Kais Saïed needs to face “real costs to democratic backsliding” in the increasingly authoritarian Tunisia, according to nearly two dozen former U.S. diplomats and academic experts calling for—among other things—economic sanctions and a hold on a controversial US$1.9 billion International Monetary Fund loan. “The U.S. should immediately suspend all…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
China’s commitments loom large in the successful implementation of the G20’s COVID-19 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), with Angola, Kenya, Zambia and other nations benefiting from relief sparked by the pandemic’s impacts. Of the 46 countries that participated in the DSSI relief, China contributed 63% of debt service suspensions, while…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The East African Court of Justice is set to hear arguments on whether or not it has jurisdiction in a legal battle over the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), with the governments of Uganda and Tanzania among the parties challenging whether the case, brought by activists seeking to stop…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
A high-level Ethiopian delegation’s visit to Beijing has led to speculation about how China is dealing with the African nation’s deepening debt crisis, but a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied any plans to restructure Ethiopian debt. “China takes the debt issue of developing countries seriously…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Newly appointed Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday, as part of Beijing’s tradition to begin each year with a diplomatic tour of African nations. Talks in Ethiopia focused on investment and economic development, according to Ethiopian officials. “The relationship between the two countries remains steadfast,” said…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
As the United States steps up its diplomatic efforts in Africa ahead of a December leaders summit, China is pushing back against claims of Chinese “debt traps” for African nations made by Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, during her African tour on food security. Thomas-Greenfield, who…
China hosted Wednesday’s meeting on security among BRICS nations, with South Africa, Russia, Brazil and India attending the virtual session led by Yang Jiechi, director of China’s foreign affairs commission. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping expressed mutual solidarity on political issues including China’s proposed Global…
President Isaias Afwerki, authoritarian leader of Eritrea, defended both Russia and China while holding the West responsible for the situation in Ukraine, during a speech marking Independence Day in the Horn of Africa nation. Afwerki, in office since 1991—a tenure that places him among Africa’s longest-running leaders—drew parallels to his…
The Chinese government has pushed back over remarks about telecom firm Huawei and its presence on the African continent, made by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman of the United States. Sherman made her comments during a just-concluded diplomatic swing through South Africa, Angola and Gabon. In Angola, she visited…
The Chinese government on Monday accused the United States of human rights violations following the police shooting of a Congolese immigrant living in the U.S. state of Michigan. Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the death of Patrick Lyoya on April 4 was evidence of…
In keeping with its annual tradition, China’s foreign minister will make his first visits to the African continent at the start of the new year. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will begin his journey in Eritrea on January 4. He’ll continue on to Kenya and then the Indian Ocean island nation…
Senegalese foreign minister Aissata Tall Sall recently called on China to become more involved in the Sahel region, specifically expressing a hope that Beijing will be a “strong voice” in combatting the rising tide of terrorism in the region. The appeal certainly has its logic, given Beijing’s expanding influence in…
President Xi Jinping of China has pledged to deliver another 1 billion COVID vaccine doses to the African continent, an announcement he made during his speech to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Dakar. Xi said 600 million doses of China’s vaccines will be donated while the other…
Zambia’s overall debt on loans made by Chinese entities is nearly double what was reported by the former administration under Edgar Lungu, according to a new report from the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) in the United States. The report puts the actual figure at US$6.6 billion in August 2021….