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….
China reaffirmed its commitment to the African continent on Monday, with foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin citing an increase in direct investment, and advances in medicine and other sectors. “Over the past 20 years, the flow of China’s direct investment in Africa has been growing by more than 25 percent…
China has weighed in on a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on racism and discrimination first introduced by African nations, but made no mention of the ongoing inquiries into its own treatment of Uyghur and other minorities. Zhao Lijian, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Wednesday…
All eyes are on the skies as space debris from China’s Tianhe-Long March rocket launch edges closer to a fall from orbit, with parts of the African continent still within the range of places that could be affected by any rocket debris that falls to earth. The latest update from…
China’s foreign ministry spokesman warned against “big power” competition Wednesday when asked about United States influence on the African continent, following diplomatic meetings in which President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria suggested that the U.S. relocate its African headquarters closer to its African operations. Buhari’s remark followed a virtual meeting with U.S….
The long-time president of Djibouti, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, has launched his re-election campaign in the run-up to national elections on 9 April. With the exception of Zakaria Ismael Jafar, an “anti-system” independent candidate, Guelleh is set to run for his fifth term unopposed. His challengers in the 2016 election have…
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa joined China’s Xi Jinping in calling for cooperation and unity in the fight against COVID as leaders of the five developing BRICS economies met Tuesday in a virtual meeting hosted by Russia. Ramaphosa’s focus on trade disruptions, supply chain challenges and African debt follows…
African leaders met Wednesday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, in a virtual meeting hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, the current chair of the African Union. Also coordinating the Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 was President Macky Sall of Senegal, whose nation holds…
Beijing on Friday was quick to welcome the news from Burundi, where the constitutional court has confirmed May 20 presidential election results that will put Evariste Ndayishimiye into office, replacing outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza but maintaining power for the CNDD-FDD party. “We believe that under the leadership of President Ndayishimiye,…
By Arman Sidhu After suffering its first economic contraction in nearly 45 years, China finds itself facing a deluge of economic threats, many of which stem from criticism of Beijing’s handling and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. From alternative supply chains, to new policy measures designed to screen Chinese foreign…
Beijing was on the defensive Monday, as the World Health Assembly in Geneva began with a draft resolution from 110 nations, many of them on the African continent, calling for an inquiry into the source of the deadly coronavirus believed to have originated in China in late 2019. The seven-page…
The Chinese government had strong words for the United States after another round of accusations about the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. Spokesman Geng Shuang, speaking at a Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefing on Monday, said the U.S. needs to understand that…
President Donald Trump of the United States escalated the controversy over his response to the global coronavirus pandemic with the announcement Tuesday night that the U.S. has frozen all funding to the World Health Organization, over what Trump claims were its management failures and its support for China in the…
China says it will maintain focus on the African continent, as it assumes leadership of the United Nations Security Council for the month of March. Zhao Lijian, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tuesday that Somalia and Sudan’s Darfur region are top priorities as China leads discussion on…