As things slowly settle down in South Africa after the last ruinous week, the debates about who’s really to blame are catching fire. It’s now being called an insurrection attempt, and President Ramaphosa has referred to those responsible for fueling the protests as ‘enemies of democracy.’ One of the problems underlying the current crisis is that he’s both right and wrong. South Africa is indeed, as Ramaphosa called it, a ‘hard-fought-for democracy.’ ...
Category: Resources
Week in Review: Trade, Tilapia and Transmission Lines
Wycliffe Oparanya, governor of Kenya's Kakamega County, opened a new $120 million EU-financed fish processing factory that is intended to help Kenya reduce its dependence on imported Chinese tilapia and increase exports to Europe. Local fishers have long complained that low-cost Chinese imports, which they claim are also ...
New Data Reveals China’s Growing Dependence on Middle Eastern Oil
Middle Eastern oil producers now account for 48.3% of China's oil buys in the first half of the year, according to the latest Chinese customs data. Saudi Arabia is the top provider, with 16.8% of the market in H1 2021, followed by Russia with 15.3%.
African Iron Ore Producers Poised to Benefit From Supply Constraints Brought on By Disruptions in Australia and Brazil
Strong demand from Chinese steel mills, combined with supply disruptions in two of the world's largest iron ore producing countries, Brazil and Australia, will help to maintain near record-high ore prices, according to analyst forecasts. Chinese buyers may turn more to ...
Translation: A Storm is Approaching For Chinese Mining Companies in the DR Congo
The following is a translation of an article published on the Global Mining (世界矿业 )WeChat page on July 15, 2021. The purpose of translations like this is to provide English language readers with a more informed understanding of the civil society discourse about China-Africa relations that ...
South African Resource Exports to China Struggle to Get Going Again After Last Week’s Mayhem
Exports of critical minerals and other extractive commodities to China through South Africa's main port in Durban remain intermittent as the country digs itself out of the wreckage brought on by last week's mass protests and looting. At least 212 people died in the violence. ...
The Future of a Critical Nigerian Pipeline Now in Jeopardy as Chinese Lenders Balk
The fate of a multi-billion billion gas pipeline project in Nigeria is now in question after Chinese lenders have seemingly backed out of the deal, forcing the Federal Government to look elsewhere to raise the missing capital. The Bank of China ...
Week in Review: Minerals, Mayhem and Mediation
With most strategic mineral exports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo shipped to China through the port of Durban in South Africa, the recent closure of the N3 highway that connects the port to Johannesburg presents a potentially costly disruption to vital supply chains. Authorities were forced ...
EJF: Chinese Fishing Trawler Captains Bribe and Intimidate Ghanaian Government Observers
The Ghanaian government's efforts to monitor and report illegal fishing activities on trawlers operating under its flag, many owned by Chinese companies, has been critically undermined through intimidation and bribery, according to a damning new report by the London-based non-profit Environmental Justice Foundation.
When It Comes To Mining, Africa and Australia Are the Primary Sources of Key Minerals and Metals for China
China may be trying to transition to a services-led high technology economy that doesn't rely as much on manufacturing but that shift will take years. In the meantime, Chinese factories still need to rely on vast amounts of minerals, metals, and other mining products to bolster their ...
Week in Review: Chinese Hostages Freed in Nigeria & China Cuts Oil Buys From African Suppliers
Chinese defense contractors are making further inroads into the Angolan market. The state-owned China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) signed an $85 million deal to provide the Angolan defense sector with a “supply of equipment, military means and assistance services.” CATIC is already a big player ...