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.’ ...
Country: Germany
Why Does China Want to Cooperate With Europe in Africa?
What’s in a phone call? Well, when it’s from China’s leader to the presidents of Germany and France then maybe it's something beyond idle chit-chat. And, when it comes on the heels of the G7 summit which Xi Jinping dismissed as international politics of the past, then ...
In What Could Be Bad News From the DR Congo, the Cobalt-Free EV Battery May Happen Much Sooner Than We Thought
The world's leading automakers are making much faster progress than anticipated in moving away from electric vehicle batteries that contain cobalt. VW, Tesla, and the Chinese EV giant BYD (the world's second-largest EV maker) have all either developed new cobalt-free batteries or are in late-stage development.
Leaders From the World’s Major Powers Convene in Two Separate Summits. African Issues Addressed in One… Albeit Just Barely
Two separate international summits took place on Friday. China was a primary actor in one and a prominent theme of the other. And in both the U.S.-Japan summit in Washington and the Franco-German virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, key Global ...
Favorable Views of China, France Both Fall in 12-Nation African Survey
Opinion leaders in 12 French and Arabic speaking African countries look less favorably upon France and China, according to the findings of the third annual survey conducted by the French Council of Investors in Africa (CIAN), an independent business association. China fell 9 points this past year ...
Vaccines and the Changing International Order
The Chief Reporter for Germany's state broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Miodrag Soric, can't believe what he's seeing. China is turning the battle for access to COVID-19 vaccines into a tremendous soft power win in the Global South -- and they're doing it at the expense of the West!
European Analysts Become Increasingly Worried About Geopolitical Consequences of China’s Global Vaccine Pu
European international relations scholars are expressing mounting concern over the long-term geopolitical consequences of China's assertive campaign to provide developing countries with COVID-19 vaccines. It's clear the European foreign policy establishment, both analysts and in the media, seem to regard Chinese ...
Webinar: China’s Becoming Increasingly Sophisticated In Its Use of Media to Drive Its Narrative
The Berlin-based think tank Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) recently hosted a webinar that focused on how Chinese government actors are becoming increasingly effective in their use of media to drive their agendas in both Europe and Africa. The ...
Score Keeping: Which African Countries Aligned With China at the United Nations on Xinjiang and Hong Kong
African countries were once again pulled into a bitter dispute last week at the United Nations between China and a coalition largely made up by the U.S. Germany and other European countries over human rights conditions in Xinjiang. For the second ...
At the UN, African Countries Steer Clear of Bitter Human Rights Feud Between China and U.S., European Countries
No African states joined the 39 countries that signed a German-sponsored joint statement at the United Nations on Tuesday that condemned China's human rights record in Xinjiang and expressed "grave concern" about "recent developments in Hong Kong." The bulk ...
China Fires Back at U.S.-German Joint Statement
China's ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, led the counter-attack against the United States/German-sponsored joint statement on Tuesday condemning China's human rights practices in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. "The U.S. and a few other countries’ attempt to smear ...