China’s growing presence in Africa and the Arctic

Here’s what else you need to know about China today:

Top story: China and Russia lauded the strength of their military cooperation this past week. But whether or not Beijing will offer military aid to Moscow in its war on Ukraine hinges on whether it serves China’s interests. Click through for the whole thing.

Wind and solar power for Africa: Namibia’s power utility, NamPower, inked a deal with CERIM Luderitz Energy, a joint venture between state-owned Energy China and locally owned Riminii Investments, to construct a $96.4 million wind power plant in the southwestern coastal town of Luderitz. Energy China is also courting Zimbabwe to build a $1 billion floating solar plant on the Kariba dam along the Zambezi River, near the border with Zambia, to help generate more electricity to power an increase in agricultural and mining activity.

China is expanding its presence in the Arctic through Russia as part of a key strategy to become a global superpower, according to a new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Control over the Arctic means that China would have access to new shipping routes that could reduce transit times by sea and make it easier to tap the region’s natural resources. But China relies on partnerships with other states, such as Norway, Iceland, and Sweden, who have sovereign jurisdiction in the region, to carry out its interests. As those ties come under mounting geopolitical strain, China is looking to Russia as a “gateway to the Arctic.”

China released some COVID-zero protesters after four months of detention yesterday evening, according to a young Chinese woman who was arrested alongside a few of her friends for their part in the white-paper protests against pandemic restrictions in Beijing last November. Their release comes after months of concern over their detentions from rights groups and supporters, as space for dissent shrinks under Chinese leader Xí Jìnpíng 习近平.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called for a “constructive and fair” economic relationship with China in a speech today. This is how she defined the priorities of the U.S.:

• “First, we will secure our national security interests and those of our allies and partners, and we will protect human rights.”
• “Second, we seek a healthy economic relationship with China: one that fosters growth and innovation in both countries.”
• “Third, we seek cooperation on the urgent global challenges of our day.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai today said, “Washington is not seeking to decouple the American economy from China’s” during a visit to Tokyo.

Chinese central state media today is all about Cuban president and Communist Party chief Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez: Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 sent him a message of congratulations on “his re-election as Cuban president.” (People’s Daily, Xinhua, in Chinese.)

China’s battery king CATL announced huge net profits for the first quarter: $1.42 billion, a year-on-year increase of 557.97% and a record high, even though the first quarter is considered the off-season for the auto and battery industries. Yesterday, CATL displayed its new condensed matter battery at the Auto Shanghai show, which it claims has a very high energy density and can be used to power electric aircraft.