China Newsbase
Fast, easy search of the China news that matters
The China News Database was last updated at 03:01AM today.
Database searches currently perform best when a tag filter is used. We suggest trying out these tags: Xi Jinping, Russia, Taiwan, COVID-19, climate change, electric vehicles, gaming, IPOs, Belt and Road Initiative.
You may also filter by articles featured in our daily members-only Access newsletter, to get a curated overview of the top news and analysis about Chinese politics, business, and society. Select one option:
- All top news and analysis
- The China Project top news and analysis
- Top news and analysis from elsewhere — Stories in the “News briefing,” previously known as “Recommended links”
This product is in beta testing and development. If you would like to share feedback on the content or user experience, please email editors@thechinaproject.com.
257 articles matching the search query.
China evacuates its citizens out of Sudan
Over 1,300 Chinese nationals have been evacuated from Sudan, some by warship. The conflict between two rival local factions is raging on, but Beijing is unlikely to reprise its role as a mediator, despite its oil interests in the region.
‘Eat Bitter’ personalizes China’s relationship with the Central African Republic
Co-directors Sun Ningyi and Pascale Appora-Gnekindy offer a depoliticized, if at times dismissive, look into the lives of a Chinese construction manager and a Central African laborer.
This week on TikTok: China’s gold mines attacked, Xi’s Russia visit, and the TikTok ban
Want more like this? Subscribe to The China Project’s official TikTok channel, The China Project, where Susan St.Denis explains complex topics about China clearly and simply in TikTok’s fast evolving visual and verbal language.
Nine Chinese employees die in attack on Chinese-owned gold mine in Central African Republic
Chinese miners are vulnerable as the CAR’s weak government, Russia’s Wagner Group, and a number of rebel groups fight it out for domination of the poor country’s rich mineral resources.
China builds up its space power in Antarctica
China plans to build two ground stations in an Antarctic research base to help track its growing number of satellites, but the move will likely raise concerns about spying and other military activities.
Uganda scraps key railway contract with China
Two years of stalled talks and months of silence from China have led Uganda to terminate a $2.3 billion railway contract, as Beijing changes its overseas financing model to avoid billions in debt defaults.
Chinese companies have broke ground on a new oil field in East Africa
A joint venture between two Chinese state-owned companies recently began development of a new oil field in Uganda, as Beijing seeks to diversify its oil imports through a massive pipeline that goes from the Congo border to the Indian Ocean.
Editor’s note for January 4, 2023
A note for Access newsletter readers from Jeremy Goldkorn
China courts the Global South with infrastructure and trade deals, but Kenya may be having borrower’s remorse
A deal with the government of Angola could give Chinese-owned mines in Congo a railway to the Atlantic, but elsewhere in Africa, wariness about China-funded projects is growing.
Ecommerce is bursting out of China into Southeast Asia and the Middle East
Chinese cross-border ecommerce and supply chain service companies are expanding into the rest of the world and aiming to lead an ecommerce miracle similar to China’s.
A thief crying “stop thief!” — phrase of the week
China’s Foreign Ministry has a long history of using colorful language to tell off it foreign critics. Today’s wolf warrior diplomats and spokespeople are continuing the tradition.
U.S. and China trade barbs over Huawei in Angola
Zhao Lijian rebuked a recent warning from the United States to Angola and other African governments not to use equipment made by Huawei.
How private Chinese companies are winning in Africa
Africa-China economic relations are dominated by state-to-state interactions, but Chinese private companies are making a unique impact on the continent’s economic transformation. Here’s how.
In the Global South, China is pitching its Ukraine stance as an antidote to Western hypocrisy
Amid the Ukraine war and the economic impact of massive sanctions on Russia, China is deftly connecting worries about international turbulence with Africa’s wider perception that it’s perpetually ignored. Here’s what that means for the future of China’s relations with the Global South.
What could a non-China-centric US Africa policy look like? | African A
Can the U.S. build up its Africa policy, without China-mongering? “For U.S. officials genuinely hoping to redefine America’s relationship with Africa, shifting from defensive postures and building on competitive advantages will be key,” writes Veda Vaidyanathan.
Egypt is Now the Main Hub for Chinese Vaccine Diplomacy in Africa and the Middle East - The China Africa Project
China is courting Africa and the Middle East with vaccines made in Egypt, after Liào Lìqiáng 廖力强, China’s ambassador to Cairo, pledged 500,000 Sinovac doses to the Palestinian Authority for people in the Gaza Strip. The vaccines, produced by Egyptian state-run pharmaceutical firm Vascera, belong to a Chinese joint venture that is turning Egypt into a critical hub in Beijing’s vaccine diplomacy.
“China is ready to continue making contributions to bring about a solution to the Palestinian issue,” Liao said on Twitter, linking the vaccines to China’s desire to aid the Arab-Israeli peace process.
South Africa sues Huawei for employing too many foreign nationals
With about 35% of the country’s workforce unemployed, South Africa’s Department of Labor is suing Chinese telecom giant Huawei for not hiring enough locals.
Trade between Africa and China reached an all-time high in 2021
China-Africa trade is soaring, hitting an all-time high last year, according to new data released on January 18 by China’s customs agency.
The value of trade between Africa and China rose by 35% from 2020 to $254 billion last year, mainly due to an increase in Chinese exports to the continent, Quartz reports. South Africa, Nigeria, Angola, Egypt, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were Africa’s five largest trading partners with China in 2021, according to the data. China’s development banks provided $23 billion for infrastructure projects in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2007 to 2020. This was more than double the combined $9.1 billion lent by such banks in the United States, Germany, Japan, and France, per Reuters.
Middle Eastern countries look to China for infrastructure funding, new technology
Countries in the Middle East, especially Iraq, are a new focus of investment under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a report out of Fudan University said today.
Meet the CityBug: The Newest Chinese-made EV to Go On Sale In South Africa - The China Africa Project
Cheap EVs for South Africa: The country “lags far behind other middle-income countries in the availability of electric vehicles but Chinese brands like Eleksa are hoping to change with the introduction of new cars like the $15,000 Citybug,” reports the China-Africa Project.
China applies brakes to Africa lending
Chinese lending in Africa: “Last year’s controversy surrounding the fate of the Entebbe International Airport in Uganda and the (incorrect) allegation that it risks being seized by Chinese creditors is the subject of a new in-depth report by two prominent Financial Times journalists, Africa Editor David Pilling and Greater China Correspondent Kathrin Hill,” Eric Olander at the China-Africa Project writes. The FT piece is “far more balanced and nuanced than the vast majority of U.S. and European reporting on the issue,” Olander comments. Related, on SupChina last year: China’s overseas loans actually do have strings attached, study finds.
Editor’s note for Tuesday, January 4, 2022
A note for Access newsletter readers from Jeremy Goldkorn. Today: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits several east Africa and Indian Ocean states, further solidifying the Africa-China relationship.
Misinformation about China-Africa relations in the wake of the Dakar forum
Development economist Anzetse Were and Eric Olander discuss common misperceptions about African relations with China and what really happened at the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Dakar, Senegal.
WSJ News Exclusive | China Seeks First Military Base on Africa’s Atlantic Coast, U.S. Intelligence Finds
Will Bata, on Africa’s Atlantic coast, be the site of China’s next military base? China likely “intends to establish its first permanent military presence on the Atlantic Ocean” in the port city in Equatorial Guinea, which “already has a Chinese-built deep-water commercial port on the Gulf of Guinea, and excellent highways link the city to Gabon and the interior of Central Africa,” the Wall Street Journal reports, citing U.S. intelligence. The Biden administration has attempted to convince the small Central African country to reject Beijing’s overtures, but “believes it will require a persistent, long-term effort to fend off a Chinese naval presence.” If built, the Bata base would be China’s second in Africa after Djibouti in 2017.
China promises 1 billion vaccine doses for Africa
At the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Senegal, Chinese leader Xi Jinping unveiled nine initiatives to help Africa combat COVID-19 and spark economic growth. A pledge to donate 600 million vaccine doses and produce an additional 400 million locally caught the most attention.
Editor’s note for Monday, November 29, 2021
A note for Access newsletter readers from Jeremy Goldkorn. Today: Xi promises 1 billion doses of vaccines to Africa at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Senegal; diaper companies prepare for the elderly market to exceed that of babies by 2025; Disney censors an old episode of The Simpsons in Hong Kong; and more.
How Hunter Biden’s Firm Helped Secure Cobalt for the Chinese
Did Biden’s son help China secure supplies of cobalt? Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, was “part owner of a venture involved in the $3.8 billion purchase by a Chinese conglomerate of one of the world’s largest cobalt deposits” in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the New York Times reports. A separate NYT story describes a bare-knuckled great power contest between the U.S. and China over the Congo’s cobalt resources, and “a hidden history of the cobalt acquisitions in which the United States essentially surrendered the resources to China, failing to safeguard decades of diplomatic and financial investments in Congo.”
Lethal Remedy – How the promotion of some traditional Chinese medicine in Africa poses a major threat to endangered wildlife - EIA
Leopards, pangolins, rhinos, and other endangered species are under threat in Africa as a result of rising local demand for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) finds in a new report. EIA Wildlife Campaigner Ceres Kam stated that “while the majority of TCM treatments are plant-based, some pharmaceutical companies continue to source ingredients from threatened animals, aggravating the pressure on the survival of these species…Our very real concern is that such a huge expansion of TCM in Africa, as is happening under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, will have the knock-on effect of drastically increasing demand for treatments containing wildlife and, in turn, cause more species to become threatened or extinct.” See also coverage of the report in Al Jazeera.
Positive Perceptions of China Hold Steady in Africa, Says New Polling Data - The China Africa Project
China continues to be viewed favorably in African countries, according to the latest survey results of the Afrobarometer research agency, the China-Africa Project reports. Among the 34 countries surveyed, “Two-thirds of respondents told Afrobarometer they feel China’s economic and political influence is either ‘somewhat positive’ or ‘very positive,’ with only 14% viewing Beijing’s engagement as negative.” Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a three-nation tour in Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal, where he will attempt to raise “Washington’s profile as a player in regional and international initiatives to restore peace and promote democracy as it competes with China.”
In a Rare Move, China Joins U.S. in UN Statement Calling For Ceasefire in Ethiopia - The China Africa Project
How far will China stretch its non-interference principle? For years, international security researchers have noted and discussed a trend of Chinese foreign policy “slowly shifting away from a strict interpretation” of Beijing’s principle of “non-interference” in other countries’ affairs. Two recent developments regarding African countries appear to show more activist Chinese diplomacy: Over the weekend, China joined the U.S. in a UN statement calling for a cease-fire among warring parties in Ethiopia, two months after the Chinese Foreign Ministry directly spoke out against a coup in Guinea and called for the former president to be released.
One of China's Leading Foreign Policy Think Tanks Proposes 5 Ways the U.S. and China Can Work Together To Resolve the Debt Crisis in the Global South - The China Africa Project
A call for U.S.-China cooperation on debt relief: The China-Africa Project reports, “Two scholars at the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies (SIIS), one of China’s most prestigious and influential foreign policy think tanks, published an uncharacteristically direct appeal for the United States and China to work together to help resolve the worsening debt crisis in developing countries.”
Q&A: What’s At Stake For China in Sudan?
“China’s reaction, so far, to Monday’s military coup in Sudan has been reserved, especially compared to the forceful response Beijing issued within 24 hours of last month’s overthrow of President Alpha Condé’s government in Guinea.”
Chinese-Funded Entities in Sudan Urged to Take Precautions After Coup
China pushes for dialogue among African country’s different stakeholders in the wake of the military takeover
Zambia's Debts Revelation Shows China as Biggest External Creditor
Zambia published a full list of its 44 external creditors that shows the central government owes Chinese lenders more than one-third of its total $13.4 billion of foreign-currency debt stock.
We Now Know More About Zambia's Debt... And It's Not Good - The China Africa Project
The Zambian government owes creditors close to $27 billion, according to new data released by the Finance Ministry on Wednesday. The majority of those debts, $16.86 billion, are owed to foreign creditors and also include half a billion dollars of penalties for late payments. Nearly 40% of those foreign debts or ...
Xiaomi chooses Ghana to launch first office in West Africa - MyJoyOnline.com
Xiaomi opened its regional HQ in West Africa. The Chinese mobile phone giant has a new Ghana office in Accra, its first corporate presence in West Africa.
Prudential Raises $2.4 Billion From Hong Kong Offering
Prudential Plc has raised HK$18.8 billion ($2.4 billion) from its Hong Kong share offering after pricing the stock at a slight discount to its last close in London.
China Competes With U.S. to Revamp Sudan’s State Shipping Firm
Sudan’s state shipping company is considering a Chinese offer to revamp a fleet that’s shrunk to just one boat as the African nation targets a boost in exports to help salvage the economy.
Construction of Dar es Salaam regional logistics center to cost Sh264 billion
Noodle diplomacy: Linghang Group, an exporter of instant ramen, is building a $114 million commercial center in Tanzania to transport its products across East Africa, in the spirit of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Prudential Targets Up to $2.89 Billion in HK Share Offering
Prudential Plc plans to raise up to $2.89 billion in a new share offering in Hong Kong as the insurance giant eyes long-term growth opportunities in Asia and Africa.
