Tag: Africa

US, Chinese, Russian Officials Scramble to Visit Africa

Chin@Strategy

Washington —  Top Chinese, Russian and American officials are scrambling this month to visit African nations and pledge their commitment to the world’s fastest-growing continent. As President Joe Biden prepares for a visit later this year, several of his top officials have recently visited Africa. There, they must balance the desire to secure the continent’s support against Russian aggression and Chinese ambitions with their promise to work to benefit Africa. Washington says this is not about countering Russian and Chinese ambitions — though the U.S. has expressed dismay over African…

Yellen in Zambia to Discuss Debt to China, Public Health

Chin@Strategy

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA —  U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is in Zambia on the second leg of her African tour, a stop aimed at promoting American investment and ties while she’s in a capital city that is visibly dominated by Chinese dollars. Visitors to Lusaka arriving at the renovated Kenneth Kaunda International Airport see a facility expanded in 2015 with Chinese financing. A ride into the city passes billboards and newly built firms bearing Chinese signage, more evidence of Beijing’s influence and increasing competition with the U.S. But the growth that…

In Zambia, US Treasury Chief Reiterates US Commitment to Global Health

Chin@Strategy

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA —  U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is in Zambia to highlight joint efforts to improve global health and meet with President Hakainde Hichilema. A day after her arrival in the country, Yellen inaugurated the newly built, U.S.-funded Zambia National Public Health Institute. The institute was established to help Zambia prevent transmission of deadly diseases like COVID-19, monitor threats to public health and effectively respond to any outbreaks. Yellen said health security has been a key pillar of the partnership between Zambia and the U.S. over the past two…

The West, Debt and Other Takeaways From Chinese Foreign Minister’s Africa Trip

Chin@Strategy

Johannesburg, South Africa —  China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang wrapped up his first international tour to Africa this week, during which he visited five diverse countries — Ethiopia, Gabon, Benin, Angola and Egypt — and stressed that China does not see the continent as an arena for a power struggle between the West and Beijing. “Africa should be a big stage for the international cooperation, not an arena for major-force rivalry,” Qin, who was previously ambassador to the United States, said at a press conference on his first stop,…

As China Reopens, African Countries Gear Up for Business

Chin@Strategy

Johannesburg, South Africa —  After three years of closed borders under its strict “zero-COVID” policy, China reopened its doors to allow international travelers in — and Chinese with cabin fever out — a move with economic implications around the world, including in Africa. On the continent, which counts China as its largest trade partner, African importers who sell cheap Chinese-made goods said they were itching to return to China to stock up while many African countries are also hoping to attract Chinese tourists. While fears about the spread of COVID-19…

Ukraine Conflict Among Litany of Global Abuses, Human Rights Watch Says

Chin@Strategy

LONDON —  The past year has seen human rights crises worsening around the world, from Ukraine to China to Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said in its latest annual report, released Thursday. But new voices of leadership for championing human rights have emerged, according to the report. World Report 2023 looks at the state of human rights in nearly 100 countries where the New York-based organization works. “The obvious conclusion to draw from the litany of human rights crises in 2022 —from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deliberate attacks on civilians in…

Chinese Top Diplomat Arrives in Africa to Strengthen Cooperation

Chin@Strategy

Nairobi, Kenya —  China’s new foreign minister, Qin Gang, has begun a five-nation tour of Africa aimed at bolstering Chinese-African ties. Qin, who had been ambassador to the U.S. until December, will visit African Union headquarters in Ethiopia before traveling to four other African countries. Analysts say trade and investment are the top priorities for both sides as China and the U.S. compete for influence in Africa. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed Qin to Addis Ababa as the Chinese foreign minister began his week-long tour. After visiting African Union…

China’s New Foreign Minister Heads to Africa

Chin@Strategy

Beijing —  China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang is starting his term with a weeklong trip to five African countries, the Foreign Ministry announced Monday. Qin, who until recently was ambassador to the United States, will visit Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin and Egypt from January 9-16, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily media briefing. In Egypt, Qin will also meet the secretary-general of the Arab League. The new foreign minister is following in the footsteps of his predecessors, who have for more than three decades started each year with…

The world in 2023: what our writers say you should watch out for

Chin@Strategy

A near-inevitable global recession sparked by a lengthening war in Europe’s frozen east; an energy crisis coupled with soaring inflation; Covid-19 finally running rampant in China – predictions for 2023 are grim. Still, there are reasons to be hopeful. That same energy crisis has spurred an unprecedented demand for renewables, which are expected to boom, while in Brazil, a new president has sworn to protect the Amazon. Repressive regimes, meanwhile, will be nervously looking at Iran, where hardline clerics are locked in a struggle with a formidable pro-democracy uprising that…

Objection by DRC sours ‘paradigm-changing’ Cop15 biodiversity deal

Chin@Strategy

It was almost a special moment in the early hours of Monday morning in the Palais des congrès in Montreal. China and Canada, two squabbling adversaries, had united for the good of the planet to help the world at Cop15 forge a once-in-a-decade deal to halt the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems. From the emphasis on indigenous rights to conserving 30% of Earth for nature, there is good reason to believe the Kunming-Montreal agreement could be a truly historic, hopeful turning point in humanity’s relationship with nature after decades of destruction…