Zambian authorities say trade between the country and China increased to more than $5 billion in 2022, bringing an influx of Chinese products into local markets. Some Zambians appreciate having more choices, but others aren’t happy about the competition. Kathy Short reports from Lusaka. VOA footage by Richard Kille. Voice of America
Johannesburg, South Africa — A new report accuses a Chinese company of illegal deforestation in Congo, but there’s debate over which country is responsible. Over a six-month period last year, Congo King Baisheng Forestry Development exported $5 million – or about 30 million kilograms — in illegally logged hardwood to timber conglomerate Wan Peng through Zhangjigang Port, the environmental watchdog Global Witness found in its report. The DRC’s Environment Ministry did not respond to questions about the findings, while the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., stressed that China places “great…
NAIROBI, KENYA — The International Monetary Fund is cautioning African nations about the possibility of a regional economic downturn and the ripple effects that China’s slowing economy could bring. Africa and China have forged economic ties over the past 20 years, making the Asian giant the continent’s largest trading partner. Africa exports metals, minerals and fuel to China, while importing manufactured goods and machinery from that country. The IMF says the partnership is threatened by China’s economic slowdown and aging population, trade tensions, geopolitics and the ongoing impacts of the…
johannesburg — China and the U.S. presented competing visions for development in Africa this week as several leaders from the continent attended Beijing’s Belt and Road Forum marking the 10-year anniversary of the global infrastructure initiative. The Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to connect the world through trade by investing billions of dollars in land and sea infrastructure projects, has broadened over the last decade. “Belt and Road cooperation has expanded from physical connectivity to institutional connectivity,” said China’s President Xi Jinping in a speech at the opening ceremony…
This article is part of the Fine Arts & Exhibits special section on the art world’s expanded view of what art is and who can make it. “I think we’re hard-wired to be afraid of people who are different from us,” said Linda Komaroff, a curator of Islamic art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “A show focused on dining makes it easier. We all eat, we all like food.” Ms. Komaroff was talking about “Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting,” the exhibition she has…
The US’s closest ally in the Middle East is reeling from what many call its “9/11” and now a humanitarian disaster looms in Gaza. Winter is approaching in Ukraine, which needs urgent supplies to maintain its counteroffensive against Russia. From China’s expansive ambitions, to coups in Africa, to the climate crisis, the world is crying out for leadership. But on Capitol Hill in Washington, Republicans can’t find one. Friday marked the 10th day of paralysis as the party struggles to elect a speaker of the House of Representatives to replace…
Cape Town, South Africa — Africa is the site of a new battle for influence as Washington ramps up efforts to build an alternative critical minerals supply chain to avoid reliance on China. Beijing dominates the processing of critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium and other resources from the continent that are needed for the transition to clean energy and electric vehicles. But at the Green Energy Africa Summit this week in Cape Town, which was held on the sidelines of Africa Oil Week, few were willing to talk about…
NAIROBI, KENYA — Some 150 countries, many of them in Africa, have signed on to China’s 10-year-old Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the BRI. And while the multibillion-dollar project has helped bring roads, rails and infrastructure to many poor countries, it has also left some of those countries saddled with debt. In Kenya, for example, the Standard Gauge Railway, or SGR, which debuted six years ago, was hailed by Kenyan officials as one of the biggest and most successful local infrastructure projects since the late 1800s. Travel time…
Some 150 countries – many of them in Africa – have signed on to China’s 10-year-old Belt and Road Initiative also known as the BRI. And while the multibillion-dollar global infrastructure project helped bring roads, rails, infrastructure, it also left some countries saddled with debt. VOA Nairobi Bureau Chief Mariama Diallo takes a look at the impact the BRI has had in Africa and the benefits and critiques of the Chinese initiative. Camera: Amos Wangua Voice of America
The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday that the pace of the global economic recovery is slowing, a warning that came as a new war in the Middle East threatened to upend a world economy already reeling from several years of overlapping crises. The eruption of fighting between Israel and Hamas over the weekend, which could sow disruption across the region, reflects how challenging it has become to shield economies from increasingly frequent and unpredictable global shocks. The conflict has cast a cloud over a gathering of top economic policymakers…