https://www.scmp.com/rss/325794/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage During Vice-President Han Zheng’s visit to Nairobi in March, China signed a cash grant for drought relief and recently delivered food aid to Somalia, Togo, Zimbabwe and Zambia – helping 217,057 people in Zambia and providing Zimbabwe with 5,000 tonnes of rice. Du Xiaohui, director general of the foreign ministry’s African affairs department, later affirmed that Beijing would help nations in Africa boost food security and agricultural resilience through emergency aid and long-term support for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350443/china-steps-aid-africa-huge-funding-gap-left-trumps-cuts-remains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350443/china-steps-aid-africa-huge-funding-gap-left-trumps-cuts-remains?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Hei Kiu Au Hei Kiu Au Growing up in Zimbabwe, Innocent Mutanga harboured a childhood love for Hong Kong films starring the likes of Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow Sing-chi. They painted a picture of a city buzzing with energy – “the place to be” for anyone wanting to make it big – but little did he expect that he would call this city home one day. Today, he is fully embedded in the fabric of Hong Kong, juggling a career in investment banking, founding and running the Africa Centre, an NGO that fosters cross-cultural... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3350068/cross-cultural-love-story-forms-heart-africa-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3350068/cross-cultural-love-story-forms-heart-africa-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:24 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Across major African cities such as Nairobi, Lusaka, and Abuja, governments are using surveillance technologies and credit lines from China to monitor public spaces and curb crime, a new survey shows. The UK-based Institute of Development Studies (IDS) said Chinese banks were increasingly funding African governments to build and maintain digital infrastructure – including surveillance cameras and command and control centres – under the “safe city” project, also known as “smart city”, which is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348916/chinese-surveillance-tech-rolled-out-africa-zte-hikvision-and-huawei-helm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348916/chinese-surveillance-tech-rolled-out-africa-zte-hikvision-and-huawei-helm?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:30:07 +0000 Richard Harris Richard Harris The mighty Zambezi River has its source in northern Zambia, and flows north, west, south, then east, tracing borders for several countries including Zimbabwe. As the river enters Zimbabwe, the water molecules begin to flow faster, unknowingly energised – developing first into a rush, then eventually a torrent as they plunge down the Victoria Falls. This is an excellent analogy of the extremes of stock market price movements. In a stock market crash, prices move slowly, then very fast. My... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348698/us-hong-kong-theres-no-excuse-insider-trading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348698/us-hong-kong-theres-no-excuse-insider-trading?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:30:10 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu The ripples of the US-Israel on Iran are fuelling inflationary pressures across Africa through higher energy and fertiliser prices, threatening a fragile economic recovery. Most of Africa’s 54 countries depend on fuel imports and have experienced sharp increases in fuel prices, driven by disruptions to Middle East exports and the surge in global prices. Most are just getting over the price shocks caused by Russia’s war with Ukraine, which started in 2022 and has hurt many African countries that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347572/iran-war-delivers-new-inflation-stress-african-economies-emerging-older-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347572/iran-war-delivers-new-inflation-stress-african-economies-emerging-older-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:13:26 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China has committed more than US$120 billion in direct investment in overseas mining and mineral processing projects since 2023 – covering the likes of lithium and rare earth metals – with that spending boosting clean energy usage in developing countries, a think tank said on Wednesday. It was helping to advance the “zero-emissions world economy” by offering mineral inputs for solar equipment, wind power, electric vehicles and industrial decarbonisation offshore, the Australian think tank... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346979/chinas-multibillion-dollar-minerals-investment-lifts-foreign-economies-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346979/chinas-multibillion-dollar-minerals-investment-lifts-foreign-economies-report?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Resource-rich African nations are increasingly asserting control over critical minerals to maximise domestic returns, sending global prices soaring and exerting pressure on Chinese supply chains. One price crunch started last month when Zimbabwe, Africa’s biggest lithium producer, abruptly suspended exports of raw lithium minerals and concentrates. The country had originally planned to impose the ban in 2027 to encourage more local value-added processing of the mineral but the government brought... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346717/chinas-supply-chain-meets-wall-african-resource-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346717/chinas-supply-chain-meets-wall-african-resource-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:36:21 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong’s public airmail services to 24 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia have been affected after a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran forced flight cancellations to two Gulf states and disrupted transit journeys. A Hongkong Post spokesman said on Sunday evening that the department’s airmail services to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were suspended with immediate effect until further notice. “Airmail services transiting through these locations will also be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3345053/hongkong-posts-airmail-services-24-countries-affected-strikes-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3345053/hongkong-posts-airmail-services-24-countries-affected-strikes-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:45:39 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Driven by Chinese demand, Zimbabwe produced a record 352.7 million kilograms of tobacco – valued at about US$1.2 billion – in last year’s marketing season. This represents a major turnaround for an industry that, if not for Chinese investment, would have nearly collapsed two decades ago, although it remains a crop of concern for health campaigners. As Zimbabwe’s largest agricultural export and a primary foreign currency earner, tobacco dominates its trade with Beijing. Last year, China imported... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343817/china-helps-zimbabwe-grow-us12-billion-tobacco-crop-amid-debt-health-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343817/china-helps-zimbabwe-grow-us12-billion-tobacco-crop-amid-debt-health-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The youngest son of former Zimbabwean ruler Robert Mugabe was in police custody after a gardener was shot at his South Africa home on Thursday, media reported. Police said they were investigating a case of attempted murder after the shooting in a wealthy suburb north of Johannesburg and had taken two men in for questioning. A police spokeswoman declined to identify the men but several South African media outlets reported that one of them was Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe. Photographs on the IOL... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3344044/mugabes-son-bellarmine-arrested-after-gardener-shot-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3344044/mugabes-son-bellarmine-arrested-after-gardener-shot-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:53:51 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Army helicopters rescued people stranded on rooftops and hundreds of tourists and workers were evacuated from one of the world’s biggest game reserves, as torrential rains and flooding in three countries in southern Africa killed more than 100 people, authorities said on Friday. The death toll across South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe is an accumulation after weeks of heavy rains. Weather services issued warnings that more rain was on the way, possibly bringing more destructive... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340231/over-100-dead-torrential-rains-and-floods-across-southern-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340231/over-100-dead-torrential-rains-and-floods-across-southern-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 22:52:43 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China is cementing its image as a lasting partner across Africa by gifting high-profile infrastructure, such as presidential palaces and parliament buildings. A key example is the new US$32 million Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) headquarters in Abuja. Funded by China and set for handover by the end of January, this centralised complex for the 15-member bloc aims to boost staff productivity and cut operational costs. On December 4, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335984/china-built-headquarters-15-member-economic-bloc-strengthens-ties-west-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335984/china-built-headquarters-15-member-economic-bloc-strengthens-ties-west-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Chris Dobson Chris Dobson I’M ONE OF FOUR SIBLINGS and the only one born in England, in 1972. My sister was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, my brother was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and my other brother in the Philippines. My father was in tobacco, so he travelled all over the world. He met my mother, who was with the Foreign Office in Bangkok. Then they lived in Chiang Mai, Kaohsiung, Tanzania and Manila. My grandparents met in Hong Kong at the Happy Valley racetrack in the 1930s, so I have a family history of being... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3333046/dominic-johnson-hill-started-hong-kong-art-walk-he-was-star-chinese-television?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3333046/dominic-johnson-hill-started-hong-kong-art-walk-he-was-star-chinese-television?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 02:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Venezuela said on Monday it had closed its embassy in Oslo, days after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In a statement, the Venezuelan government, which has not commented on Machado’s prize, said that the closure was part of a restructuring of its foreign service. Caracas also closed its embassy in Australia while opening diplomatic outposts in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, countries it considers “strategic partners in the fight” against “hegemonic... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3328877/venezuela-closes-norway-embassy-after-opposition-leader-machado-awarded-nobel-peace-prize?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3328877/venezuela-closes-norway-embassy-after-opposition-leader-machado-awarded-nobel-peace-prize?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 23:24:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A bus veered off a road and plunged down an embankment on a steep mountain pass in northern South Africa, killing at least 42 people and leaving another 49 passengers injured, authorities said on Monday. The crash happened around 6pm on Sunday, on the N1 highway near the town of Louis Trichardt, around 400km (248 miles) north of the capital, Pretoria. The Transport Ministry said in a statement that the victims included seven children, 17 men and 18 women. It said six people were critically... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3328839/42-dead-south-africa-bus-crash-notorious-highway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3328839/42-dead-south-africa-bus-crash-notorious-highway?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:44:16 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s attendance at this month’s military parade in Beijing highlighted long-standing ties with China, forged during the African nation’s liberation struggle. More than two dozen world leaders joined the Victory Day event in Tiananmen Square on September 3, when China put its military might on display. Mnangagwa was one of just two leaders from Africa to attend the parade, along with Congo-Brazzaville President Denis Sassou-Nguesso. The following day, when... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325813/china-and-zimbabwe-liberation-struggle-ironclad-friendship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325813/china-and-zimbabwe-liberation-struggle-ironclad-friendship?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 06:00:13 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang In less than a week, Chinese President Xi Jinping has held bilateral talks with leaders from more than 20 countries during two high-profile events – the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the northern port city of Tianjin and the Victory Day commemoration in Beijing. The themes of the talks have shed more light on China’s engagement with partners as Beijing casts itself as a champion of a multipolar global order and forges closer economic cooperation. Multilateralism: a keyword... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324340/xi-jinpings-diplomatic-marathon-casts-new-light-chinas-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324340/xi-jinpings-diplomatic-marathon-casts-new-light-chinas-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:03:56 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Global gas giant Qatar has pledged to invest US$103 billion in Africa in the coming years, joining Gulf neighbours the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia as the continent’s biggest financiers amid waning interest from the West and China. Six sub-Saharan African countries are set to benefit from agreements signed during the second half of last month with Al-Mansour Holdings, a conglomerate owned by a branch of Qatar’s ruling al-Thani dynasty. Key critical metals producer the Democratic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3324228/qatar-joins-gulf-surge-us103-billion-african-nations-wests-interest-wanes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3324228/qatar-joins-gulf-surge-us103-billion-african-nations-wests-interest-wanes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 04:00:10 +0000 Lynn Zhang Lynn Zhang Hong Kong’s annual Food Expo and four other events have attracted 50 more new exhibitors this year, including vendors from Brazil, Mongolia and Zimbabwe, and will offer products at prices as low as HK$35 (US$4.46) to celebrate its 35th anniversary. The Trade Development Council, the organiser of the events, said on Wednesday that about 1,890 exhibitors were joining the five fairs, an increase of 50 from last year. The Food Expo alone is set to bring in more than 700 vendors. The five fairs will... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3320986/hong-kongs-annual-food-expo-co-events-attract-50-extra-vendors-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3320986/hong-kongs-annual-food-expo-co-events-attract-50-extra-vendors-year?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:24:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The killing of a collared lion involved in a research project in Zimbabwe by a trophy hunter has been condemned by wildlife groups, echoing the infamous case of a lion called Cecil whose death at the hands of an American tourist in the same country a decade ago was met with international outrage. The latest lion, known as Blondie, was part of an Oxford University study and wore a research collar sponsored by Africa Geographic, a safari company. Africa Geographic said Blondie was killed by a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3320374/trophy-hunter-kills-collared-research-lion-zimbabwe-sparking-outrage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3320374/trophy-hunter-kills-collared-research-lion-zimbabwe-sparking-outrage?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Aug 2025 04:58:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Pakistan police arrested 149 people – including 71 foreigners, mostly Chinese – in a raid on a scam call centre, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency said on Thursday. “During the raid, a large call centre was uncovered, which was involved in Ponzi schemes and investment fraud,” the agency said in a statement. “Through this fraudulent network, the public was being deceived and vast sums of money were being illegally collected.” The agency said they were acting on a tip-off about the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3317696/48-chinese-nationals-among-149-arrested-pakistan-scam-centre-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3317696/48-chinese-nationals-among-149-arrested-pakistan-scam-centre-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 08:22:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Zimbabwe will cull dozens of elephants and distribute the meat for consumption to ease the ballooning population of the animals, its wildlife authority said on Tuesday. The southern African country is home to the second-biggest elephant population in the world after Botswana. The cull at a vast private game reserve in the southeast would initially target 50 elephants, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) said in a statement. It did not say how many of the animals would be killed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3312946/zimbabwe-cull-elephants-and-distribute-meat-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3312946/zimbabwe-cull-elephants-and-distribute-meat-people?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2025 18:43:50 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China is hosting nearly 100 young and mid-career African military officers from 40 countries as part of its long-term strategy to deepen defence ties across the continent. The delegation, including officers from Egypt, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania, will stay until May 15 and visit top military academies in Beijing, Changsha and Shaoshan to learn about China’s military systems and modern technologies, according to China’s Ministry of National Defence. Observers say that by picking young and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3309709/china-hosts-delegation-100-african-military-officers-strengthen-defence-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3309709/china-hosts-delegation-100-african-military-officers-strengthen-defence-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 May 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and first African to be elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday, saying it was an “extraordinary moment”. The 41-year-old two-time Olympic swimming champion from Zimbabwe is also the youngest person ever to hold the most powerful position in sports governance. “It is a really powerful signal we are truly global and evolved into an organisation open to diversity,” said Coventry, who was only the second woman to run for the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3303223/extraordinary-moment-kirsty-coventry-becomes-first-woman-and-first-african-lead-ioc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3303223/extraordinary-moment-kirsty-coventry-becomes-first-woman-and-first-african-lead-ioc?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:04:12 +0000 China’s aggressive pursuit of critical minerals – particularly across Africa – has raised concerns in Washington and sparked a global rare earths race. But, with a two-year head start, as well as the impetus to do what it must to fuel its hi-tech electronics, renewable energy and defence systems, China is unlikely to lose its leading position, according to experts. From the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Botswana and Zimbabwe, Chinese companies have spent more than US$10 billion acquiring... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3301506/china-still-leads-pack-africas-critical-minerals-race-us-struggles-keep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3301506/china-still-leads-pack-africas-critical-minerals-race-us-struggles-keep?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:00:08 +0000 Sam Nujoma, the fiery, white-bearded freedom fighter who led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as its first president for 15 years, coming to be known as the father of his nation, has died. He was 95. Nujoma’s death was announced on Sunday by current Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba, who said Nujoma died on Saturday night after being hospitalised in the capital, Windhoek. “The foundations of the Republic of Namibia have been shaken,” Mbumba said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3297990/sam-nujoma-namibias-fiery-freedom-fighter-and-first-president-dies-95?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3297990/sam-nujoma-namibias-fiery-freedom-fighter-and-first-president-dies-95?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Feb 2025 18:17:32 +0000 US President Donald Trump has announced he will cut off all future funding to South Africa pending an investigation, after claiming that the country was “confiscating” land and “treating certain classes of people very badly”. The land issue in South Africa has long been divisive, with efforts to redress the inequality of white-rule drawing criticism from conservatives including Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, who was born in South Africa and is a powerful Trump adviser. South African... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3297114/trump-claims-certain-classes-people-south-africa-treated-very-badly-cuts-funds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3297114/trump-claims-certain-classes-people-south-africa-treated-very-badly-cuts-funds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Feb 2025 02:28:18 +0000 We are silently stalking through the savannah, one behind the other, when Ian Harmer’s arm suddenly shoots up. The ranger’s gesture means we have to stop. Immediately. Everyone holds their breath for a moment, rooted to the spot. Then Harmer waves us on. We are making our way on foot through Zimbabwe’s Matobo National Park, and we are looking for rhinos. The group is wired, all members excited by the fact that we are walking through the home of wild animals that weigh several tonnes and are said... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3295607/tracking-rhinos-safari-zimbabwes-oldest-national-park-thrills-little-else?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3295607/tracking-rhinos-safari-zimbabwes-oldest-national-park-thrills-little-else?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jan 2025 08:45:07 +0000 A 7-year-old boy wandered alone for five days among wild animals through a national park in Zimbabwe. Park rangers found the missing boy safe and sound, Tinashe Farawo, spokesman for the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, confirmed on Friday. Farawo said the boy had roamed over around 50km (31 miles) through the Matusadona Park in the north of the country, where numerous wild animals live, including lions, elephants and rhinos. The child, who lives in a small village on the edge of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3293378/miracle-zimbabwe-boy-7-wanders-5-days-through-animal-filled-national-park?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3293378/miracle-zimbabwe-boy-7-wanders-5-days-through-animal-filled-national-park?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jan 2025 15:58:34 +0000 Zimbabwe has abolished the death penalty, a widely expected move in a country that last carried out the punishment nearly two decades ago. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who once faced the death penalty himself in the 1960s during the war of independence, approved the law this week after a bill passed through parliament. Zimbabwe has about 60 prisoners on death row, and the new law spares them. The country last executed someone in 2005, partly because at one point no one was willing to take up... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3292991/zimbabwe-abolishes-death-penalty-almost-20-years-after-its-last-hanging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3292991/zimbabwe-abolishes-death-penalty-almost-20-years-after-its-last-hanging?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Jan 2025 03:31:49 +0000 African countries with closer party-to-party relations with China’s Communist Party also tend to enjoy stronger economic relations with the Asian economic giant, analysts say. Since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Communist Party of China has held a flurry of meetings – either online or in person, in China or in Africa – with African political parties to reboot political and economic relations. The Communist Party maintains ties with more than 100 political parties across Africa – although... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3287210/africa-china-values-party-party-ties-stronger-political-and-economic-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3287210/africa-china-values-party-party-ties-stronger-political-and-economic-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:32:30 +0000 The Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology in Harare stands tall as a symbol of China’s soft power. The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party school reopened last year after a China-funded refurbishment. The school not only conducts training and seminars for ZANU-PF cadres, students and politicians, it also attracts regular visits by lecturers from China’s ruling Communist Party. In December, the Chinese party donated 1,300 books to the school, covering China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3278987/how-china-sharing-its-development-and-governance-experience-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3278987/how-china-sharing-its-development-and-governance-experience-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Sep 2024 14:00:11 +0000 This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech to open the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit (FOCAC) on Thursday shed light on how Beijing plans to expand ties with the continent amid an intensified rivalry with the US-led West. Billed as Beijing’s biggest diplomatic event in years,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3277231/china-africa-summit-xi-jinpings-speech-shed-light-expanding-ties-amid-us-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3277231/china-africa-summit-xi-jinpings-speech-shed-light-expanding-ties-amid-us-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Sep 2024 01:50:17 +0000 African leaders attending a summit in Beijing have secured major deals on infrastructure financing, green energy, space cooperation and trade expansion with China in bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping. The 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), running from Wednesday until Friday, is the largest gathering of African and Chinese leaders since the Covid-19 pandemic. Kenya secured 2 billion yuan (US$281 million) to finance the construction of rural roads that will serve 70 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3277225/china-african-leaders-agree-major-financing-trade-deals-focac-summit-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3277225/china-african-leaders-agree-major-financing-trade-deals-focac-summit-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Sep 2024 14:01:17 +0000 South Africa is preparing to ship its first avocados to China and Tanzania has won a deal to export honey there as agriculture becomes a new focus of China-Africa engagement. The deals come as Beijing prepares to host the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit next week, with agricultural cooperation expected to be high on the agenda. Apart from avocados, China’s food imports from Africa now include soybeans, pineapples, chillies, cashew nuts, sesame seeds and spices. The September... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3276261/avocados-and-honey-imports-sign-chinas-growing-agricultural-engagement-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3276261/avocados-and-honey-imports-sign-chinas-growing-agricultural-engagement-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Aug 2024 04:00:10 +0000 China’s imports from Africa rose by 14 per cent year on year to reach US$60.15 billion in the first half of 2024, according to the latest Chinese customs data. During the same period, however, Chinese exports to the continent fell marginally by 2.3 per cent to US$84.85 billion, figures from the General Administration of Customs showed. Over the six months, total China-Africa trade grew by 3.9 per cent year on year to US$145 billion. Observers attributed the boost in imports from Africa to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3271075/africas-trade-deficit-shrinks-exports-china-surge-experts-say-it-wont-last?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3271075/africas-trade-deficit-shrinks-exports-china-surge-experts-say-it-wont-last?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2024 13:00:11 +0000 Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Sunday launched a long-awaited process of reconciliation over notorious 1980s massacres by government troops that claimed tens of thousands of lives. Survivors will be interviewed in a series of hearings opening the way for possible compensation, in a bid to settle long-standing grievances and tensions. “Today is a pivotal moment in our history. This is the day where we demonstrate that as a country, we are capable of resolving our disputes as... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3270428/zimbabwe-launches-hearings-over-mugabe-era-massacre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3270428/zimbabwe-launches-hearings-over-mugabe-era-massacre?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jul 2024 20:01:37 +0000 A new US$1.5 billion Chinese-built iron and steel plant in Zimbabwe has fired up its blast furnace as it begins production of pig iron, a major raw material needed to make steel. There are high hopes that the Mvuma steel plant could see Zimbabwe become one of Africa’s largest producers of iron and steel products. “Today marks a monumental milestone as our cast iron machine produces its very first batch of pig iron,” Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Disco), the Zimbabwean subsidiary of Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3267554/chinese-built-steel-plant-zimbabwe-fires-its-furnace-it-builds-nation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3267554/chinese-built-steel-plant-zimbabwe-fires-its-furnace-it-builds-nation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jun 2024 14:30:08 +0000 As Zimbabwe attempts to lift itself out of a punishing debt crisis, it is asking for “deep haircuts” from its creditors, including China, according to its finance minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube. But analysts say China is “not in the business of haircuts” and is unlikely to accept any reduction of the debt it is owed. Ncube is seeking help from creditors to address the US$19.2 billion that the country owes, of which US$13 billion is external debt and US$6.2 billion is domestic. Most of the debt... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3266588/china-not-business-haircuts-zimbabwe-asks-debt-reduction-creditors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3266588/china-not-business-haircuts-zimbabwe-asks-debt-reduction-creditors?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jun 2024 14:00:10 +0000 In northwest Zimbabwe, a mining site abandoned three decades ago is roaring back to life after a Chinese company pumped millions of dollars into a new lithium processing plant, amid the latest global rush for the “white gold”. Development of the Kamativi lithium mine, located about 90km (56 miles) southeast of Hwange in Matabeleland North Province, is being done in two phases. The first phase is now up and running, with the mine producing an annual total of 300,000 tonnes of raw spodumene ore... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261136/chinas-investment-africas-lithium-mines-begins-pay-new-mineral-supply-chains-created?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261136/chinas-investment-africas-lithium-mines-begins-pay-new-mineral-supply-chains-created?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 May 2024 04:00:25 +0000 Out with the Zimbabwe dollar, in with the ZiG. Zimbabwe on Tuesday started circulating a new currency to replace one that has been battered by depreciation and often outright rejection by the people. The ZiG was introduced electronically in early April, but people are now able to use banknotes and coins. It’s the southern African country’s latest attempt to halt a long-running currency crisis underlining its persistent economic troubles. The government had previously floated various ideas to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3261019/zimbabwes-gold-backed-zig-worlds-newest-currency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3261019/zimbabwes-gold-backed-zig-worlds-newest-currency?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 May 2024 03:37:13 +0000 Hong Kong head coach Simon Willis said a strong performance at the ACC Premier Cup in Oman is imperative to stimulate investment and interest in local cricket. The city’s team open their campaign against Qatar on Friday. Saudi Arabia, Nepal and Malaysia complete Hong Kong’s group, with the top two advancing to next Friday’s semi-finals. The prize for winning the 10-team T20 competition, featuring the continent’s top eight associate nations, is a spot in the 2025 Asia Cup. Willis, appointed 13... https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3258701/hong-kongs-cricketers-fighting-investment-and-interest-acc-premier-cup-winning-team-raises-eyebrows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3258701/hong-kongs-cricketers-fighting-investment-and-interest-acc-premier-cup-winning-team-raises-eyebrows?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:43:18 +0000 Zimbabwe declared a state of disaster over a devastating drought that’s sweeping across much of southern Africa, with the country’s president saying it needs US$2 billion for humanitarian assistance. Wednesday’s declaration was widely expected following similar actions by neighbouring Zambia and Malawi, where drought linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon has scorched crops, leaving millions of people in need of food assistance. “Due to the El Nino-induced drought … more than 80 per cent of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3257796/zimbabwe-declares-drought-disaster-el-nino-leaves-millions-hungry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3257796/zimbabwe-declares-drought-disaster-el-nino-leaves-millions-hungry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Apr 2024 03:56:30 +0000 Extreme weather caused by climate change and pollution could break down parts of the Great Wall of China, dry out the water system that supports Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and destroy other renowned global landmarks, according to images generated by a British start-up using generative artificial intelligence (AI). Utility Bidder, a business-oriented energy consultancy, used text-to-image tool Midjourney to generate hypothetical pictures of monuments affected by acid rain, sandstorms and other... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3250955/generative-ai-paints-bleak-pictures-great-wall-taj-mahal-and-other-famous-landmarks-under-climate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3250955/generative-ai-paints-bleak-pictures-great-wall-taj-mahal-and-other-famous-landmarks-under-climate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Feb 2024 01:30:16 +0000 Namibia’s president and founding prime minister Hage Geingob died on Sunday at age 82 while receiving treatment for cancer, and the southern African nation quickly swore in his deputy to complete the term in office. Geingob played a central role in what has become one of Africa’s most stable democracies after returning from a long exile in Botswana and the United States as an anti-apartheid activist. He was the country’s third president since it gained independence in 1990 following more than a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3250915/namibia-president-and-anti-apartheid-activist-hage-geingob-dies-82?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3250915/namibia-president-and-anti-apartheid-activist-hage-geingob-dies-82?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Feb 2024 19:53:32 +0000 China has donated military equipment worth 200 million yuan (US$28 million) to Zimbabwe to bolster the country’s security operations and help modernise its armed forces. The equipment includes armoured vehicles, personnel carriers, ambulances, motorised water purifiers, patrol boats, minibuses, sniper rifles, machine guns and hand pistols. While receiving the donation at an army barracks near the capital Harare on Wednesday, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa expressed “gratitude” to China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3245374/china-gives-zimbabwe-military-equipment-worth-us28-million-boost-security-and-modernise-defence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3245374/china-gives-zimbabwe-military-equipment-worth-us28-million-boost-security-and-modernise-defence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Dec 2023 08:50:15 +0000 North Korea may recall its ambassador to Switzerland later this month, sources familiar with the matter have said, following allegations that the envoy was involved in illicit trades of parts of African wild animals for money evading UN-imposed sanctions against Pyongyang. The suspicions have prompted a United Nations Security Council-related panel to launch a fact-finding investigation regarding involvement by the ambassador, Han Tae-song, in the trade of elephant tusks and rhino horns, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3244466/north-korea-may-recall-ambassador-switzerland-year-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3244466/north-korea-may-recall-ambassador-switzerland-year-end?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Dec 2023 15:00:21 +0000 Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Nelson Chamisa on Sunday contested the official re-election of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and claimed victory in an election which international observers said fell short of democratic standards. Mnangagwa, 80, won a second term with 52.6 per cent of the ballots against 44 per cent for his main challenger, Chamisa, 45, according to official results announced late on Saturday by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3232491/zimbabwe-opposition-claims-victory-contesting-presidents-re-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3232491/zimbabwe-opposition-claims-victory-contesting-presidents-re-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Aug 2023 20:46:51 +0000 Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in office, election officials said Saturday, but the opposition rejected the result of a vote that international observers said fell short of democratic standards. Mnangagwa, 80, won 52.6 per cent of the ballots against 44 per cent for the main challenger, Nelson Chamisa, 45, according to official results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). “Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo of ZANU-PF party is declared duly elected president... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3232434/zimbabwes-president-mnangagwa-wins-second-term-electoral-commission-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3232434/zimbabwes-president-mnangagwa-wins-second-term-electoral-commission-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Aug 2023 22:20:40 +0000 Zimbabwe police said they arrested 41 workers for poll monitoring groups and seized the computers and other equipment they were using to tabulate the results of vote counting on Thursday in the southern African nation’s widely delayed presidential election. Those arrested were working with two accredited monitoring organisations – the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network and the Election Resource Centre – which deployed more than 7,500 observers nationwide. Police spokesman Paul Nyathi accused... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3232221/zimbabwe-police-arrest-41-election-monitors-votes-are-counted-after-widespread-delays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3232221/zimbabwe-police-arrest-41-election-monitors-votes-are-counted-after-widespread-delays?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Aug 2023 17:31:22 +0000