https://www.scmp.com/rss/519113/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com David Dodwell David Dodwell In these turbulent times, focusing on the World Trade Organization’s 14th ministerial conference (MC14) in Yaounde, Cameroon, is a bit like trying to focus on a picnic sitting alongside a bar brawl, or listening to a lesson in pruning bonsai while a lumberjack takes a chainsaw to a giant redwood. But try we must. Even if the deliverables are meagre and may take years to materialise, the symbolism of Yaounde points to a possible future very different from today’s chaotic hegemonic unilateralism –... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348028/wto-meeting-cameroon-signals-rise-world-minus-one-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348028/wto-meeting-cameroon-signals-rise-world-minus-one-order?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Africa’s top regional body is hosting its annual summit in Ethiopia this weekend to discuss the future of the continent of some 1.4 billion people, as the organisation faces widespread discontent. Set up to “promote the unity and solidarity of the African States,” analysts say the African Union faces a legitimacy crisis among youth for failing to meet their expectations. Meanwhile, several African countries battle military coups, disputed elections and protests inspired by economic hardship... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3343583/african-union-youth-anger-mounts-over-corruption-lack-accountability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3343583/african-union-youth-anger-mounts-over-corruption-lack-accountability?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 09:54:30 +0000 Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan This month, a telling scene unfolded in Addis Ababa. The African Union and China held their ninth strategic dialogue in the Ethiopian capital and launched the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, framing the agenda around modernisation, connectivity and industrialisation rather than bloc politics. The moment captures what many smaller states are doing in today’s fractured world: choosing workable partnership over performative rivalry. The loudest conversations in global politics... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340606/many-states-partnership-china-makes-more-sense-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340606/many-states-partnership-china-makes-more-sense-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Madagascar’s coup leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as president on Friday to cheers, blaring trumpets and raised swords, days after taking control of the island nation in the wake of youth-led protests that forced out his predecessor. Ex-leader Andry Rajoelina, whom lawmakers impeached after he fled abroad at the weekend, has condemned the takeover and refused to step down while in exile, despite widespread defections in the security forces and the High Constitutional Court... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3329405/army-officer-sworn-madagascars-president-after-military-takeover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3329405/army-officer-sworn-madagascars-president-after-military-takeover?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 08:25:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Madagascar’s new military ruler, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, was set to be sworn in as the country’s transitional president on Friday, capping a dramatic military takeover that ousted President Andry Rajoelina. Randrianirina “will be sworn in as President of the Refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar during a solemn hearing of the High Constitutional Court” on October 17, the country’s new leadership said in a statement on Wednesday, which was published on social media by a state... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3329214/au-suspends-madagascar-military-prepares-install-colonel-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3329214/au-suspends-madagascar-military-prepares-install-colonel-president?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:01:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Madagascar’s embattled President Andry Rajoelina said on Monday he was sheltering in a “safe place” following an attempt on his life, ignoring calls to resign after spiralling unrest that has forced him into hiding. The twice-delayed speech marked his first public address since a mutinous army unit backed anti-government protests, and followed reports that the 51-year-old leader had fled the country. “Since September 25, there have been attempts on my life and coup attempts. A group of military... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3328873/address-nation-madagascar-president-says-safe-place-after-attempt-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3328873/address-nation-madagascar-president-says-safe-place-after-attempt-life?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 20:55:42 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma Jeffrey Sachs is an economics professor and director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. He is president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He was a special adviser to the UN Secretary General and has advised multiple governments on economic transition, debt crisis solutions and poverty alleviation policies. The Post’s previous interview with Sachs, published in July last year, can be found here. SCMP Plus readers get early access to articles in... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3320220/jeffrey-sachs-dictatorial-trump-his-gift-china-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3320220/jeffrey-sachs-dictatorial-trump-his-gift-china-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 04:01:12 +0000 Incoming US President Donald Trump has vowed to repeal Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence (AI), designed to balance innovation with safeguards for civil rights, privacy and ethical AI use. Trump’s promise to revoke it signals a shift towards deregulation even as it prioritises national security and economic competition. US policies to solidify its AI dominance will inevitably ripple across the Global South, which has historically struggled to access the benefits of advanced... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3293645/how-global-south-can-defend-against-trumps-ai-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3293645/how-global-south-can-defend-against-trumps-ai-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jan 2025 21:30:07 +0000 China is expanding the scale of its upcoming supply-chain expo by ramping up efforts to invite some of the “least-developed countries” while attempting to showcase resilience against trade barriers from the United States and other trade partners. More than 600 companies are expected to participate in the five-day China International Supply Chain Expo that kicks off in Beijing on November 26. That would mark a 20 per cent increase in businesses from the inaugural expo last year, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3284196/china-shifts-supply-chain-focus-least-developed-countries-november-expo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3284196/china-shifts-supply-chain-focus-least-developed-countries-november-expo?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Oct 2024 13:00:11 +0000 Ugandan security forces on Tuesday arrested dozens of people who tried to walk to the parliament building to demonstrate against high-level corruption in protests that authorities said were illegal. Police and the military deployed heavily in various parts of Kampala where small groups of protesters had gathered. Police roughed up some campaigners as they were forced into trucks. The police frequently use force to break up demonstrations by opposition leaders and others. The protests were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3271622/uganda-anti-corruption-demonstration-follows-successful-protests-kenya?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3271622/uganda-anti-corruption-demonstration-follows-successful-protests-kenya?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2024 22:58:24 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Former president Bill Clinton’s observation that Americans prefer “strong and wrong” to “weak and right” has been cited in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s debate performance. Political... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3268719/us-elections-nursery-interviews-gift-gab-overrated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3268719/us-elections-nursery-interviews-gift-gab-overrated?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:30:10 +0000 Italy hosts the annual summit of leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies on June 13-15. Where is the summit being held? The meeting is being held in Borgo Egnazia in the southern region of Puglia - a luxury hotel with a Michelin starred restaurant. Set among olive trees and boasting its own private beach offering an array of water sports, the complex is made up of traditional-style buildings and cobbled streets lined with flowers. Within its walls are bars, restaurants, shops and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3266279/whats-agenda-2024-g7-summit-italy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3266279/whats-agenda-2024-g7-summit-italy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2024 06:10:58 +0000 South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and the leaders of African countries agreed on Tuesday to forge deeper trade and business cooperation and launched a “critical minerals dialogue” aimed at sustainable development of the continent’s resources. Hosting a first-ever summit with the leaders of 48 African nations, Yoon said South Korea would increase development aid for Africa to US$10 billion over the next six years as it looks to tap the continent’s rich mineral resources and potential as a vast... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3265361/south-koreas-yoon-vows-expand-aid-contribution-mineral-ties-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3265361/south-koreas-yoon-vows-expand-aid-contribution-mineral-ties-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 11:00:22 +0000 The Democratic Republic of Congo’s military said it had thwarted an “attempted coup” near the offices of President Félix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa involving “foreigners and Congolese”. It happened in the early hours of the morning outside the residence of Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe, in the Gombe area in the north of the capital, near the Palais de la Nation that houses the president’s offices, a spokesman said on Sunday. “An attempted coup d’etat has been stopped by the defence and security... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3263291/americans-and-briton-among-those-involved-dr-congo-coup-bid-army-spokesman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3263291/americans-and-briton-among-those-involved-dr-congo-coup-bid-army-spokesman?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 May 2024 21:25:09 +0000 Chinese and African diplomats have started to negotiate the agenda for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) taking place in Beijing later this year. Concessional development finance, infrastructure, trade, climate change and green development, and global governance are expected to top the agenda during the summit, according to diplomatic negotiations between China and African countries. But FOCAC will also come at a time of growing economic uncertainty; China is facing a property crisis... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3262169/africa-keen-more-chinese-development-finance-despite-economically-bumpy-road-towards-focac-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3262169/africa-keen-more-chinese-development-finance-despite-economically-bumpy-road-towards-focac-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 May 2024 08:00:39 +0000 Digital industries are the next frontier for developing Asian economies seeking to grow and prosper. As the world sees more technological competition and fragmentation, these countries risk falling further behind without concerted efforts to build digital talent. Historically, cooperation among the Global South has enabled developing economies to help each other through knowledge and technology transfers. Projects have focused on physical infrastructure including roads, railways and power plants... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3262509/how-best-equip-young-people-asia-digital-skills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3262509/how-best-equip-young-people-asia-digital-skills?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 May 2024 08:30:09 +0000 Japan has dispatched its top diplomat on a whirlwind tour of Global South countries in recent days, as Tokyo seeks to showcase its commitment to the emerging economies of Asia and Africa – where it continues to jostle with China for influence. Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa began her 10-day tour last Saturday in the Indian Ocean island nation of Madagascar, off Africa’s east coast, where she discussed economic cooperation and Japan’s “free and open Indo-Pacific” strategy – a vision it shares... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261373/japan-sells-itself-global-souths-china-counterweight-whistle-stop-tour-africa-south-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261373/japan-sells-itself-global-souths-china-counterweight-whistle-stop-tour-africa-south-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 May 2024 04:00:10 +0000 Kenya’s defence chief and nine other top brass died on Thursday in a military helicopter crash in a remote area of the country, President William Ruto said. “Today at 2.20pm, our nation suffered a tragic air accident … I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of General Francis Omondi Ogolla, the Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces (CDF),” Ruto told reporters. The president, who had convened an urgent meeting of the National Security Council after news of the accident emerged, said nine other... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3259570/military-helicopter-crash-kills-kenyas-defence-chief-9-other-top-brass?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3259570/military-helicopter-crash-kills-kenyas-defence-chief-9-other-top-brass?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2024 03:43:25 +0000 Rwanda on Sunday paid solemn tribute to genocide victims, 30 years after a vicious campaign orchestrated by Hutu extremists tore apart the country, as neighbours turned on each other in one of the bloodiest massacres of the 20th century. The killing spree, which lasted 100 days before the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebel militia took Kigali in July 1994, claimed the lives of 800,000 people, largely Tutsis but also moderate Hutus. The tiny nation has since found its footing under the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3258131/rwanda-commemorates-30-years-genocide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3258131/rwanda-commemorates-30-years-genocide?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Apr 2024 09:40:02 +0000 Last month, thousands of TikTokkers thronged a sleepy and remote village in Kiambu, a county near the Kenyan capital Nairobi, to pay their last respects to one of their own, Brian Chira. It’s unlikely the village had ever seen such a huge and unruly crowd of youngsters. Donning T-shirts and hoodies featuring the deceased’s name and catchphrases, the TikTok fans, or “Chira Clan” as they called themselves, left other mourners startled after they took over the programme at the funeral... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3257698/kenya-becomes-latest-country-consider-curbs-tiktok-over-data-security-and-privacy-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3257698/kenya-becomes-latest-country-consider-curbs-tiktok-over-data-security-and-privacy-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Apr 2024 03:00:11 +0000 Anti-establishment candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye was set Monday to become the youngest president in Senegal’s history after his rival conceded the race, triggering a political earthquake in the West African nation. It marks a stunning victory for the 44-year-old, who was only freed from prison 10 days before Sunday’s election whose results are not yet official. It is the first time in 12 presidential votes held under universal suffrage since Senegal gained independence from France in 1960 that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3256696/senegal-anti-establishment-candidate-bassirou-diomaye-faye-wins-presidency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3256696/senegal-anti-establishment-candidate-bassirou-diomaye-faye-wins-presidency?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Mar 2024 19:58:18 +0000 Africa and China have fought “shoulder to shoulder” against imperialism and colonialism, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday, as he pledged Beijing’s continued support for African development. Wang said Africa should not be marginalised and urged “all sides” of the global community to support the continent with “real actions” and a respect for Africa’s own development approaches. “African countries are experiencing a new awakening. Models imposed from outside have brought Africa... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254525/china-stands-shoulder-shoulder-africa-and-supports-its-chosen-development-path-wang-yi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254525/china-stands-shoulder-shoulder-africa-and-supports-its-chosen-development-path-wang-yi?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:57:16 +0000 Competing claims have emerged since dozens of people were killed in a scramble for aid in Gaza, with the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry saying Israeli forces shot them, but the army insisting most died in a stampede. Here is what we know so far: A witness said thousands of people desperate for food had rushed towards aid trucks on Al-Rashid Road in Gaza City before dawn on Thursday. “The soldiers fired at the crowd as people came too close to the tanks,” the witness told AFP, declining to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3253953/israel-gaza-war-what-we-know-about-aid-convoy-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3253953/israel-gaza-war-what-we-know-about-aid-convoy-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Mar 2024 13:23:44 +0000 China’s ongoing efforts to challenge the dominance of the West in global governance have been on show this week with the visit of Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio to Beijing. And according to observers, by winning support from developing countries like Sierra Leone, China is positioning itself as a voice for the Global South – offering an alternative to the largely Western leadership of international affairs. In a meeting with Bio at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3253839/sierra-leone-leaders-visit-china-shines-light-xi-jinpings-challenge-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3253839/sierra-leone-leaders-visit-china-shines-light-xi-jinpings-challenge-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Mar 2024 02:00:14 +0000 On February 18, the African Union, an intergovernmental organisation that encompasses the continent’s 55 states, approved a 15-year moratorium on the trade in donkey skins. For years, donkey hides have been shipped to China to make ejiao, a gelatin used in an alleged traditional Chinese medicine “cure-all”. The decision to stop the slaughter of Africa’s donkeys, a means of production for some of the poorest on the continent, is a significant milestone. The China-bound trade is threatening the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3253468/africa-china-needs-donkey-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3253468/africa-china-needs-donkey-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:30:18 +0000 Brazil’s foreign minister called for reforms of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions while criticising their inability to prevent global conflicts, as his country kicked off its presidency of the Group of 20 nations. Mauro Vieira told fellow foreign ministers during opening remarks for a G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday that the UN Security Council has been unable to prevent or halt conflicts such as those playing out in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. “Multilateral... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3252784/brazil-calls-reform-united-nations-it-starts-its-g20-presidency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3252784/brazil-calls-reform-united-nations-it-starts-its-g20-presidency?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2024 04:00:33 +0000 Africa has banned the slaughter of donkeys for their skins, dealing a significant blow to China’s lucrative market for a traditional medicine made from a gelatin extracted from the hides. Insatiable demand for ejiao – which is said to improve vigour, enrich the blood and have anti-ageing properties – has obliterated China’s own donkey population, leading to huge export industries in Africa and South America. But the African Union (AU) heads of state on Sunday ratified a motion proposing a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3252543/african-donkey-trade-ban-slash-chinas-supply-traditional-medicine-ejiao?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3252543/african-donkey-trade-ban-slash-chinas-supply-traditional-medicine-ejiao?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Feb 2024 10:00:14 +0000 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s comparison of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to the Holocaust has unleashed a diplomatic firestorm, with Brazil recalling its ambassador Monday and Israel declaring Lula “persona non grata”. The row erupted the day before when Lula said the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip “isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” and compared it to “when Hitler decided to kill the Jews”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lula had “crossed a red line”, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3252495/brazil-recalls-ambassador-israel-row-over-lulas-hitler-comments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3252495/brazil-recalls-ambassador-israel-row-over-lulas-hitler-comments?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Feb 2024 20:29:09 +0000 Alexei Navalny’s widow will meet European foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, EU officials announced, as Russian courts jailed dozens of people detained at events commemorating the Kremlin critic. The 47-year-old opposition leader died in an Arctic prison on Friday after spending more than three years behind bars, prompting outrage and condemnation from Western leaders and his supporters. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he would welcome Yulia Navalnaya to the bloc’s Foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3252362/navalnys-widow-meet-eu-ministers-russia-jails-dozens-mourning-kremlin-critic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3252362/navalnys-widow-meet-eu-ministers-russia-jails-dozens-mourning-kremlin-critic?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Feb 2024 23:29:15 +0000 Israel accused Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of trivialising the Holocaust and causing offence to the Jewish people on Sunday after he likened the Israeli war against Hamas militants in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War Two. “What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments. In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” Lula told reporters during the 37th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3252354/israel-incensed-after-brazils-lula-likens-gaza-war-holocaust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3252354/israel-incensed-after-brazils-lula-likens-gaza-war-holocaust?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Feb 2024 16:36:40 +0000 The United Nations’ highest court will open historic hearings on Monday into the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state, plunging the 15 international judges back into the heart of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Six days of hearings are scheduled at the International Court of Justice, during which an unprecedented number of countries will participate, as Israel continues its devastating assault on Gaza. Though the case occurs against the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3252336/un-top-court-start-historic-case-legality-israeli-occupation-lands-claimed-palestinians?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3252336/un-top-court-start-historic-case-legality-israeli-occupation-lands-claimed-palestinians?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Feb 2024 09:46:32 +0000 Chinese investors have begun shining a spotlight on a tiny island nation in East Africa known for a “special type of sugar”, but it’s not the vast plantations of Mauritius that have caught their eye. Instead, they are sweet on cashing in on the country’s “ambitious target” of deriving at least 60 per cent of its energy from “green” sources by 2030, according to Mahen Kumar Seeruttun, minister of financial services and good governance for the island of 1.3 million people located around 1,000km... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3250171/china-investors-eye-africas-tiny-island-mauritius-it-goes-green-and-tries-sweeten-trade-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3250171/china-investors-eye-africas-tiny-island-mauritius-it-goes-green-and-tries-sweeten-trade-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jan 2024 11:30:21 +0000 We will soon usher in the Year of the Dragon, marking a unique time for expanding relationships, harnessing new ideas and moving forward, sentiments that will reverberate halfway across the world in Africa. The continent has long had robust economic ties with China, but now faces a critical juncture as the latter’s economy softens. Africa needs to diversify and solidify existing relationships with other global partners, including the United States, to buffer itself from China’s changing economic... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3248568/chinas-economy-slows-africa-stands-critical-juncture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3248568/chinas-economy-slows-africa-stands-critical-juncture?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jan 2024 11:30:14 +0000 Fighters with al-Qaeda’s East Africa affiliate al-Shabab attacked a United Nations helicopter that made an emergency landing on Wednesday in territory controlled by the extremists in Somalia, killing one passenger and abducting five others, officials said. The minister of internal security of Galmudug state in central Somalia, Mohamed Abdi Aden Gaboobe, told Associated Press by phone that the helicopter made the landing due to engine failure in Xindheere village. He said six foreigners and one... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3247998/somalia-extremists-kill-1-and-capture-5-un-helicopter-made-emergency-landing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3247998/somalia-extremists-kill-1-and-capture-5-un-helicopter-made-emergency-landing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jan 2024 22:16:42 +0000 The African Union and Brazil are on the verge of banning the donkey skin trade, adding to the supply issues faced by China, which uses gelatin from the hides to make the traditional Chinese medicine ejiao. The medicine is claimed to have anti-ageing properties. Once known as a “medicine for emperors”, it is now marketed to China’s affluent population. The donkey collagen is mixed with herbs and other ingredients to make bars, pills and liquids for consumers or in beauty products. But China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3245070/chinese-medicine-ejiao-facing-blow-supply-africa-brazil-move-end-donkey-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3245070/chinese-medicine-ejiao-facing-blow-supply-africa-brazil-move-end-donkey-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Dec 2023 04:00:11 +0000 China sent a senior diplomat to Ethiopia to meet central government and regional leaders as they worked to ensure full implementation of the Pretoria peace deal that ended the deadly Tigray war, giving Beijing a chance to test its crisis diplomacy skills. Xue Bing, who was appointed China’s special envoy for the Horn of Africa in 2022 to help broker peace in the region, returned to Addis Ababa this week for talks with Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3245376/china-tests-diplomatic-prowess-ethiopia-it-rebuilds-after-tigray-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3245376/china-tests-diplomatic-prowess-ethiopia-it-rebuilds-after-tigray-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Dec 2023 15:00:11 +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 West African heads of state on Sunday officially recognised the junta in power in Niger, but said their sanctions to reverse the July coup in the country would remain even as they initiate steps for a “short” period of transition to civilian rule. A team of heads of state would engage with the junta “to agree on a short transition programme” as against the three years the soldiers earlier proposed, Omar Alieu Touray, president of the regional bloc of ECOWAS Commission, said at the bloc’s meeting... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3244610/west-africa-leaders-recognise-nigers-junta-sanctions-stay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3244610/west-africa-leaders-recognise-nigers-junta-sanctions-stay?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2023 04:10:29 +0000 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong support for Israel and his country’s abstention from a United Nations resolution for a Gaza ceasefire will “clearly not score diplomatic points” for New Delhi as it aims to outmanoeuvre Beijing to become the leader of the Global South, analysts have said. However, India’s Global South leadership will not be determined by its position on one issue, as analysts argued that “pragmatic” developing countries care more about what India has to offer in terms... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3244114/indias-aim-surpass-china-global-south-leader-unaffected-its-support-israel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3244114/indias-aim-surpass-china-global-south-leader-unaffected-its-support-israel?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2023 02:00:16 +0000 China – a major supplier of weapons to Africa – could help fight the illicit arms trade that is fuelling deadly conflicts across the continent, according to experts. They say China could also play a role in upholding international law and norms governing arms transfers. The assessment comes after President Xi Jinping told African leaders at the Brics summit in Johannesburg in August that China would work with them to “safeguard a peaceful and secure global environment”. He said Beijing would... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3243618/china-could-help-fight-illegal-arms-trade-fuelling-conflict-africa-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3243618/china-could-help-fight-illegal-arms-trade-fuelling-conflict-africa-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Dec 2023 04:00:09 +0000 India’s year in the G20 presidency has seen it emerge as a serious challenger to China’s aspirations to lead the developing world, with New Delhi also hosting its second virtual Voice of the Global South summit of the year in November. “We are more than 100 countries but our priorities are similar,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his opening remarks to the latest meeting, intended as a briefing to attendees on the Group of 20 summit hosted by New Delhi in September. “From a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3243204/china-india-court-global-south-competing-bids-lead-developing-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3243204/china-india-court-global-south-competing-bids-lead-developing-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Nov 2023 15:00:16 +0000 On the outskirts of Tunis in Tunisia, the China-Arab Beidou Centre is at the core of China’s outer space ambitions to spur the uptake of the BeiDou system to challenge the dominance of the American Global Positioning System, or GPS. The centre, which is China’s first overseas BeiDou Satellite (BDS) Navigation System built and is funded by China and the Tunisia-based Arab Information and Communication Technology Organisation, “is strategically positioned to promote international exchanges and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3242162/how-china-ties-space-projects-africa-climate-and-security-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3242162/how-china-ties-space-projects-africa-climate-and-security-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Nov 2023 03:00:11 +0000 Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in a virtual G20 leaders’ summit on Wednesday, after skipping the flagship in-person meeting in New Delhi in September. “Vladimir Putin will take part in the virtual G20 summit,” Russia’s Vesti TV show said in a social media post on Sunday, citing Putin’s schedule for the upcoming week. Putin did not travel to the last two G20 meetings – hosted by India in September and Indonesia last year – sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his place. In... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3242098/russias-putin-join-virtual-g20-summit-says-state-tv-chaired-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3242098/russias-putin-join-virtual-g20-summit-says-state-tv-chaired-india?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Nov 2023 14:38:48 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China is turning to Africa for the soybeans it needs to meet its huge demand for pig feed, as Beijing moves to diversify its global sources of grain away from the US. South Africa’s first export of soybeans to China left Durban in October, made possible by last year’s signing of a protocol with Beijing granting access to the Chinese market. The size of the shipment was not specified. According to the South African agriculture department, 18 companies and 162 storage facilities have been approved... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241910/can-african-soybeans-help-ease-chinas-reliance-us-feed-insatiable-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241910/can-african-soybeans-help-ease-chinas-reliance-us-feed-insatiable-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Nov 2023 04:03:55 +0000 The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has unveiled a China-funded reference laboratory at its headquarters in Ethiopia, creating another milestone for China’s health diplomacy. The Dr Wu Lien-teh Laboratory, named after the Chinese-Malaysian epidemiologist who helped eradicate the plague in Manchuria in 1911, aims to address gaps in laboratory systems in Africa. It includes two high-containment Biosafety Level 3 laboratories, the second-highest rating in a four-tier... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241467/chinese-funded-africa-cdc-laboratory-opens-ethiopia-beijing-looks-health-diplomacy-boost-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241467/chinese-funded-africa-cdc-laboratory-opens-ethiopia-beijing-looks-health-diplomacy-boost-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2023 22:00:23 +0000 Just outside the Moroccan city of Tangier, a Chinese-backed manufacturing and technology hub is finally taking shape after six years of delays. The Mohammed VI Tangier Science and Technology City lies just 27km (16.8 miles) from the southern tip of the Spanish coast across the Strait of Gibraltar, strategically positioned where Africa faces Europe at the intersection of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. First proposed in 2016 when Morocco’s King Mohammed VI met Chinese President Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241060/china-sets-sights-morocco-north-african-nation-becomes-centre-ev-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241060/china-sets-sights-morocco-north-african-nation-becomes-centre-ev-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Nov 2023 08:00:14 +0000 It is hard to know what else to say about the awful conflict that is playing out in the Middle East. Hundreds of articles have been written by commentators from both sides of the ideological divide. What we know, however, is that it did not start on October 7, 2023; that there can be no winners; that it will not end if Gaza is razed to the ground; and that it has the potential to make the world an even more dangerous place. It puts into perspective all that loose talk in the last year by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3238680/us-must-curb-israels-revenge-instinct-end-palestinian-suffering-wielding-its-power-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3238680/us-must-curb-israels-revenge-instinct-end-palestinian-suffering-wielding-its-power-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Oct 2023 02:30:09 +0000 The symbolic outcomes of the recent G20 summit in India are as significant as the tangible outcomes. With its Group of 20 presidency, India has managed to democratise the summit both within the country – by hosting G20-related events across the country and thus opening what has historically been a largely elite-driven event to the masses – and globally by raising the voice of the Global South. Notably, the African Union was added as a new permanent member, effectively turning the G20 into the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3234935/why-indias-g20-triumph-means-much-more-tangible-results?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3234935/why-indias-g20-triumph-means-much-more-tangible-results?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Sep 2023 01:30:15 +0000 The successful conclusion of a G20 summit that resulted in a joint communique has boosted India’s bid to be viewed as a leader of the Global South and highlighted its ability to be a “bridge in an increasingly polarised world”, diplomatic observers say. As world leaders gathered in New Delhi last week, the chances of a joint statement looked remote due to deep divisions between bloc members over their stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and other geopolitical tensions. But India’s diplomatic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3234714/india-can-be-bridge-polarised-world-amid-global-south-push-g20-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3234714/india-can-be-bridge-polarised-world-amid-global-south-push-g20-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Sep 2023 03:30:23 +0000 China will expand its cooperation with Zambia in infrastructure and encourage more Chinese companies to invest in the African nation. Chinese President Xi Jinping made the commitments in talks with his Zambian counterpart Hakainde Hichilema in Beijing on Friday as the two countries agreed to elevate relations. Xi said that under the multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, China would also work with Zambia to develop agriculture, mining and clean energy “to jointly achieve development and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3234742/china-firms-ties-debt-laden-resource-rich-zambia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3234742/china-firms-ties-debt-laden-resource-rich-zambia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:32:40 +0000