https://www.scmp.com/rss/519131/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage For Washington, the Lobito Corridor rail project is meant to circumvent Chinese influence in Africa’s mineral supply chains. Once up and running, the corridor will stretch 1,600km (1,000 miles) westward through mineral-rich Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to create a logistics corridor to the Atlantic port of Lobito in neighbouring Angola. The United States sees it as a direct rival to the China-backed 1,860km Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara), which stretches eastward from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352324/why-african-leaders-value-seamless-transcontinental-links-over-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352324/why-african-leaders-value-seamless-transcontinental-links-over-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 06:00:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo lamented during an event in Angola on Monday that many people in the world were being “exploited by authoritarians and defrauded by the rich”, the latest example of a forceful new speaking style he has adopted on his ‌four-nation Africa tour. The first US pope, who has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump with his more outspoken comments, told worshippers at a Mass in Saurimo, near the Democratic Republic of Congo border, that violence and oppression went against the Christian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350762/pope-leo-criticises-exploitation-worlds-authoritarians-during-angola-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350762/pope-leo-criticises-exploitation-worlds-authoritarians-during-angola-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:55:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Pope Leo on Sunday recalled the “sorrow and great suffering” Angolans endured for centuries, as the American pope prayed at a Catholic shrine located at the site of an important hub of the African slave trade during Portugal’s colonial rule. Leo travelled to the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, nestled in the Angolan savannahs of baobab trees at the edge of the Kwanza River. It became a major pilgrimage destination after believers reported an appearance by the Virgin Mary around 1833. But the Church of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350655/pope-leo-prays-catholic-shrine-angola-was-centre-african-slave-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350655/pope-leo-prays-catholic-shrine-angola-was-centre-african-slave-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 18:25:23 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo sought ⁠to downplay his feud ⁠with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, ⁠saying reporting about comments he has made so far during his Africa tour “has not been accurate in all its aspects”. Speaking to reporters in English aboard his flight to Angola for the third leg of his ambitious 10-day Africa tour, the first US pope said comments ‌he made two days earlier in Cameroon decrying that the world was being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” were not aimed at Trump. That speech, said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350604/pope-leo-seeks-defuse-tensions-trump-says-not-trying-debate-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350604/pope-leo-seeks-defuse-tensions-trump-says-not-trying-debate-him?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 03:32:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo has said the world needs to hear a message of peace and coexistence, after US President Donald Trump attacked him for a second time this week on social media. Speaking on Wednesday during his flight from Algeria to Cameroon for the second leg of a whirlwind 10-day ‌Africa tour, the first US pontiff urged respect for all people and said his travels so far had shown the importance of pursuing dialogue between different communities. “Although we have different beliefs, we have different... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350217/pope-leo-stresses-message-peace-and-unity-despite-another-trump-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350217/pope-leo-stresses-message-peace-and-unity-despite-another-trump-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:15:08 +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 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham To European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the ribbon of rail snaking from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia across Angola to the Atlantic port of Lobito is “more than just infrastructure”. The Lobito Corridor rail upgrade is a flagship project of the EU’s €300 billion (US$346 billion) infrastructure drive, Global Gateway, launched to great fanfare in 2021 as a rival to Beijing’s own Belt and Road Initiative. It is also pivotal to the EU’s efforts to wean itself off... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348330/eus-flagship-africa-project-under-fire-over-ties-chinese-state-owned-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348330/eus-flagship-africa-project-under-fire-over-ties-chinese-state-owned-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu The Iran war has cut off a fifth of global oil and LNG supply, handing African producers “a structural advantage” in supplying global markets, although their capacity is hampered by factors beyond the Middle East conflict, according to analysts. “West and North African exports are largely insulated from the conflict, meaning barrels from Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, Algeria and Libya are viewed as lower-risk alternatives,” said Grace Goodrich and Anne-Laure Klein of Energy, Capital & Power, a Cape... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347841/african-producers-may-have-energy-edge-during-iran-war-if-they-can-overcome-hurdles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347841/african-producers-may-have-energy-edge-during-iran-war-if-they-can-overcome-hurdles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:00:08 +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 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage As conflict in the Middle East pushes oil beyond US$100 per barrel, Angola and other African producers are in line to be among the main beneficiaries. On Thursday, following renewed tanker attacks, Brent crude oil prices surged back past US$100 a barrel, having reached a peak of US$119.50 on Monday, the highest level since 2022. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime chokepoint through which about 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products flowed daily, has crippled energy... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346457/how-middle-east-conflict-and-soaring-oil-prices-will-affect-angolas-chinese-debt-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346457/how-middle-east-conflict-and-soaring-oil-prices-will-affect-angolas-chinese-debt-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 06:00:14 +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 The United States was out in force in Cape Town this month, throwing down a direct challenge to China at Africa’s biggest mining conference, the Investing in African Mining Indaba. While Chinese firms showed their technological leadership with automation and green energy solutions, officials from the State Department, the Department of Energy and several US development agencies were among the record number of American diplomats and financiers at the event in South Africa. Analysts said the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344957/why-us-money-may-not-be-enough-break-chinas-rare-earths-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344957/why-us-money-may-not-be-enough-break-chinas-rare-earths-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang The Chinese embassy in Angola has issued a warning about a crackdown on illegal immigration in the African country, urging its citizens and companies to make sure they follow the correct visa procedures. In a social media post on Wednesday, the embassy warned that Chinese citizens had been among those detained, fined or deported by the Angolan authorities. “We have warned Chinese companies and citizens repeatedly to follow Angola’s laws, find jobs and operate businesses legally,” it said,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344696/chinese-embassy-angola-warns-citizens-not-fall-foul-immigration-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344696/chinese-embassy-angola-warns-citizens-not-fall-foul-immigration-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 07:00:08 +0000 Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan African nations have long been asking: who really opens their market, on what terms and how fast? Earlier this month, China provided a clear answer when it stated that starting on May 1, China will apply zero tariffs on imports from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations. For years, Western governments have promised to rethink their partnerships with their African counterparts, tying positive language about equality and sustainability to complex trade frameworks. China... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344301/chinas-zero-tariff-offer-africa-game-changer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344301/chinas-zero-tariff-offer-africa-game-changer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Chinese lending to Africa dropped by nearly half to US$2.1 billion in 2024 compared with the previous year, according to a new report. The decline formed part of a decade-long trend. Lending had been on an upward trajectory since 2006 and peaked between 2012 and 2018 – a period that saw the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative – when it passed the US$10 billion mark each year. At its height in 2016, Beijing lent US$28.8 billion. But since 2020, the annual total has not crossed the US$5 billion... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341213/chinese-lending-africa-nearly-halves-year-priorities-shift-smaller-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341213/chinese-lending-africa-nearly-halves-year-priorities-shift-smaller-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 06:00:17 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Chinese workers are returning to Africa in their thousands, reversing a decade-long decline and signalling a renewed focus on strategic mega-projects across the continent. In 2024, there were 90,793 Chinese workers on contracted projects and labour services on the continent, an increase of about 4 per cent over the 87,078 recorded the previous year, according to data from the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. The upturn marks... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337009/chinese-workers-return-africa-lucrative-job-opportunities-beckon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337009/chinese-workers-return-africa-lucrative-job-opportunities-beckon?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim During his Southeast Asia trip in October, US President Donald Trump sealed deals with Malaysia and Thailand on the same day – both aimed at securing and diversifying America’s supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths. Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to step up cooperation on building and expanding critical minerals supply chains, according to a White House statement. They also agreed to strengthen the security of critical minerals and rare earths supplies in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335297/why-china-may-be-better-placed-us-tussle-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335297/why-china-may-be-better-placed-us-tussle-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 22:00:24 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain on Monday said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up the deportation of those who arrive illegally, in a major overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of the populist Reform UK party and tackling abuse of the current system. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined changes to how the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) should be interpreted by UK courts to give the government greater control over who can remain in Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former human... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333164/britain-toughens-asylum-policy-major-overhaul-anti-immigration-sentiment-rises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333164/britain-toughens-asylum-policy-major-overhaul-anti-immigration-sentiment-rises?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:28:24 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Since nearly three decades of civil war ended in 2002, Angola has been relying heavily on China – its key financier of post-war infrastructure – to help the southern African country’s government deliver on its promise of a million new homes. When the West was unwilling to finance its projects, Luanda secured loans from Chinese state banks under the so-called Angolan model, using its oil as collateral. Angola became the largest recipient of Chinese financing in Africa, attracting 270 loans worth... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329665/chinese-loans-fuel-angolas-future-cities-analysts-cautious-over-costs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329665/chinese-loans-fuel-angolas-future-cities-analysts-cautious-over-costs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:00:16 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage The Chinese state-owned construction giant that built the Mao Zedong-era Tanzania-Zambia railway is returning to the project with a US$1.4 billion commitment to overhaul and run the line as it increasingly becomes geoeconomically important for China. In a deal struck on Monday, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) agreed to an initial US$1.1 billion investment plus a further US$238 million to be reinvested into the severely dilapidated Tazara Railway, as the line is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327348/us14-billion-tazara-rail-deal-puts-china-fast-track-africas-copperbelt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327348/us14-billion-tazara-rail-deal-puts-china-fast-track-africas-copperbelt?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 04:00:18 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage The United States is stepping up efforts to loosen China’s grip on critical mineral supply chains by investing in a new copper and cobalt project in Zambia. The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will provide a US$1.4 million grant to Metalex Africa, a subsidiary of US-based Metalex Commodities, to fund a feasibility study, in a deal signed on Thursday. The study aims to expand a Zambian copper and cobalt facility, securing a direct source of the metals for American industries. Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326103/us-invests-zambia-project-bid-loosen-chinas-grip-critical-minerals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326103/us-invests-zambia-project-bid-loosen-chinas-grip-critical-minerals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:00:24 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage A geopolitical contest is unfolding in central-southern Africa, where major global powers are vying for control of key logistical routes amid a global race to secure critical minerals for the green energy transition. At the centre of this rivalry lies the small town of Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia, a strategic hub where three competing corridors – China’s Tazara, the US-backed Lobito Corridor and Japan’s Nacala Corridor – converge. Observers say the race to build these corridors is not just... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324542/china-us-japan-race-control-key-african-rail-routes-critical-minerals-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324542/china-us-japan-race-control-key-african-rail-routes-critical-minerals-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Kenya’s plan to convert its US dollar-denominated Chinese debt to yuan is a “win-win”, as it is expected to reduce interest payments for the African nation while advancing China’s goal of increasing the global use of its currency, according to analysts. The deal would be precedent-setting and could establish a new rule book for future debt restructuring and possibly cut reliance on the US dollar. In late August, Kenya’s Treasury announced that talks with the Export-Import Bank of China were at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324321/kenyas-plan-switch-debt-payments-china-us-dollars-yuan-win-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324321/kenyas-plan-switch-debt-payments-china-us-dollars-yuan-win-win?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 08:00:09 +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 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Despite Washington’s framing of a key railway network in Angola as a strategic counter to China, the CEO of the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) says the company is “a purely commercial entity” with “zero geopolitical considerations”. Nicholas Fournier, the newly appointed chief executive, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post that the company was just one part of the broader Lobito Corridor, which aims to increase economic activity along the route. LAR has strong commercial ties... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322922/no-geopolitics-involved-angola-rail-project-not-aimed-countering-china-ceo-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322922/no-geopolitics-involved-angola-rail-project-not-aimed-countering-china-ceo-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China is investing hundreds of millions of US dollars to develop soy bean and grain farms in Angola as it seeks to reduce its reliance on the United States for supplies and improve food security. Last month, two giant state-owned Chinese firms signed deals worth US$350 million to develop tens of thousands of hectares of land in the southern African country. One of the companies, SinoHydro Group, a hydropower and civil engineering firm, will invest more than US$100 million in return for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320483/china-investing-us350-million-angolan-agriculture-drive-boost-food-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320483/china-investing-us350-million-angolan-agriculture-drive-boost-food-security?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Aug 2025 06:00:16 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China appears to be positioning Africa as a testing ground for internationalisation of the yuan as it seeks to expand the currency’s global use and break the dominance of the US dollar. During a recent meeting in Cairo, the central banks of China and Egypt signed a series of agreements to promote the use of the yuan in trade and investment. These deals – lauded by People’s Bank of China governor Pan Gongsheng as a key step in advancing economic ties – were signed last week during Chinese Premier... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318388/china-looks-africa-testing-ground-global-roll-out-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318388/china-looks-africa-testing-ground-global-roll-out-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 11:00:09 +0000 Guy Kioni Guy Kioni A ceasefire has brought a reprieve to the war between Israel and Iran, halting the single most dangerous regional conflict in recent years. For Beijing, the world’s largest oil importer, the lesson from the brief, 12-day conflict, could not be clearer: China cannot continue to rely on a region so prone to disruption for the resources needed to power its economic development. China has been successful at maintaining a balancing act between competing geopolitical forces, importing vast amounts of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3316055/africa-could-emerge-winner-chinas-war-induced-energy-shift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3316055/africa-could-emerge-winner-chinas-war-induced-energy-shift?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 12:30:08 +0000 On April 4, Beijing expanded its export controls to include seven types of medium and heavy rare earth elements, materials critical to advanced manufacturing, defence systems and clean energy. Amid a wave of tariff escalations between the United States and China, the announcement spotlighted the deeper contest behind the headlines: the race to dominate global critical mineral supply chains. At the centre of this geopolitical battleground lies the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to some of the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3307557/trumps-africa-policy-zeroes-minerals-and-militarism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3307557/trumps-africa-policy-zeroes-minerals-and-militarism?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:30:08 +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 When Chinese destroyer Nanning, frigate Sanya and supply ship Weishanhu made a port call in Gabon in July last year, the Chinese navy was happy to help repair some equipment on the Gabonese frigate Mbini. While they were there, the Chinese sailors also showed their counterparts how to use weapons and equipment, plus they carried out anti-terrorism, anti-piracy and rescue operations with them. The Chinese naval stop in Gabon was just one of five visits to countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3291559/africas-gulf-guinea-china-proving-it-master-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3291559/africas-gulf-guinea-china-proving-it-master-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2024 08:00:09 +0000 Helena Monteiro da Costa’s father was brought from Angola to Brazil as a slave in the 19th century. Next year the 99-year-old hopes she can take part in a first-of-its-kind cruise making the reverse journey back to her father’s homeland. “My father was enslaved and he obeyed … everything they (the enslavers) told him to do he did,” Costa says at her home in Santos, the coastal Brazilian city where her father ended up after the brutal voyage across the Atlantic. From the 16th to the 19th century,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3291570/brazil-angola-cruise-along-old-slave-trade-route-teach-about-heritage-confront-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3291570/brazil-angola-cruise-along-old-slave-trade-route-teach-about-heritage-confront-past?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Dec 2024 08:15:07 +0000 US President Joe Biden arrived in Angola on Monday for his long-awaited first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa and will use the three-day trip to counter China’s influence by highlighting an ambitious US-backed railway project. The Lobito Corridor railway redevelopment in Zambia, Congo and Angola aims to advance US presence in a region rich in the critical minerals used in batteries for electric vehicles, electronic devices and clean energy technologies. Thousands of people lined the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3289053/biden-arrives-angola-his-long-awaited-first-presidential-sub-saharan-africa-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3289053/biden-arrives-angola-his-long-awaited-first-presidential-sub-saharan-africa-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Dec 2024 19:14:43 +0000 From railways and highways to ports and power dams, China has bankrolled most of Angola’s post-war reconstruction over the past two decades. Chinese presence in the South African country became apparent in 2002, when former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos invited Beijing to invest following the end of the 27-year Angolan civil war that devastated the country’s infrastructure and economy. Now, the United States is challenging the dominant Chinese foothold in the region, by betting on a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3286062/could-china-us-rivalry-go-rails-africa-over-resourceful-train-route?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3286062/could-china-us-rivalry-go-rails-africa-over-resourceful-train-route?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Nov 2024 22:00:08 +0000 More than a decade ago, Angola was China’s No 2 source of crude oil. But it has fallen down the list as Beijing has increasingly turned to the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Russia, and other Asian countries. According to a report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: “In 2010, Angola was the world’s second-largest exporter of oil to China, after Saudi Arabia. By 2023, Angola had been bumped to number eight on this ranking of oil suppliers to China.” It is a long way... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3265800/angola-model-over-china-buys-more-crude-oil-gulf-and-russia-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3265800/angola-model-over-china-buys-more-crude-oil-gulf-and-russia-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2024 09:00:08 +0000 Substantial budget cuts could ruin American overtures in the Indo-Pacific region as China’s military footprint and diplomatic muscle expand rapidly, a senior Biden administration official told the US Congress on Thursday. “These cuts would be devastating … to our ability to stand up to China, devastating to our ability to continue to offer alternatives to our partners,” said Daniel Kritenbrink, the State Department’s assistant secretary handling East Asian and Pacific affairs. “It causes [us]... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3268358/china-rises-indo-pacific-us-must-avoid-devastating-budget-cuts-senior-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3268358/china-rises-indo-pacific-us-must-avoid-devastating-budget-cuts-senior-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jun 2024 22:36:32 +0000 The US agency primarily tasked with countering China’s Belt and Road Initiative may be getting more firepower. Testifying before a supportive House Financial Services Committee on Thursday, Reta Jo Lewis, president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Exim), called for loosened restrictions on its portfolio of loans to counter export subsidies and finance provided by Beijing. Those outlays are conducted within Exim’s “China and Transformational Exports Programme”, established when... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3268355/us-export-import-bank-seeks-more-latitude-counter-belt-and-road-initiative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3268355/us-export-import-bank-seeks-more-latitude-counter-belt-and-road-initiative?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jun 2024 20:54:20 +0000 China should look to Africa to diversify its supply chains and counter overcapacity claims from the West, according to the head of the Africa Finance Corporation. AFC chief executive Samaila Zubairu said China, a world leader in renewable energy, should consider moving part of the industry’s supply chain to Africa, rather than seeing the continent as just the source of raw materials. “Most of the [new energy] supply chain is in China. What we want China to do … is to look at Africa as a way of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3263641/china-should-look-africa-counter-overcapacity-claims-west-afc-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3263641/china-should-look-africa-counter-overcapacity-claims-west-afc-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2024 14:00:09 +0000 When asked whether he preferred China and Russia’s approach to Africa to that of the West, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo did not hesitate. “Oh absolutely! You don’t quite understand African realities,” Félix Tshisekedi told French TV news channel LCI on a trip to Paris late last month. “It’s astonishing to see how we are very distant in terms of culture. We cannot understand why you come to give us lessons, for example, on human rights.” That sentiment was echoed by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3263199/coalition-dissatisfied-why-china-and-russia-are-winning-friends-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3263199/coalition-dissatisfied-why-china-and-russia-are-winning-friends-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 May 2024 12:00:48 +0000 Resource-backed loans, pioneered as a way to access mostly Chinese funding for the building of roads, hydroelectric dams and railways have been termed “asymmetrical” and “non-transparent” by African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina. “I think it’s time for us to have debt transparency accountability and make sure that this whole thing of these opaque natural resource-backed loans actually ends, because it complicates the debt issue and the debt resolution issue,” he said last... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261163/does-chinas-oil-infrastructure-lending-model-africa-need-rethink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261163/does-chinas-oil-infrastructure-lending-model-africa-need-rethink?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 May 2024 04:30:09 +0000 A rare terrorism alert for South Korea’s diplomats this week is fuelling tensions with Pyongyang while allowing a welcome respite for the South’s ruling conservatives, who are still in shock from an election loss, observers say. Five overseas missions put on the alert comprise Seoul’s embassies in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, as well as its consulates in the northeastern Russian city of Vladivostok and the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang. Analysts say Pyongyang’s agents would be “freer” to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261303/unusual-terror-alert-south-koreas-embassies-fuels-tensions-north-offers-distraction-yoons-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261303/unusual-terror-alert-south-koreas-embassies-fuels-tensions-north-offers-distraction-yoons-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 May 2024 07:15:13 +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 Ever wondered what the rest of St Paul’s – the surviving facade of which is Macau’s most famous landmark – would have looked like? It just so happens there’s a model, of sorts, in Coimbra, a city in central Portugal. “The Church of St Paul, in Macau, was built to be a copy of the New Cathedral of Coimbra,” city culture official Sofia Serra explained to the newspaper Publico in 2013, upon the launch of a Chinese version of Coimbra’s tourism website. Academic papers published in a 2020 book –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3259898/how-ruined-st-pauls-macau-might-have-looked-coimbras-new-cathedral-and-other-delights-portuguese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3259898/how-ruined-st-pauls-macau-might-have-looked-coimbras-new-cathedral-and-other-delights-portuguese?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2024 08:15:10 +0000 Trade between China and Africa defied economic headwinds in the first quarter of 2024, with two-way trade growing by 5.9 per cent year on year to US$70.86 billion, according to the latest customs data. This was despite a property crisis in China which affected copper demand, with a downturn in copper prices towards the end of 2023. Experts have attributed the rise in trade to higher commodity prices during the period, as well as incentives introduced by Beijing to grow trade with Africa, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259601/china-africa-trade-gets-boost-critical-minerals-needed-ev-battery-production?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259601/china-africa-trade-gets-boost-critical-minerals-needed-ev-battery-production?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Apr 2024 14:00:17 +0000 Two more African partners have joined the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) initiative, which aims to build a permanent base on the moon by the mid-2030s. Ethiopia’s Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI) and the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have this month signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) on ILRS-related cooperation with representatives from China. Their participation follows more than a dozen agencies, institutes and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3259734/two-major-space-institutes-africa-join-china-led-moon-project?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3259734/two-major-space-institutes-africa-join-china-led-moon-project?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Apr 2024 08:00:24 +0000 Niger’s military junta has signed a US$400 million deal with a Chinese state-owned oil giant as part of its plan to “diversify international partnerships” after cutting ties with France and the United States. The deal signed on Friday by Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) chief executive officer Zhou Zuokun will see the Chinese company advance the money to help Niger’s military rulers meet short-term obligations as the economy struggles to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259074/chinese-state-firm-agrees-us400m-loan-niger-junta-return-oil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259074/chinese-state-firm-agrees-us400m-loan-niger-junta-return-oil?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2024 10:00:17 +0000 The Chinese navy has stepped up its port calls around Africa as part of Beijing’s growing military diplomacy with the continent. After the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) paused many of its African port visits during the pandemic, it is getting back to full strength again in a bid to cement diplomatic ties as well as show off military hardware, according to observers. Earlier this week, China’s 45th naval fleet, including guided-missile destroyer Urumqi, missile frigate Linyi and comprehensive... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3258645/chinese-navy-steers-course-african-ports-beijings-renewed-diplomatic-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3258645/chinese-navy-steers-course-african-ports-beijings-renewed-diplomatic-push?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Apr 2024 10:00:23 +0000 China has in recent years invested massively in Africa but Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are also emerging as major investors; the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for instance, is becoming China’s key competitor for African port operations. Like China, the GCC can move much faster than Western countries. And when China’s pace of African investments slowed down, the Gulf states filled some of the gaps. The rapidly evolving engagements of China and the GCC across Africa may catalyse a paradigm... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3258028/china-and-gulf-states-changing-face-development-finance-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3258028/china-and-gulf-states-changing-face-development-finance-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:30:09 +0000 In the middle of the Sahara Desert, Chinese workers have been braving the intense Algerian heat as they build a 575km (357-mile) rail line connecting one of the world’s largest iron ore mines to the national rail network. Workers of the state-owned China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) have begun digging the rocky, dusty route between the Gara Djebilet iron ore mine in Algeria’s southwest province of Tindouf and Bechar at its border with Morocco, in preparation for laying track. It is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3257816/how-north-african-railway-track-helping-china-de-risk-its-iron-ore-supply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3257816/how-north-african-railway-track-helping-china-de-risk-its-iron-ore-supply?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2024 03:00:15 +0000 Sore and sandblasted but triumphant, runner Russ Cook reached the northernmost point of Africa on Sunday, almost a year after he set off from its southern tip on a quest to run the length of the continent. Dozens of supporters gathered on a rocky outcrop beside the Mediterranean in northern Tunisia, cheering on the British charity fundraiser, who has run more than 16,000km (10,000 miles) across 16 countries in 352 days. “I’m a little bit tired,” Cook said – likely an understatement. During his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3258154/uk-man-set-complete-16000km-africa-run-after-19-million-steps-across-16-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3258154/uk-man-set-complete-16000km-africa-run-after-19-million-steps-across-16-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Apr 2024 14:21:10 +0000