https://www.scmp.com/rss/522718/feed The latest news and top stories on Lauren Johnston. A development economist, she is a Senior Research Fellow at the AustChina Institute, contributing to its analysis of Australia-China relations. She also holds positions as a Senior Researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs and an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney China Studies Centre. Her expertise lies in China-Africa economic relations, demographic change and the economy. With a PhD in Economics from... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China is prioritising “strategic material security” under its new five-year plan, which elevates the supply and domestic stockpiling of critical resources to a matter of national security. Under its 15th five-year plan, Beijing has placed “key commodities” on the same strategic level as food and energy security, pledging a more proactive approach to bolstering “energy and resource supply security” by “preventing and mitigating major risks in systemically important areas”. To achieve this, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347132/china-stockpile-critical-resources-and-strengthen-energy-security-avoid-trade-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347132/china-stockpile-critical-resources-and-strengthen-energy-security-avoid-trade-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 04:00:10 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage In 1994, Richard Leiter, a South African entrepreneur, took a gamble on the then unknown Chinese commercial truck maker FAW with the introduction of the first Jiefang CA141 truck into the South African market. Two decades later, he had transitioned from importer to industrialist, with a sprawling assembly plant in the Coega special economic zone in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. FAW now outsells major brands like Toyota, Daimler and Isuzu in the heavy truck sector in South Africa, driven by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340081/how-risky-punt-unknown-chinese-truck-manufacturer-paid-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340081/how-risky-punt-unknown-chinese-truck-manufacturer-paid-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:00:10 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China ramped up its exports to Africa last year, widening its trade surplus with the continent by 64.5 per cent to a record US$102 billion, according to Chinese customs figures. The jump in the trade gap – up from US$62 billion the previous year – was driven by a 25.8 per cent surge in Chinese exports to the continent to US$225 billion, far outpacing the 5.4 per cent growth in African shipments to China to US$123 billion, according to the latest data from China’s General Administration of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340674/chinese-goods-pour-africa-widening-trade-gap-record-us102-billion-amid-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340674/chinese-goods-pour-africa-widening-trade-gap-record-us102-billion-amid-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:00:12 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage In the heart of Algeria’s Sahara Desert, Chinese state-owned giant China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has completed laying track on the PK330 Bridge, a final and critical link in a new railway designed to unlock the nation’s mineral wealth. The 6km (3.7-mile) bridge is part of the 950km railway linking the Gara Djebilet iron ore deposit in southwestern Tindouf province to the industrial hub of Bechar in the northeast. It was the “most technically demanding railway engineering feat... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337896/how-algeria-could-help-china-plug-iron-ore-gaps-and-gain-pricing-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337896/how-algeria-could-help-china-plug-iron-ore-gaps-and-gain-pricing-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage South Africa, China’s largest trade partner in the continent, and other Southern African Customs Union (SACU) members are suffering from an unforeseen barrier to enjoying Beijing’s zero-tariff policy. The hurdle is eSwatini’s continued diplomatic recognition of Taiwan and hence exclusion from the favourable policy. SACU customs deals are negotiated collectively among the five member states, which means none can unilaterally benefit from the preferential tariff exemption. Beijing sees Taiwan as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335328/china-promised-zero-tariffs-africa-so-why-south-africa-missing-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335328/china-promised-zero-tariffs-africa-so-why-south-africa-missing-out?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 08:29:56 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China is advancing its “health silk road” in Africa by initiating major offshore projects to manufacture essential medicines, such as insulin and antiretrovirals. Nigeria is set to produce Chinese-made insulin, while in the Ivory Coast further west, Chinese giant Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical is on track to complete the first part of its three-phase €50 million (US$58 million) facility by the end of the year. The facility near Abidjan, the country’s biggest city, will manufacture antimalarial... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328598/chinas-health-silk-road-africa-gets-boost-insulin-and-other-pharma-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328598/chinas-health-silk-road-africa-gets-boost-insulin-and-other-pharma-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Beijing has diversified its export routes amid the tariff war with the US, with high-value shipments to Africa growing by 25 per cent in the first eight months of this year. According to China’s General Administration of Customs, exports to Africa totalled US$140.8 billion (1 trillion yuan) and grew between two and four times as fast as those to other major regions, such as Europe, Asia and Latin America. Meanwhile, shipments to the US fell by 15.5 per cent in the period, as Beijing moved to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325932/chinas-exports-africa-25-trumps-tariffs-bite-hard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325932/chinas-exports-africa-25-trumps-tariffs-bite-hard?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 10:00:11 +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