Africa

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

China wants raw materials instead of transparent supply chains
In the race for future technologies, access to raw materials like lithium, manganese or cobalt is crucial for competitors. While Europe is focusing on sustainability with a supply chain law, China is foregoing minimum social or green standards for extraction. continue reading →
The Global Security Initiative: China’s new world order
China's new security concept, the Global Security Initiative (GSI), envisages new ground rules for a world order that is not based on the principle of the strongest. The concept may not be taken seriously by the West, but there is interest in the Global South and other emerging countries. continue reading →
China modernizes railroad in Namibia
The China Gezhouba Group Corporation has modernized a nearly 110-kilometer-long section of the Namibian railway. This was reported by the Chinese news agency Xinhua. The railway line connects the mining town of Arandis with Walvis Bay. Where previously only a travel speed of 40 kilometers per hour was possible, trains can now travel twice as […] continue reading →
China advances iron ore project
The government of Guinea has announced plans to develop the Simandou iron ore mine. The mountain range in southern Guinea is believed to contain the largest untapped deposit of high-grade iron ore. The mine could thus become the largest on the continent. A port and rail infrastructure are also planned. Commodity companies Rio Tinto and […] continue reading →
China builds Africa’s first spaceport
China is taking relations with Africa to a new level. A Chinese spaceport is to be built in Djibouti, on the strategically important Horn of Africa, the first spaceport on the continent. And that at a time when Djibouti can no longer service its debts to China. continue reading →
China provides money, the West provides promises
The first trip of the new Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is to Africa. This has to do with tradition but, above all, with geopolitics. The West also wants to become more active in Africa. Beijing now says: We have been number one in Europe's neighborhood for a long time. continue reading →
State visit from Tanzania
Tanzania and China want to expand their strategic partnership. This was decided by the heads of state of both countries, Xi Jinping and Samia Suluhu Hassan, at a meeting in Beijing. The three-day visit by Tanzania’s president coincided with that of Olaf Scholz in Beijing on Friday.As Chinese state media reported, Tanzania and China agreed […] continue reading →
‘The pace of the Chinese in Africa is breathtaking’
Bartholomäus Grill is Germany's best-known Africa correspondent. Over the past 40 years, he witnessed how China continuously expanded its presence on the continent. Nevertheless, he believes that prejudices about Chinese neo-colonialism are wrong. In the new "race for Africa," the People's Republic is taking a more far-sighted approach than the Europeans. Fabian Peltsch spoke with Grill. continue reading →
China plans debt relief in Africa
China plans to write off debt to African nations. According to a Bloomberg report, the People’s Republic wants to forgo 23 interest-free loans to 17 African countries and redirect tens of billions of dollars in reserves from the International Monetary Fund to nations on the continent.Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced debt cuts at a meeting […] continue reading →
Trade with Africa to grow
China aims to overtake the EU as Africa’s most important trading partner by 2030 and will further strengthen its trade with the continent, according to a study by the British Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Among other things, the People’s Republic is particularly interested in Africa’s mineral resources, which are considered a vital source of food […] continue reading →
In Africa, the Silk Road scores well ahead of the EU initiative
Western states criticize China's actions in Africa and portray themselves as better partners. But new studies show: China is quite welcome in Africa. Even the high loans are not considered a problem so far. continue reading →
Huawei builds 5G network in Kenya
Huawei is involved in the expansion of Kenya’s communications infrastructure. The communications authority of the East African country announced the cooperation with the Chinese telecommunications giant on Thursday, local media reported. The cooperation is effective immediately and is to be renewed every five years. According to Ezra Chiloba, Director General of the Communications Authority of […] continue reading →
China trains African politicians
A cadre school in Africa co-funded by the Chinese government has completed its first training session, with 120 “future leaders” from ruling parties in Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola attending, South China Morning Post reports.The $40 million construction of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School outside Dar es Salaam in Tanzania was […] continue reading →
Deborah Brautigam – an expert on China’s debt in Africa
Is China merely the next colonial power to wreak havoc in Africa and make the continent financially dependent, while raw materials flow bountifully to the Middle Kingdom? This is the impression given by many media reports. Deborah Brautigam, Director of the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University disagrees – and is increasingly distraught […] continue reading →
US researchers reject ‘debt trap’ narrative
A new study suggests that private creditors, not Chinese loans, dominate African debt. In their paper, Harry Verhoeven of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University and Nicolas Lippolis of the University of Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations object to the “debt trap diplomacy” narrative (China.Table reported). “What keeps African leaders […] continue reading →
Trade between China and Africa grows
China’s bilateral trade with the African continent increased by 23 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022. One reason for this was rising commodity prices. Chinese imports from Africa rose 29 percent to nearly $30 billion. Exports increased 18 percent to $35 billion, according to the South China Morning Post. However, logistics problems at […] continue reading →
China sends peace ambassadors to Africa
China plans to send a peace envoy to the conflict-plagued Horn of Africa region. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the announcement last Thursday during a diplomatic visit to Kenya. The special envoy, who has not yet been named, is expected to focus on easing the military conflict in Ethiopia between the Tigray People’s Liberation […] continue reading →
China-Africa summit: strengthening relations
China and Africa plan to expand their relations at all levels. This is the result of the eighth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which was held last week in Senegal’s capital Dakar. The People’s Republic and almost all African states – except Eswatini, which maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan – participated. However, pledges of economic […] continue reading →