The Gulf technology order is increasingly shaped by three overlapping tracks: Political pressure from Washington is making technology competition harder to compartmentalize. The UAE and Qatar joined the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative in January, while Oman became a founding member of the China-initiated World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in July. In August, Washington was reportedly […]
China’s military has set up an aviation training center in Laos, at Ban Keun airport about 50 kilometers north of the capital, Vientiane. China’s defense ministry, which announced the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center and China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy on September 29, said they will train Lao air force pilots and are “not directed […]
As U.S.-Ukraine relations sink to one of their lowest points in years, Chinese nationalist commentators are casting Beijing as an unlikely lifeline for Kyiv. With President Donald Trump easing sanctions on Russian diesel and publicly criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, they argue that China may be one of the few powers capable of brokering an […]
African ownership of the continent’s vast mineral wealth took center stage during an October meeting in Beijing between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Botswana counterpart Duma Boko. It was Boko’s declaration that “Africa’s natural resources belong to Africa” that grabbed the headlines, underscoring what he described as a fundamental principle for any cooperation in […]
In this edition of M&M, I want to explore the differences between what the United States and Vietnam expect from their bilateral relationship. The process of reconciliation between Washington and Hanoi has often been praised as “nothing is impossible,” in the words of former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius. However, not everything is possible. […]
Beijing increasingly treats AI as an energy-system issue. China’s scale and cost advantages in both AI infrastructure and clean-energy manufacturing give it a potential edge in the Global South; ZDATA’s Johor project is an early test of whether those strengths can be integrated into a credible green compute offer.
Last week’s BRICS summit again raised a question often asked about the grouping: what does it actually do? One answer: the BRICS appears every now and then to trouble Western commentators, trigger a few think pieces about de-dollarization, and then disappears again. A second, somewhat more serious, answer: the BRICS fight among each other. The […]
China’s three‑decade presence in Afghanistan’s mineral sector shifted from discreet prospecting and covert procurement networks to a deliberate strategy aimed at securing critical minerals, cultivating political influence, and embedding intelligence capabilities under the Taliban.
Energiewende is a German word no international energy researcher can avoid. Coined in the 1980s and entering mainstream political discourse in the early 2000s, the term describes Germany’s ambitious project to transform its energy system around clean power. Yet these days, the word is heard less in its home country. In a curious twist, the […]
This week we begin with an interesting note on Nigeria, which became one of the first African countries to waive import taxes on electric vehicles (EVs) earlier this year. The West African nation’s experience underscores that imports cannot drive e-mobility without a strong electric grid. Even with some 4,000 EVs benefiting from the import tax […]
Understanding Sino-Iranian relations requires cutting through common misconceptions and overinterpretation of a China-Iran ‘alliance.’
In January, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed laid the cornerstone for a massive new Bishoftu International Airport in Abusera, then a small rural community 45 kilometers southeast of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. Today, thousands of workers are transforming the area into what is expected to become one of the world’s largest aviation hubs. The project, led […]
In 2022, I joined The China in Africa Podcast team for a conversation titled “Lessons for South Africa from China’s Tech Hub, Shenzhen.” At that time, some policymakers told me they wanted to learn recent development and governance lessons from China while I was conducting digital economy work in South Africa. In July 2026, the […]
India will host the BRICS summit on September 12th and 13th, but so far, one of the bloc’s core members, China, has remained non-committal on attending. When directly asked on July 30th about whether Chinese leader Xi Jinping would travel to New Delhi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning simply responded that Beijing supports India’s […]
After tracing the arc from planning to procurement, financing to construction, this final installment in Part 1 of The Porcelain Jar at the End of the Rainbow pauses to reflect. What have we learned, not just about China’s engagement in Africa’s power sector, but about the systems, choices, and capabilities that shape infrastructure outcomes more broadly? Chinese-backed […]
“My main takeaway is that China is a risen power. Beijing will not accept a subordinate status to US. China has a theory of the case. The US needs to coalesce around its own theory of the case for protecting and advancing its interests in a rapidly changing world, not just reacting to PRC’s strategy.”
“Whenever I talk with foreign friends, they say, “Oh, China is the only bright spot in the world.” Okay, that’s the impression. But inside China, there is a rich debate about the direction of the country, and most economists are worried about the lack of demand in China. I mean, in the past, when foreign experts warned China about China’s Japanisation, I always opposed it, right?”
Interview with Sinification
“[Lula’s victory] will serve as a reminder for the Trump administration that they cannot win everything [in Latin America] as a sign to Chinese investors that the country is stable and secure, at least for the next for years.”
“China’s overseas basing strategy at the moment seems a lot more like playing roulette than poker. Small bets over the board that occasionally pay off.”
“If Vietnam hosted a foreign military base on its soil to counter China’s bases in Laos and Cambodia, this would only make China double down on its presence.”
“One of the things that I’ve noted is the effectiveness of Chinese diplomacy generally, their ability to reach out to countries in which they have a complex history. In particular, what we’ve seen is renewed diplomacy between China and India. I think it would be in China’s interests to open up more lines of communication with Tokyo.”
“Beijing seeks to win the future by diffusing Chinese open-weight models globally and using AI-driven breakthroughs to turbocharge its economy. Its strengths — from its chokehold on rare-earth elements to its scientific and engineering talent — are real”
“China has traditionally avoided openly taking sides in the GERD dispute. But during Xi’s September visit to Egypt, Beijing moved closer to Cairo’s language”
“A sluggish domestic market has been fuelling carmakers’ efforts to spur exports. The export boom from January to August exceeded our expectations and we saw a hefty sales jump in the European Union and Africa.”
Quoted in the South China Morning Post
[On news of the PLA overseas support base in Laos] “PLAAF’s 1st overseas base anywhere. Forward air bases are a warning sign. Imperial Japan, a previous ‘security provider’ to the region, extended its aerial reach south into French Indochina in 1940, after it had annexed the Spratlys. No worries, I’m sure ASEAN will sort it out.”
“I believe that, even if certain European countries benefit from Chinese investment, the new jobs it creates do not outweigh the broader concerns about industrial job losses under current circumstances. So that is where European disunity ends.“
In a Q&A for The Wire China
China’s global engagements, mapped in data. Explore our range of data visualizations and exclusive data sets.
Mapping China’s presence in critical minerals mining across Africa, featuring breakdowns by country, project, and ESG impact. The tool also includes a resource library tracking major reports, analysis, and news on China-Africa mining developments.
An interactive tracker of Chinese energy projects in Africa, examining the breakdown of over $50 billion in total investments in coal, gas, and renewable energy projects.
A detailed data breakdown of international investments in cobalt and copper mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This mini site examines China’s pursuit of key solar panel inputs—quartz and silica sand—in Indonesia, investigating the grounded impact of China’s role in the sector.
A database visualizing China’s global trade. Explore China’s key trading partners, trade flows, long-term trends, and regional breakdowns of trade data.
Mapping China’s critical mineral projects in Central Asia, outlining ownership structures, stages of agreements, mining operations, and mineral processing.
The first comprehensive mapping of China’s security engagements across Africa, spanning diplomacy, arms sales, military exercises, surveillance technology, and peacekeeping.
A mini site that leads you through China’s involvement in critical minerals in Africa, introducing the minerals, countries, and companies defining mining operations. Scroll through our data tool to find out the figures and institutions behind China’s push into Africa’s mining sector.
This data investigation surveys the network of companies building an e-mobility ecosystem across Africa, spanning from batteries and assembly to dealership and sales.
An interactive map of nickel projects across Indonesia, featuring project-level data on mining, processing, and battery production developments. The platform also tracks the environmental, social, and government impacts of projects, with a particular focus on Chinese and other foreign actors in this space.
China’s technological ecosystem is advancing rapidly across several industries, shaping the global economy: electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, solar energy, and digital platforms.
Explore how Chinese innovation, manufacturing, and markets in the Global South are reshaping global tech leadership.
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