Chinese funders and contractors have attracted much criticism for the environmental and social impact of their infrastructure projects in the Global South. However, the process of setting environmental, socioeconomic and governance standards in the Glo …

In the face of growing tensions between the US and China, Beijing’s relationships with the Global South are taking on particular salience. Africa has long been a testing ground for Chinese public diplomacy tools. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven import …

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has arguably been worsened by the lack of a coordinated global response, driven in part by the tensions between the US and China. On a wider scale, the pandemic has also driven a nationalist turn that undercuts regio …

Despite a warm African response to the recent ‘Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19’, not much new came out of the virtual meeting. Crucially, there was no movement on cancellation of the $150bn in concessional loan debt, wr …

Japan and China play a dual role in Africa. Firstly, they both have direct relationships with Africa, as two of the continent’s most important development partners. Two massive, recurring summits provide the main platform for the staging of these relat …

As a club of the world’s largest economies, the G20 determines the future of global economic governance. The G20 thus plays an important role in global rulemaking, beyond the individual interests of its members. Africa is significantly under-represente …

The BRICS bloc has contributed to global governance by establishing multiple platforms that enhance dialogue and cooperation. In 2018 a forum dedicated to the empowerment of women will be added. Where do the BRICS countries stand in terms of gender par …

While Africa’s partnership with China has undeniably led to a jump in trade and investment, especially over the past two decades, many on the continent remain concerned about the relationship’s lack of equality. This issue is particularly striking duri …

2018 is a key year for the BRICS. Not only is it a decade since the first BRICS meeting, it is also the first time the bloc will directly address gender disparities through the proposed creation of the BRICS Gender and Women’s Forum, championed by Sout …

China’s decision to suspend presidential term limits is still reverberating around the world. The announcement, made after a vote by China’s parliament in March, prompted some commentators to draw comparisons with “third termism” in Africa, when leader …

This policy briefing identifies five trends that could affect Africa, emerging from China’s 19th Communist Party Congress, held in Beijing in October 2017. The congress saw the institutionalisation of several of President Xi Jinping’s key initiatives, …

One of the enduring images of 2017 was US President Donald J. Trump, a few months into his tenure, squinting bare-eyed at a solar eclipse. During his first year in power, Africa was in a similar position, watching while his presidency slowly blocked ou …

The fall of Robert Mugabe has dominated global coverage of Africa over the past few weeks. In Western coverage of the first week after the coup in Zimbabwe there was speculation about what China knew beforehand and whether Beijing played an active role …