2023 was a transformative year for China’s ties with Africa. Chinese investment, trade, and diplomatic engagement were either flat or declined sharply over the past year, highlighting how this once-vibrant relationship is now entering a new, more austere period. In our annual year-in-review episode, Geraud, Cobus, and Eric look back at the stories and trends of the past 12 months and provide their forecast of what to expect in 2024. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: ...

Ethiopia is the latest African country that is now teetering on the verge of default after the government announced this week that it would not be able to make a $33 million bond payment. Eric speaks with Mark Bohlund, a senior research credit analyst at REDD Intelligence, for his take on the situation and the larger debt landscape across the continent. Plus, Cobus and Geraud break down China's position at the COP28 that wrapped up this week and what impact it will have on Beijing's...

Aisha Huang -- a Chinese national with the notorious nickname "Galamsey Queen" -- is now sitting in a Ghanaian prison cell after she was sentenced this week by the High Court in Accra for running a massive illegal mining operation. The verdict dominated the media this week in Ghana but rather than focus on Huang and her offenses, commentators directed their ire towards wealthy landowners and the government who they feel enable people like Huang and other illegal miners to destroy the...

Zambia's landmark debt deal is now in tatters. What's next?

Zambia suffered a major setback this week in its nearly three-year odyssey to restructure $32 billion of debt when the country's bilateral creditors led by China and France pushed back against bondholders. Plus, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a rare diss against China in a commencement speech for new diplomats when he said he tried to avoid Africa being "taken hostage" by China. Eric, Cobus, and Geraud discuss those issues and are also joined by Bongiwe Tutu, project...

China's new foreign policy in the Middle East

U.S.-China competition in Africa over critical resources

Where is Chinese overseas investment going?

The future of the BRI

Why China struggles to adhere to its own ESG standards for infrastructure projects in Africa

New documentary humanizes the China-Africa relationship.

The latest Chinese media trends in Africa

Africa's priorities were well-represented at this year's Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

Across Africa, public opinion about China has been quite positive overall with favorability ratings surpassing those of other major powers, including the United States. But not in Zimbabwe, at least among the country's elites, according to a new survey. Only 37% of urban, educated Zimbabweans felt positive about China's impact on their country, significantly lower than the 63% favorability score that Afrobarometer recorded just a couple of years ago. The new poll was conducted earlier this...

How China's rapidly changing economy will impact the world.

Teaching China-Africa relations at Harvard University

Africa at the center of three megatrends.

Why countries in the Global South need to better understand what's going on with the Chinese economy.

Chinese lending to Africa plunged to 20-year low

What's behind the deterioration of China's ties with India?

The Chinese Foreign Ministry was among the first major governments this week to welcome the African Union as the newest member of the G20. The big question now is what will the AU do now that it has a seat at the table? Plus, Kenya's already dire economic situation gets worse and a new big-budget Chinese medical drama set in a fictitious African country released this week on major Chinese streaming platforms, the latest installment in the burgeoning genre of "Chinese savior"...

What Cambodia can teach us about Chinese development finance

Forget About China, Africa Should Focus More Attention on Ties With Southeast Asia

China's Indispensable Role in Africa's Railway Renaissance

What role does China play in the current confusion over global climate diplomacy.