The demand for donkey hides has grown exponentially over the past 15 years, driven mainly by demand from China. Lauren Johnston is a specialist on China trade with Africa. She has spent several years looking into the donkey trade, and has just published a book, China, Africa and the Market for Donkeys. She answers questions…
Volvo Cars said Friday it plans to cut 2,500 jobs after a sharp decline in its Chinese market weighed on third-quarter earnings. The Swedish automaker reported an operating loss of 5.6 billion Swedish kronor ($563.7 million) in the third quarter, down from an operating profit of 6.4 billion Swedish kronor in the previous period. The…
Sovereign wealth funds are pouring billions of dollars back into mainland China and Hong Kong, reversing a sharp investment slump, with Middle Eastern investors leading the charge. Investments into mainland China and Hong Kong surged to $14.2 billion in the first nine months of 2026, surging 190% compared with the funds’ investments through the entire…
BANGKOK, THAILAND – OCTOBER 16: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group annual meetings at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 16, 2026. Matt Hunt | Anadolu | Getty Images The world’s finance chiefs spent last week in Bangkok debating the biggest risk facing the global economy…
Attacks on Chinese workers in Mali are testing Beijing’s reliance on African security forces. Russia’s experience there gives China little reason to take on the fighting itself. On 9 May, fighters from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), al-Qaeda’s affiliate in the Sahel, stopped buses and trucks at Zambougou, in the Ségou region of Mali about…
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that African mineral resources “belong to Africa”, offering Beijing’s support for the industry and warning against “geopolitical rivalries” that could harm it. China, through state-owned and private businesses, is a key player in Africa’s valuable mining sector, particularly in extraction. It is one of several major powers vying for…
HANGZHOU, CHINA – OCTOBER 18: Gold bars are on display at a gold jewelry store on October 18, 2024 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. Ni Lifang | Visual China Group | Getty Images China’s central bank has bought gold for 23 straight months, and the country is importing more of the precious metal than…
Nigeria will advance that Africa must move beyond celebrating the size of its mineral endowment and begin building the collective market intelligence, processing capacity and commercial infrastructure required to participate meaningfully in how its minerals and metals are valued. Nigeria’s Dr Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, Executive Director of Women in Mining Africa (WiM-Africa), is expected to advance…
Norrsken22 general partner Lexi Novitske Chinese companies have built their position in African technology one layer at a time – first phones and telecoms equipment, then fintech and now the AI models that local start-ups build on. American private capital, meanwhile, is pulling back. Lexi Novitske, general partner at Norrsken22, thinks US investors will regret…
SHENZHEN, CHINA – AUGUST 30: A man stands on the waterfront overlooking MSC and Ocean Network Express (ONE) container ships berthed beneath gantry cranes at Yantian Port on August 30, 2026, in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Cheng Xin | Getty Images News | Getty Images China’s factory activity returned to growth in September as a…
