The global development conversation is stuck in a loop. Advanced economies preach open markets while quietly erecting trade barriers. Institutions created to promote growth increasingly struggle to command legitimacy. For developing countries, the promise of modernisation now feels conditional, delayed, or selectively applied. It is within this context that China’s approach to modernisation — anchored…
The narrative of China’s engagement with Africa has long been illustrated through steel and concrete–the railways, highways and ports that have reshaped economies and connected markets. Yet beneath these visible symbols lies a deeper and more transformative current: China’s commitment to what it terms “high-standard opening up.” This policy marks a significant evolution in China’s…
China has gained a dominant position in Africa’s critical minerals sector through long-term investments in mining and refining capacity–factors that make it challenging for African countries to advance up the value chain. Global demand for critical minerals–nickel, graphite, manganese, cobalt, copper, lithium, and rare earth minerals–used in defense and aerospace systems, electronic vehicles (EV), semiconductors,…
China’s Foreign Ministry said Trump initiated call with Xi Jinping and that communication was crucial for developing stable US-China relations. Published On 26 Nov 202526 Nov 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Chinese President Xi Jinping has “more or less agreed” to increase purchases of goods from the United States, President…
Standard Bank has become the first African bank to directly integrate with China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), providing African companies with a faster route to pay Chinese suppliers in Renminbi, rather than routing transactions through the US dollar. The integration removes an extra step long embedded in Africa-China trade flows, where companies typically settled…
US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping have met for talks in South Korea, their first meeting since 2019. Topics of discussion included the drug fentanyl and rare earths, according to Trump, while China says the meeting saw the leaders reach a consensus to resolve “major trade issues”. The BBC’s Laura Bicker explains…
President Donald Trump headed for Asia for the first time this term, a trip on which where he’s expected to work on investment deals and peace efforts before meeting face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to de-escalate a trade war. “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to…
Investors talk at a stock exchange hall on February 3, 2017 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. VCG | Getty Images China’s stock market has seen a sharp rally this year as progress on artificial-intelligence, steps aimed at gaining chip self-sufficiency and Beijing’s campaign to rein in price wars fuel investor optimism. But as retail…
TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 27: Pedestrians and shoppers walk through the Akihabara area on July 27, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. Japan’s core consumer price index climbed by 3.3% in June, outpacing the US figure for the first time in eight years as the Bank of Japan holds its monetary policy meeting on July 27 and…
China’s President Xi Jinping and his visiting Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed life-prolonging organ transplants and immortality as they chatted before a massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, in comments picked up by state media microphones. Historic images showed Xi shaking hands and speaking with Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as…
