China's Horn of Africa Envoy Visits Eritrea

 Eritrea's Ministry of Information posted on 15 December 2023 a press release titled "President Isaias Holds Talks with Special Envoy of China."

China's special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Xue Bing, met in Asmara on 15 December with President Isaias Afwerki.  The stated purpose of the meeting was to implement the joint agreement reached last May between Isaias and President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Comment:  Xue Bing's stop in Asmara follows a longer and more substantive visit to Ethiopia.  The meeting with Isaias looks like an effort to touch a necessary base before leaving the region.  

China Encourages All Nations to Join BRICS

 Reuters published on 20 November 2023 an article titled "China Reaffirms Support for New Nations Joining BRICS as Argentina Signals Rejection."

A representative of China's foreign ministry recently said "we welcome any interested country to become a member of the BRICS family."  China and Russia are urging an expansion of the BRICS as they seek to create an organization that can counter Western economic dominance.  

New "China in Africa" Book Chapter

 Routledge published in 2023 Africa in World Politics, which contains my chapter titled "China in Africa."  The chapter provides an up-to-date overview of the China-Africa relationship.  

Ethiopia's Dam Dispute and China's Non-Interference Principle

 LSE Ideas posted on 27 October 2021 a commentary titled "'Everywhere and Nowhere to be Seen': How China's Role in the GERD Dispute Challenges Beijing's Non-interference Principle" by Lisa Klaassen.

China has significant interests in Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, which are actively disputing the future of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Ethiopia's Blue Nile.  China is being increasingly pressured to assume a more active role in the dispute.  Beijing's continued reluctance to engage based on its non-interference principle risks undermining its relationship with Addis Ababa and Cairo.  

Does Coup in Guinea Signal Change in China's Noninterference Policy?

 Foreign Policy published on 8 September 2021 a commentary titled "China Is OK with Interfering in Guinea's Internal Affairs" by Charles Dunst, Eurasia Group.

In response to Guinea's military coup that overthrew President Alpha Conde, China responded that it "opposes coup attempts to seize power and calls for the immediate release of President Conde."  The author argues that because of China's major economic investment in Guinea, it chose to engage in the internal affairs of the country contrary to its stated policy of non-interference.  

COVID-19 an Opportunity to Expand China-Africa Relations?

 FairPlanet posted on 10 December 2020 a commentary titled "The New Face of China-Africa Relations Amid COVID-19" by Bob Koigi.

The coronavirus outbreak has given China-Africa relations a new dimension with China expected to gain as it spreads its resources around the continent.  

China and the World

The Forum for discussing international affairs and economics published a complete issue in the summer of 2012 titled "China: Worldview and Ambitions, Security Policy, The Exchange Rate Conundrum." It contains the piece I did on "China's Security Policy in Africa and the Western Indian Ocean" posted under 7 June below.

The special issues includes a number of articles that may interest you such as "The Growing Potency of the Sino-Indian Rivalry" by Harsh Pant; "Chinese Foreign Policy - Interpreting the Recent War of Words" by Carla P. Freeman; and "The Challenge of US-China Relations" by Ali Wyne.

Click here to access the entire issue.