China Links Communist Party to China-Africa Cooperation

 Ethiopia's Capital published on 12 July 2026 an op-ed titled "A 105-year Journey of Struggle: The Code of China's Development and a New Chapter in China-Africa Cooperation" by Ambassador Jiang Feng, head of China's mission to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  

The op-ed begins: "On July 1st, the Communist Party of China (CPC) marked the 105th anniversary of its founding.  For the Chinese people, it is an important occasion to reflect on the nation's journey of struggle and achievement while looking ahead to the bright prospects.  For our African friends who are interested in China's development, it also offers an important opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the key to China's development."  

The op-ed continues to praise the progress made by the CPC and suggests that China's model of development offers lessons for African countries.

Comment:  The Mission of China to the African Union website posted the same op-ed on 7 July.  It is not clear if Capital published the op-ed because it considered the ambassador's remarks newsworthy or there was some other incentive.

The Communist Party of China Reaches Out to Africa

 E-International Relations posted on 1 April 2026 my short paper titled "The Communist Party of China Reaches Out to Africa."

This is a post-COVID-19 update of efforts by the International Department of the Communist Party of China (ID-CPC) to strengthen ties with political parties in Africa.  COVID-19 significantly interrupted the ID-CPC's interaction with African political parties. The ID-CPC has now returned to a high degree of engagement with them.     

Analysis of China's Foreign Minister Visit to Africa

 The Development Watch Centre, an independent think tank in Uganda, published on 20 January 2026 an article titled "Making Sense of China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's 2026 Tour of Africa" by Musanjufu Benjamin Kavubu.  

The visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Africa reinforces Beijing's goal to be seen as an attractive and more reliable geopolitical and geoeconomic partner than is the case for the United States.  

China Courts African Media and Think Tanks at Forum in South Africa

 Kenya's The Star published on 17 November 2025 an article titled "China-Africa Partnership Conference Highlights Cooperation toward Shared Global Governance."

South Africa hosted on 13-14 November the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum China-Africa Partnership Conference.  China's Xinhua News Agency, the African Union, and South Africa's Independent Media organized the event attended by more than 200 representatives from 160 media outlets, think tanks, and government organizations.  The primary theme was shaping global governance.  

Comment:  The Forum is another example of China's focus on soft power in Africa and especially support for African media and think tanks.  The Forum provides China an opportunity to promote its governance model in Africa and build a "China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era."  

China also promoted its four global initiatives dealing with development, security, civilization, and governance.  China International Television Corporation and the state policy bank China Africa Development Fund have a 20 percent stake in South Africa's Independent Media, one of the sponsors of the Forum.  

Podcast on China's Relations with Africa

 New Books Network posted on 8 October 2025 a one hour and 43-minute podcast on "China's Relations with Africa: A New Era of Strategic Engagement."

Kanayo Anthony Nomeh, Florida International University, hosted the podcast with the authors of the book, Joshua Eisenman and me.  The podcast covers all aspects of the relationship between Africa and China, although the focus is on security and political issues.  

China's Assertive Global Governance Initiative

The Diplomat published on 23 September 2025 a commentary titled "2025 Xiangshan Forum: China Enters a New Era of Assertive Global Governance" by Sookyeon Lee, lieutenant colonel in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps and associate professor at the Korea National Defense University.  

The 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in September 2025 represented a watershed moment in China's foreign policy.  The author, who attended the forum in 2024 and 2025, concluded this year's session showcased an emboldened China ready to present itself as the leader of an alternative global order.  The forum also tracked closely the recent announcement of China's Global Governance Initiative, a framework for reforming the current Western-led international system. 

China Propagates Its Global Governance Initiative Across Africa

 The China-Global South Project posted on 15 September 2025 a commentary titled "China Launches Coordinated Media Campaign to Promote New Global Governance Initiative in Africa" by Eric Olander.

Chinese state media and surrogates have launched a media campaign in Africa to promote China's Global Governance Initiative (GGI) across the continent.  The goal is to propagandize the GGI to the widest possible African audience.  

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has posted a "Concept Paper on the Global Governance Initiative."

Comment:  The GGI is part of China's effort to seize leadership, especially in the Global South, from the West of the basic guiding principles of governance.