Will We See Africa Swapping Chinese Debt for Equity in African Enterprises?

 The South Africa Institute of International Affairs published on 30 September 2020 a commentary titled "China Holds All the Cards as Pandemic Pushes African Countries to Default on Loans" by Cobus van Staden.  

The author warns that African governments may be forced to cede control of key assets as Beijing swaps debt for equity as it recently did in Laos.  

Ivory Market Shifts to Laos and Chinese Buyers

Nairobi-based Save the Elephants just published a report titled "The Ivory Trade of Laos: Now the Fastest Growing in the World" by Lucy Vigne and Esmond Martin.

Now that China is phasing out the legal sale of ivory, the retail business has moved to Laos where many of the shops are owned by traders from China. Chinese buy more than 80 percent of the ivory being sold in Laos. There are also a few buyers from South Korea and other Asian countries.