China's Role in Cancellation of International Conference in Zambia

 Skift, a digital media company and travel website, posted on 1 May 2026 an article titled "China Quietly Cancels a Digital Rights Summit in Africa" by Miguel Neves.  

Evidence is mounting that Beijing was behind Zambia's decision to cancel at the last minute RightsCon 2026 involving an estimated 2,000 international participants from over 150 countries.  RightsCon bills itself as the "world's leading summit on human rights in the digital age."

Beijing's concern was apparently attendance by civil society representatives from Taiwan.  The conference was scheduled to be held at the Mulungushi International Conference Center in Lusaka.  China granted Zambia $30 million in 2022 to expand the facility, giving it considerable leverage to influence the cancellation of the summit by the government of Zambia.  

China, Africa, the Internet, and Artificial Intelligence

The Diplomat posted on 23 February 2019 an article titled "How China Exports Repression to Africa: China's 'Techno-dystopian expansionism' Is Undermining Democracy in African Countries" by Samuel Woodhams, researcher at an independent cybersecurity research group.

The author argues that by providing a mixture of training, technological infrastructure, and applying pressure to international companies, China is extending its control of information into Africa. He cites examples in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Nigeria, adding that China has provided African countries with advice on how to enact polices for internet sovereignty.