China kicked off 2022 with a diplomatic tour of Africa, with its Foreign Minister Wang Yi visiting Comoros, Eritrea and Kenya. While on the trip, Wang announced that China would be creating a “special envoy” for The Horn of Africa – the region of East Africa comprising Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea …
Read More »America builds military bases around the world. China builds economic ones
Morocco is a strategically important North African country that sits at a crossroads between multiple regions of the world. To its immediate north is the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean Sea. To the south and east is the rest of the African continent, and to the west is the vast …
Read More »Spy chief reacts to China’s mockery of MI6 & CIA
MI6 head Richard Moore tipped his hat to Chinese state media for giving his agency “free publicity,” after Xinhua News produced a satirical video poking fun at London and Washington’s intelligence services. Entitled ‘No Time to Die Laughing,’ the oddball ‘James Bond’ mock-up centers on two ‘MI6’ spies – Agents …
Read More »Australia & Japan sign ‘landmark’ defense pact amid China tensions
A “landmark” defense deal has been signed by the governments of Australia and Japan, amid increased tensions with China in the Asia-Pacific. The pact sees the two nations commit to reciprocal military access. On Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a virtual meeting …
Read More »The world’s largest trade pact is a game-changer for China
With the coming of the new year, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement came into force. Signed at the end of 2020, and ratified by at least 10 of its parties through 2021, the deal constitutes the largest free trade agreement in history, spanning 30% of the world’s …
Read More »China’s high-speed rail reaches length of Equator
A new section of the high-speed railway connecting Beijing and Hong Kong opened on Thursday, extending China’s overall high-speed rail network the length of the equator, at around 40,000 kilometers. The new railway linking Anqing in East China’s Anhui Province and Jiujiang in East China’s Jiangxi Province has a designed …
Read More »China’s Mars orbiter takes selfies (PHOTOS)
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has published new photos from its Tianwen 1 Mars project, including two spectacular selfies taken by the mission’s orbiter circling the planet. The artificial satellite was able to take a picture of itself by releasing a special camera into space on a one-way journey. …
Read More »Xi names the ‘new heights’ China-Russia relations reached in 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the bilateral relations with Russia in a New Year’s message to President Vladimir Putin, saying the two set new trade records and stepped up their game in the fields of energy and space. Beijing remains committed to the long-standing friendship and “win-win cooperation” with Russia, …
Read More »A tale of two Olympics: China’s remarkable transformation since 2008
As 2021 ends, all eyes look forward to what will be, assuming there are no upsets, the first big event of 2022: the Beijing Winter Olympics that begin on February 4. The games have, unsurprisingly, been marred in controversy amid America’s drive to politicise them against Beijing by encouraging countries …
Read More »War or uneasy peace? What 2022 heralds for US-China relations
As 2021 comes to a close and Joe Biden edges towards one year in office, there’s one thing clear already: contrary to hopes and wishes, there’s been no reversal in the confrontational foreign policy the Trump administration set towards China, even if it has been less erratic in its presentation. …
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