Politics

China is set to lay the final leg of a cross-border fiber optic cable in Pakistan, linking to a cable in the Arabian Sea. (Source photo by Getty Images)
Belt and Road

China builds Digital Silk Road in Pakistan to Africa and Europe

PEACE cable will reduce Pakistani internet traffic going through India

29 January 2021
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, left, meets with Senegalese Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall on Jan. 11. This was his second trip to Africa in as many months. (Photo courtesy of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
International relations

Japan and China woo Africa in dueling diplomatic blitz

Motegi makes second recent visit to continent, along with Latin America swing

15 January 2021
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to wrap up his tour of five African countries on Saturday.
International relations

China shores up support in Africa as it braces for Biden

President-elect has vowed to speak out on Beijing's human rights violations

6 January 2021
A medical worker transports a patient Dec. 21 at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya: The loan program will support purchases of medical equipment to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus

Japan's MUFG lends $520m to help Africa fight COVID-19

Institutional investors purchase loans guaranteed by government

22 December 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs island and archipelago nations to come on board with India for maritime security in the vast Indian Ocean. (Nikkei montage/AP and Getty Images)
Indo-Pacific

Seychelles in crosshairs of India's maritime security axis

New Delhi's priorities in the Indian Ocean dovetail with US Indo-Pacific strategy

11 December 2020
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will visit Tunisia, Mozambique, South Africa and Mauritius through next Monday.
10 December 2020
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi speaks at a meeting in Tokyo in October.
International relations

Japan sends top diplomat on Africa trip to offset China tilt

Motegi seeks support for 'free and open Indo-Pacific' in Belt and Road hot spot

7 December 2020
The Japanese-owned bulk carrier Wakashio seen in Mauritius after its oil spill in August. (Photo courtesy of the International Maritime Organization)
Indo-Pacific

Japan's foreign minister heads to East Africa in Indo-Pacific push

Motegi will visit Mozambique, South Africa, Mauritius and TICAD host Tunisia

5 December 2020
A U.S. B-2 Spirit bomber stops for refueling at the U.S. military base on Diego Garcia in 2001.
Interview

Mauritius makes play for future with US base on Diego Garcia

With 99-year lease offer, archipelagic nation bypasses UK in bid to deal with Biden

18 November 2020
Zambia, heavily reliant on copper exports, has racked up debt with China by pursuing infrastructure projects. 
International relations

African nations stare at defaults as debt to China swells

Zambia accused of putting Beijing first in deferment talks with creditors

3 November 2020
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala speaks at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Switzerland in January. (Photo courtesy of the World Economic Forum)
Trade

US blocks African candidate for WTO chief with eye on China

American support for South Korean minister poses headache for Japan

29 October 2020
The wreckage of the bulk carrier Wakashio in waters off Mauritius. (Mauritius government via Kyodo)
Environment

Japan to offer Mauritius economic support after oil spill

Tokyo ready to contribute to cleanup and recovery despite lack of legal liability

16 October 2020
Kenya's long-distance rail link is one of many infrastructure projects financed by China's Belt and Road initiative.
International relations

China's 'secret loans' throw wrench into G-20 debt relief plans

Concerns mount that debtor nations will use money to pay back Beijing lenders

16 October 2020
A satellite photo taken on Aug. 7 shows the cargo ship Wakashio stranded off the coast of Mauritius.
Environment

In Wakashio's wake: Tracking the damage from Mauritius oil spill

Leakage from Japanese freighter threatens protected wetlands and rare corals

21 August 2020
Eight candidates are running to fill the top job at the World Trade Organization.
Interview

Good listener or strong negotiator? WTO candidates make case for top job

Nigeria's Okonjo-Iweala and Mexico's Seade have different prescriptions for US-China rift

13 July 2020
Stream article image
International relations

WTO leadership race emerges as newest arena for US-China rivalry

African and Mexican candidates in spotlight as trade group looks for consensus

10 July 2020
Staff at INHS Asvini, an Indian navy hospital in Mumbai, attended a ceremony in early May to honor frontline health care workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. 
International relations

India sends hydroxychloroquine to Africa in war on coronavirus

Aid initiative to fill pandemic leadership failings of China and the US

18 May 2020
Pakistan has plans to create a smart city in Gwadar Port, a major part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Belt and Road

Pakistan request opens door for Belt and Road project debt relief

COVID-19 economic hit gives China little choice but to help cash-strapped allies

11 May 2020
A Chinese worker talks to his colleague at an oil production facility in Sudan in December 2010: China's foray into Africa coincided with the peak of the commodity supercycle.
Opinion

China's expensive bet on Africa has failed

Coronavirus crash in commodity prices has wasted $200 billion in investment and loans

1 May 2020
Nagad Station, the terminus at the Djibouti end of a railway that snakes 750 km to a suburb of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is staffed by Chinese. (Photo by Masanori Tobita)
Belt and Road

Coronavirus in Djibouti increases risk of China debt trap

Horn of Africa nation sees rapid infrastructure development, but with trade-offs

26 April 2020
A temporary temperature checkpoint is seen near residential buildings in Guangzhou's Sanyuanli area. China is under the international spotlight over treatment of African residents amid the coronavirus.
Coronavirus

China criticized for alleged African coronavirus discrimination

Relations with continent in jeopardy after complaints pour in from countries

14 April 2020
India wants to challenge China as a provider of humanitarian assistance in Africa just as it fights its own battle against the coronavirus outbreak at home. (© Nikkei montage/Reuters/AFP/Jiji)
Asia Insight

Into Africa: India vies with China for post-pandemic clout

Countries compete to deliver aid to strategic continent

14 April 2020
The Standard Gauge Railway cargo train, pictured in May 2017, rides from the port containers depot on a Chinese-backed railway opened by Kenya's president in Mombasa: BRI is gaining speed throughout Africa.
Opinion

China expands influence in Africa as US plays catch-up

Beijing is combining military, economic and diplomatic efforts to boost its reach

20 February 2020
China customs officers display pieces of African ivory seized in a crackdown on a smuggling operation in 2018
Environment

Japan's ivory trade fuels illegal exports to China, Africa says

Illicit shipments continue to drive elephant poaching

9 December 2019
Aboubaker Omar Hadi, chairman of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority, speaks at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development on Aug. 29 in Yokohama. (Photo by Akane Okutsu)
Belt and Road

Djibouti has 'no choice' but China for infrastructure development

East African country hungry for other investors, says port authority head

29 August 2019