China
latest news & developments
Is China really a champion of the Global South?
While China portrays itself as a champion of developing nations, its foreign policy reveals a status-quo superpower focused more on its geopolitical rivalry with the US than…
Zhu Rongji: The former no-nonsense premier who helped save China from economic collapse
Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, the "economic czar" who steered China toward a market economy, overhauled state enterprises, and secured its WTO entry, has died at the age of…
Africa would do well to note China's rise
Defying Western forecasts of stagnation, China has broken into the world's top 10 innovative nations. An analysis of the strategic policies, R&D investments, and institutions…
Learning from Chinese socialism
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a landmark address marking the 105th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). A South African expert lauded the CPC's…
SA’s moral, technical high ground upends unipolar narrative
The “white genocide” narrative works inside this wider machinery. It racialises South Africa’s internal contradictions for foreign consumption. It turns a country struggling with…
From summits to substance: Europe’s chance to meet Africa on its terms
The clustering of Africa summits in 2026 is not coincidental. It reflects a continent whose geopolitical and economic weight is growing and whose governments are increasingly…
Welcome to the age of empire
The South African government has navigated this period remarkably well. It has not capitulated to any of the stronger blocs, whilst retaining its dignity and independent views
“You don’t get what you deserve; you get what you negotiate”
As the global order becomes more multipolar, opportunities for African agency are expanding. Yet these opportunities will only translate into meaningful influence if African…
The April fuel cliff: Why South Africa’s policy paralysis costs us more than the Middle East war
This breakdown reveals that a significant portion of the fuel price sits within domestic policy control. The government cannot stop a war in the Middle East but it can intervene…
World war of economics
An interconnected world has rendered us interdependent but also vulnerable to shock across economic geographies, forcing distinct national responses
Africa’s data, the new sovereignty frontier
Data sovereignty refers to the principle that all data is subject to the laws and regulations of the nation state or jurisdiction in which it is collected. This concept gained…
Editorial: The high cost of war
The war in the Middle East isn’t coming to our doorstep- it is already here. You will feel it at the pumps, in the supermarket aisles and in your beer mug. The ripple effect of…
The second scramble for Africa
It is urgent that Africa invests in adding value to its minerals. If it fails to seize this moment, it will be difficult to shake off its historical status as an exporter of…
‘Two Sessions’ reveals a China eyeing global dominance
The story of the coming years will not be the binary of whether China ‘collapses’ or ‘surpasses’. It will be about how the rest of the world adapts to a China that has…
Tourism sector is evolving upwards
Travel is becoming planned, curated and experience-led again. The development pipeline reflects that