Johannesburg: China has fine-tuned its statecraft in Africa and morphed into the world’s most radical pragmatist. What can Africans do to gain from China’s new strategy? China’s approach is broad and opportunistic, because it did not have a competitive edge over Western firms. Nonetheless, three nations are the fulcrum on which the Chinese-African relationship must balance: Angola, Nigeria and South Africa.
Lagos: Is it really fair what is going on between China and Africa of which Nigeria is key? While proponents of China’s dominance of Africa trade and investment believe the continent has seen a lot of benefits infrastructure-wise, other critics argue that the relationship has been purely a mercantile transaction between business elites and politicians.
Hong Kong: Bafana Ndendwa has conflicting feelings when he sees the increased presence of Chinese companies in Africa. On one hand, the managing director of a construction company in South Africa believes companies such as his can learn from their Chinese counterparts who are doing business in the continent. On the other hand, those companies are cutting into his profits. "I have lost many projects to Chinese companies because they offer much lower construction costs," Ndendwa said. Even though Ndendwa said he thinks co-operation between African countries and China should continue, he fears the possibility of being put out of business, and he has called on African governments to better protect the interests of the local people.
Juba: South Sudanese president Salva Kiir Mayardit said on Tuesday that the Chinese government has approved a major loan scheme to help his country improve infrastructure, adding that the agreement shows the level of cooperation between the two countries. Kiir made the remarks while opening the National Legislative Assembly after return from recess during which reiterated his commitment to return the country to war at all cost (sic).
The role in the global economy of the five BRICS (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa), has become increasingly important in the last few years. The BRICS make up more than 40 per cent of the world’s population and had a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of over $15 trillion in 2011, more than one fifth of the global total. Some $281 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) flowed to the BRICS in 2011, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of global FDI flows (UNCTADStat, 2013). Despite the global financial crisis, the BRICS have maintained fairly stable growth. And beyond economic interests, their goals include tighter political cooperation among themselves and stronger political impact globally.
Foreign direct investment going into and out of the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – collectively known as BRICS – is mounting in global influence, according to a United Nations report released today. The latest Global Investment Trends Monitor (GITM) shows that over the past decade, FDI going into BRICS has more than tripled, totaling $263 billion in 2012. This figure represents 20 per cent of world FDI flows, and is a significant increase considering it was only 6 per cent in 2000.
Pretoria: At the invitation of His Excellency, President Jacob Zuma of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, paid a State Visit to the Republic of South Africa from 25 to 26 March 2013. During his visit, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Zuma and met with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe. The two sides applauded the phenomenal progress in bilateral relations which in the space of fifteen years has evolved from a Partnership to a Strategic Partnership and then to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Pretoria: China on Tuesday extended condolences for the casualties suffered by South African troops in the conflict of the Central African Republic. Qin Gang, a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that China is concerned about the grave deterioration of political and security situation in the Central African Republic and opposes the seizure of power by force.
Pretoria: Thank you for honouring my invitation to undertake a State Visit to South Africa ahead of the BRICS Summit. South Africa is among the first countries that you are visiting since becoming President of China. Therefore, your visit will forever bear a special significance for all South Africans. It means a lot to us indeed given the strong historical relations between our two countries, dating back to the days of the struggle for liberation in our country. We have had a very productive morning, which took relations between our two countries steps ahead.
Pretoria: On 31 December 2012, I sent Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to the Central African Republic to assess the security environment and general situation, which was tense after the Seleka Rebel Coalition launched an armed campaign on 10 December. The report from that mission recommended an intervention. On the 2nd of January 2013 in my capacity as the Commander in Chief of the armed forces, I authorised the employment of up to 400 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers to the Central African Republic (CAR), but had sent just above 200 thus far.
