Economy

Flood victims in Pakistan. Countries already dealing with extreme weather and the pandemic now have to cope with higher interest rates.
Interview

'Compounding crises' threaten debt-burdened poor nations: World Bank VP

Akihiko Nishio sees urgent need for broad cooperation to help struggling states

12 September 2022
President Yoon Suk-yeol has made nuclear power plant exports a major economic policy, leveraging the technological capabilities of domestic manufacturers.
Energy

South Korea wins $2.5bn order to build Egypt's first nuclear plant

Contract flags an acceleration of the Yoon government's export ambitions

25 August 2022
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to attend the upcoming TICAD meeting in Tunisia virtually.
International relations

Japan to push investment in human resources at TICAD Africa conference

PM Kishida taps 'new capitalism' concept to compete with China's deep pockets

24 August 2022
A solar power project in Burkina Faso. NEXI's credit insurance will cover the development of renewable energy, as well as transition projects.
Climate Change

Japan readies credit insurance for Africa's decarbonization

State-backed NEXI to partner with Afreximbank to spur energy transition

23 August 2022
Pakistani and Chinese flags fly above a construction site in Gwadar, Pakistan. Much of the construction associated with the Belt and Road Initiative in the town remains unfinished. 
The Big Story

Road to nowhere: China's Belt and Road Initiative at tipping point

Pakistan, Sri Lanka debt crises threaten Beijing's regional influence

10 August 2022
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has been working to secure support from the International Monetary Fund.
International relations

Zambia emerges as a test case as China joins debt relief talks

Beijing's consent to negotiate sets potential precedent for other indebted nations

5 August 2022
In 2021, China purchased nearly 70% of the world’s iron ore exports, spending about $180 billion.
Caixin

China close to setting up iron ore trading giant

Company aims to consolidate domestic industry, coordinate mining investment

20 July 2022
The first vessel berths as Lekki Port takes delivery of cranes and equipment on July 2: The arrival of the megaship from Shanghai was historic. (Handout photo from Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise)
Opinion

A Chinese port in Nigeria will change the world economy

New facility unites the economic and demographic giants of Asia and Africa

15 July 2022
Xi Jinping hosts the 14th BRICS summit via video link in Beijing on June 23: Countries including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Argentina have expressed interest in joining the club of five.
Opinion

Ukraine war divides Western alliance from the Global South

BRICS nations have long aspired to a new world order

8 July 2022
Xi Jinping during the welcome banquet of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in April 2019: China has few good options to climb out of the hole it has dug for itself.
Opinion

China can turn debt trap of its own making into historic opportunity

Beijing should cut its losses and focus on salvaging its reputation

24 June 2022
Leaders and representatives pose for a group photo during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Nairobi in August 2016.
Opinion

Stronger ties with Africa will help sustain Japan's economy

Everyday ties that bind international cooperation matter

5 June 2022
Floods and other natural disasters caused by climate change have led to the mass displacement of people in many parts of the world.
Datawatch

Climate refugees: The world's silent crisis

Number of people displaced by natural disasters could top 200m by 2050

2 May 2022
Europe's 6 billion-euro ($6.8 billion) satellite communications plan will cover Africa.
Belt and Road

EU spurs African telecom development to win back clout from China

Brussels seeks to mix economic aid with democracy and free speech

21 February 2022
Wamkele Mene, secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area, left, and Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mus signed a memorandum of understanding regarding cooperation toward accelerating trade and investment on the sidelines of the third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit in Istanbul.
Indo-Pacific

Leader of African trade bloc issues call for Asian investors

Mene moves to boost Turkish investment in Africa during Istanbul summit

20 December 2021
Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation via video link on Nov. 29: Xi elaborated nine programs of intended cooperation.
Opinion

Xi Jinping echoes Jack Ma as he plots future China-Africa ties

This year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation marks a turning point

2 December 2021
A screen displays leaders of the BRICS nations, clockwise from top left, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping, Cyril Ramaphosa and Jair Bolsonaro attending the 13th BRICS summit via video link on Sept. 9: strongmen tend to be weak where it matters most.
Opinion

Why the BRICs nations have not turned the world upside down

Grouping was never ready for today's crop of leaders

24 November 2021
Mount Kilimanjaro, pictured in January 2015: scientists now fear the ice cap could disappear entirely.
Opinion

Asia must help Africa escape worst impacts of climate change

Second-largest continent is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world

1 November 2021
Women stand in front of a currency exchange office in Istanbul. The Turkish lira depreciated by 8% since the end of August.
Currencies

From Turkey to South Korea, strong dollar squeezes the energy-poor

Higher U.S. interest rates drive investors to greenback

14 October 2021
In this image made from video, Lt. Col. Mamady Doumbouya, center, commander of the army's special forces unit, surrounded by others and draped in a Guinean flag, makes an address to the nation from state television headquarters in Guinea's capital, Conakry, on Sept. 5.
Commodities

Guinea coup upends China strategy as aluminum prices soar

Beijing's dependence on Australia rises while uncertainty clouds African source

8 September 2021
Mist shrouds the Simandou mountains in Beyla, Guinea, in June 2014: Singapore-based shipping giant Winning Shipping was part of the winning $14 billion consortium that began developing Guinea's Simandou iron ore deposit.
Opinion

Singapore ramps up strategic investment in Africa

City-state's understanding of niche frontiers can show other rich nations the way

24 August 2021
A Kenyan tour guide is vaccinated: The most recent rise in infections follows the first wave in the summer of 2020 and the second wave around the beginning of this year.
Coronavirus

Africa slammed by third wave as vaccinations languish under 2%

China, Russia and others step up to provide assistance

23 July 2021
BlackRock is leading a public-private 55 billion yen ($500 million) fund aimed at developing infrastructure for the transportation of green energy in emerging markets. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Climate Change

BlackRock to launch green infrastructure fund in Asia

The public-private partnership also eyes projects in Africa and Latin America

5 July 2021
Tugboats sail Thursday beside the Ever Given, the giant containership that became lodged in the Suez Canal. (Photo courtesy of the Suez Canal Authority)
Economy

Suez Canal faces prolonged blockage, sparking fear for exporters

Ever Given operator seeks new plan to dislodge massive containership

26 March 2021
Port Louis, the Mauritian capital, is getting busier as the free trade agreement with China comes into play, but observers are concerned that the balance of trade is already in Beijing's favor by a factor of over 30. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
International relations

Beijing expands Indian Ocean FTAs westward with Mauritius

Concern among small island nations over huge trade imbalances with China

2 February 2021
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
Ali Kooli, Tunisia's minister of economy, finance and investment, said medium-income countries also need help from creditors. (Photo by Takeshi Kumon)
Interview

Tunisia finance minister urges G-20 countries to ease loan terms

Ali Kooli looks to China-led AIIB to help promote relations with Asia

16 December 2020
A woman counts cash as her shop opens in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Economy

Out of RCEP, India seeks an export passage to Africa

New Delhi shuns Chinese imports as it focuses on domestic growth

3 December 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
A cleanup crew works at the site of an oil spill at Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius, on Aug. 8: as long as ships are powered by oil, there will be spills.
Opinion

Japan must use Mauritius oil spill to wean ships off fossil fuels

Japan owns ships worth a collective $92 billion and hosts over 1,000 shipyards

25 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