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Belt and Road Initiative

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Belt and Road Initiative
The initiative spearheaded by the Chinese government and endorsed by President Xi Jinping in late 2013 aims to improve trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
While courting investment, Nigeria is keen to address its trade imbalance with China. Last year, China shipped goods worth US$18.9 billion to Nigeria but imports, including oil, from Nigeria were US$2.98 billion, according to Chinese customs data. Photo: XInhua
China-Africa relations

Nigeria courts Chinese investment as interest booms in oil and opportunities

Abuja pushes for shift towards value-added exports amid increasing concern about trade imbalance that favours Beijing.

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Pakistan

Pakistan charges human rights, Baloch activist with ‘terrorism’

Hong Kong politics

BlackRock-Hutchison Panama ports deal: 25-year timeline to troubled waters

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Central Asia

Opinion | Why China and Europe are competing to woo Central Asia

Both powers are interested in the region’s resources, from natural gas to uranium, and the potential of the trans-Caspian transport route.

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French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and his wife Brigitte greet Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as he arrives for a state dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris on March 12. Uzbek and French companies have signed a cooperation agreement on uranium deposit development. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

What’s behind the pro-Beijing camp’s criticism of the Panama ports deal?

The backlash against Hutchison’s ports sell-off is designed to send a message to other Chinese firms with overseas assets, analysts say.

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How ‘Trump shock’ shapes world order and affects China

Donald Trump has been upending the global order since his return to the White House in January. We examine America’s drive for resources and the effects of cuts to US aid overseas and strategic opportunities for China.

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US-China relations

China sends delegation to Panama for talks after ports deal, belt and road exit

Chinese officials visited Central American nation last week in move seen as ‘quick response from Beijing to understand what is unfolding’.

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CK Hutchison Holdings said earlier this month it had agreed to sell control of a unit operating ports near the Panama Canal, including the Port of Balboa. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Trump cut off aid to South Africa. Will it tilt the balance in China’s favour?

Washington’s ‘self-centred foreign policy’ may push Pretoria and others closer to Beijing, observer says.

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China-Africa relations

A battle is playing out over Congolese cobalt. China is well ahead

Rivalry for critical minerals is intensifying, but observer says US ‘doesn’t offer viable alternative’ to Chinese investments in DR Congo.

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Hong Kong economy

Can Hong Kong’s Hutchison ride out storm over Panama ports deal after Beijing attack?

Experts say Hutchison, part of tycoon Li Ka-shing’s empire, is now caught in a dilemma and might end up being punished by both the United States and China.

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Hutchison Port Group has a 90 per cent stake in the Balboa and Cristobal docks at either end of the Panama Canal. Photo: AP
China trade

After 43 years building a better cow, China signs first export deal with Laos

China’s proprietary Huaxi cattle, the culmination of meticulous breeding to produce optimal growth and high-quality meat, is entering the global value chain.

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It took China more than four decades to optimise the unique breed of Huaxi cattle (pictured). Photo: Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Science

Why is China quietly helping Africa build a Great Green Wall across the Sahara?

‘This battle can be won’: desert expert reveals how China’s technology, funding and strategies aid ambitious environmental project.

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China-Russia relations

‘Big impact’: Russian goods seizures cause havoc on China-Europe rail link

Freight companies ‘dare not’ use the railway after Russia tightened sanctions and impounded huge volumes of Europe-bound cargo.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Exclusive | Why does a Kazakh tycoon want to ride China’s electric vehicle wave?

‘We are a natural partner for China, especially in the growing EV sector,’ says Kenges Rakishev, chairman of the Fincraft Group.

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Kenges Rakishev, chairman of the Fincraft Group. Photo: Handout
India

India’s answer to China’s belt and road starts to take shape

Analysts say the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor could transform global trade flows, but there’s much work still to be done.

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on February 28. Photo: Reuters
Diplomacy

Macroscope | Why China’s belt and road will go from strength to strength

With rival initiatives lacking substance, Beijing’s transcontinental project is likely to expand as the US exits multilateral commitments.

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Two Sessions 2025

China hits out at US Pacific policy ‘failure’, tariffs war – as it happened

Foreign minister answers questions about strained US ties, the Ukraine war and China’s strategy in Middle East.

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US-China relations

Brace for more US pressure on Chinese investment in Panama Ports wake: analysts

CK Hutchison’s decision could be the start of a pattern of firms forced to rethink their financial strategies, observer says.

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Washington has questioned whether China is involved in the management of the Panama Canal. Photo: AFP
China technology

Opinion | China’s AI push in the Global South is not just about technology

By providing AI-powered products, infrastructure, governance tools and data-driven insights, China aims to reshape the global digital order.

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US-China relations

Trump looking for ‘big deals’ to counter China’s belt and road projects: Rubio

The US Secretary of State said Washington was looking to ‘reverse’ projects that boost Beijing’s influence.

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Hong Kong

Letters | How Hong Kong’s education system can support Belt and Road Initiative ambitions

Readers discuss the languages offered under the Diploma of Secondary Education, and Hong Kong students’ career choices.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee at a briefing by a representative of Aldar Properties in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on February 7, 2023. Photo: ISD/Xinhua
US-China relations

To counter China, US must maintain soft power and alliances, Congress hears

Witnesses tell House panel President Donald Trump’s recent foreign policy moves undercut effective mix of military, aid and influence.

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Protesters against US President Donald Trump’s decision to virtually shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at the Capitol in Washington on February 5. Photo: AFP
United States

Opinion | Trump’s erratic policies are wrecking US soft power, to China’s benefit

By slashing foreign aid, politicising intelligence agencies and threatening allies with tariffs, the US risks losing the credibility it spent decades cultivating.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How Hong Kong can seize opportunities along Silk Road Economic Belt

By deepening cooperation, the city can leverage its unique brand and core advantages to help businesses uncover new areas for growth.

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Vietnam

Vietnam’s US$8 billion railway to China gets the go ahead

It is one of two railway lines to China that Vietnam plans as part of its ‘Two Corridors, One Belt’ initiative.

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A Vietnamese man walks with his bicycle along a railway track in Hanoi last week. Photo: AFP
Infrastructure

Opinion | How China can counter Trump’s assault on the belt and road

Beijing must adapt its approach to minimise disruptions to the initiative, caused by US attempts to curb Chinese influence.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Could USAID’s closure open the door for Chinese soft power in the Global South?

Chinese officials say the American agency’s demise leaves more room for China to have an impact.

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The Philippines

Opinion | Can the US keep the upper hand over China in the Philippines?

If Washington turns inward, Manila must leverage its position and diplomatic support to boost its own development and defence.

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