The annual sessions of China’s National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, commonly known as Two Sessions, held in March in Beijing, not only provided details about China’s development in the past year, but also outlined the development trajectory for the future.    Under normal circumstances, one country’s economic recovery shouldn’t be of great significance to countries in another continent. But that is not the case with China. The ongoing recovery of the world’s…

Some people, mainly in the West, were taken by surprise when six Chinese warships were seen near the Red Sea in October 2023 amid the conflict in Gaza. Some Western media and politicians tried to frame China’s mission as an escalatory move in the Middle East. However, according to Chinese media, the ships are part of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s escort taskforce responsible for safeguarding commercial vessels and fighting piracy.  As the conflict between Israel and Hamas is…

China’s Two Sessions that take place in early March provide an opportunity for the world to look into the country’s unique democracy – the whole-process people’s democracy. It is a concept that is misunderstood and wrongly criticised by most Western politicians as it differs from the Western notion of democracy.   As Zhang Weiwei, dean of the China Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai, said, China’s political system does not claim to be universal. Unlike Western democracy, it does not seek…

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China Africa Industrial Forum (CAIF). An outcome of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the mechanism has facilitated China-Africa exchanges and engagement in diverse fields. In the past 15 years, CAIF has helped hundreds of Chinese enterprises to invest in Africa, which has speeded up the continent’s industrialisation in terms of manufacturing, technological training and managerial expertise. ChinAfrica spoke to CAIF Secretary General Cheng Zhigang to learn more about how CAIF facilitates China-Africa…

The dawn of 2024 marked a significant milestone in the geopolitical landscape as Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially joined the BRICS grouping. This expansion, the second phase of the growth for the grouping since South Africa’s inclusion in 2011, signals a pivotal moment for the developing world.  As the current chair of the grouping, the Russian Federation is set to host the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, the capital city of the Republic…

Believe it or not, the African continent usually picks its political strength from South Africa’s leadership. When South Africa is weak, it replicates across the Continent. Who will lead in this direction? Is South Africa failing as a pioneer strong state? In the Federalist Paper no 51, one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, wrote: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, no checks and balances on government would be necessary. In framing…

As African countries look to enhance their manufacturing industries and speed up industrialisation, they are learning valuable insights from the development experience of industrial parks worldwide, particularly from China.  Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, China has substantially increased its investment in infrastructure development in Africa, undertaking the construction of a large number of projects including roads, railways, hydropower plants, airports, ports, and industrial parks. Specifically, industrial parks have emerged as key engines driving Africa’s…

One of the new partners of the BRICS international association is Iran. Iran’s accession to BRICS, as well as a number of Arab states, allows us to talk about the creation of a regional platform for a dialogue and cooperation between countries in the Near and Middle East. This is one of the main objectives of the BRICS and is also of great importance for the implementation of such large-scale international initiatives as Greater Eurasia and One Belt, One Road…

The Chinese economy continued to rebound and made solid progress in 2023, despite the complex international situation and numerous risks and challenges. The accelerated economic structural transformation and upgrade, coupled with increasing economic resilience, has resulted in various highlights.  The Chinese government, through a series of proactive macroeconomic policies, including moderately expansionary fiscal policies and prudent monetary policies, created a conducive environment for stabilising and advancing economic development.  The quality and resilience of the economy continued to improve in 2023…

Vladimir Padalko is the Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and the Chairman of the Russian part of the Russian-Kazakhstan Business Council. He has been working in the system of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation since 1995. From 1996 to 2012 he headed departmental representations abroad, including East Asia. He was the member of intergovernmental commissions of Russia and Asian countries and the member of expert councils of international…