Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune visited China on 17-21 July at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, receiving a warm welcome from the Chinese government and people.  The Chinese people often describe the China-Algeria bond as an enduring friendship deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples. Whenever the restoration of China’s legitimate seat at the UN in 1971 is mentioned, the Chinese people would be reminded of the friendly name of Algeria, one of the countries that made…

Nelson Mandela lifted the first Rugby World Cup Webb Ellis trophy held in South Africa in 1995, a year after the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. As the country looks forward to celebrating three decades of transition from a country that witnessed some of the worst crimes against humanity, its record fourth Rugby World Cup triumph is a definitive sign of how far it has come. The vision of Mandela and the founding icons of freedom in South Africa…

On 4 November 1884 John Tengo Jabavu launched Imvo Zabantsundu (Native Opinion), a Xhosa language weekly in King William’s Town, Eastern Cape. Although the press was already part of the intellectual life of the educated African elite – “the school people” as they were known – the establishment of Imvo was a groundbreaking development. One of the oldest newspapers in the world, it was the first black-owned, independent platform for African journalism.  The newspaper came into existence two years before…

The appearance of South African journalist Redi Tlhabi and governance commentator Chris Maroleng before the US Congress’ Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa illustrates a growing trend of Africans’ readiness to sell their countries in exchange for a comfortable stay in the West.  The trend repeats itself on the media front. The Africans are enlisted to parrot fixed narratives calculated at undermining foreign policies of their respective countries in relation to the East, especially China and Russia.    The submissions by Tlhabi,…

Ten years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled an economic and infrastructure blueprint to promote connectivity and boost trade and development. To date, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has transformed and improved the lives of millions of people across more than 150 participating countries worldwide. On the BRI’s 10th anniversary, it’s perhaps fitting to retrace Xi’s thought process and the steps taken since its launch in 2013.  In the book series Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, the BRI…

The fifteenth BRICS summit that was held in Johannesburg in August this year has been regarded by most analysts as epochal in both geo-economic and geo-political terms. As of 2023, the economic weight of the initial five nations in GDP terms has already surpassed that of the G7 which is made up of the world’s largest developed economies. The entry of the six new members into BRICS makes this intergovernmental partnership the ultimate global power block in both political and…

In August, the Swahili version of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China Volume I was launched in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the first time that the book is published in an African country in the local language. Xi Jinping: The Governance of China is the key for the international community to learn about contemporary China. Undoubtedly, the launch of the Swahili version of the important book will enable more African people to know more about China’s development philosophy.  So far,…

The mutual friendship between China and Africa is founded on shared history, values and a desire for prosperity for humankind. It is a history of the fight against imperialism, colonialism, hegemony and dispossession. China’s engagement with Africa is one of equals as developing nations with the quest for a shared future characterised by social justice, freedom, equality, peaceful co-existence and shared prosperity.   The recent 15th BRICS Summit, hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as all associated events…

At the dawn of the 21st century, a trend in political development (and beyond) has been observed towards the reduction of national sovereignty and transfer of several control functions to supranational structures, in the context of the march of globalization. The refraction of this trend in International Law is, obviously, the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was founded “at the pinnacle of triumph” of the unipolar world in 1998, and represents an example of a global governance body in which…

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt in September 2013 in Kazakhstan, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in the following month in Indonesia, together known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In a decade, the BRI has become a reality, reviving the ancient Silk Roads.   The BRI, based on history and proposed by China, concentrates on the future and benefits the world as a whole. According to Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s…