Podcasts about China Development Bank

Chinese e-mobility technology is poised to transform large swathes of Africa's transportation ecosystem in the coming decade, but in very different ways than in other regions where EVs are the primary focus. Bicylces, scooters, tricyles, tractors, cars, minibuses, and full-sized coaches, all made in China, are becoming increasingly popular in dozens of African countries. This week, Eric & Cobus are thrilled to introduce CGSP's newest podcast The Africa EV Show with Njenga Hakeenah, which highlights the latest trends in this dynamic sector. Njenga, who is also CGSP's Nairobi-based climate editor, reveals which countries are moving fastest to incorporate e-mobility in their transportation mix and what the major obstacles to e-mobility adoption on the continent are. Subscribe to The Africa EV Show: Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube Show Notes: The China-Global South Project: Leasing, Swapping, Surviving: Kenya's Startups Hack the EV Tax Trap by Njenga Hakeenah The China-Global South Project: Small Chinese EV on Lease Promises Big Savings For Kenya's Taxi Drivers by Njenga Hakeenah The China-Global South Project: Ethiopia's Middle Class Ditching Gasoline Vehicles for Electrics With Chinese EVs Dominating Race by Sarah Assefe JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @hakeenah Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth  

Two years ago, Daniel Russel and Blake Berger, senior analysts at the Asia Society Policy Institute, embarked on an ambitious project to bring U.S. and Chinese stakeholders together to speak in a safe, controlled setting about their respective countries' aid strategies in the Global South. This was a big undertaking given how few direct contacts there are today between U.S. and Chinese stakeholders, particularly on a topic like international aid and development that is largely overlooked in the broader Sino-U.S. relationship. But just as they were about to release their final report, Donald Trump upended their project with the decision to effectively halt all U.S. foreign aid. Daniel and Blake join Eric & Cobus to talk about what they learned and how U.S. and Chinese international development assistance are poised to change in the Trump era. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Chinese overseas development finance is unrecognizable from what it was just a few years ago. After suffering tens of billions of dollars in losses, Chinese lenders have moved to de-risk their lending to countries in Africa, Asia, and across the Global South. Instead of those once massive bilateral loans from the two main policy banks in Beijing, Chinese lending now encompasses a much more diverse array of actors, particularly in Africa. This new approach was on full display last month when Kenya closed a deal with a consortium of Chinese stakeholders to finance the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from the current terminus in the Rift Valley to the Ugandan border. A third of the cost to build the new railway will be paid for by the Kenyan government, around another third will be comprised of a consortium of Chinese investors, and the rest will be financed with loans from the China Exim Bank. Yunan Chen, a research fellow at ODI Global in London, and Teal Emery, an adjunct lecturer at Johns Hopkins SAIS in Washington, D.C., join Eric & Cobus to discuss their new report, which breaks down the latest trends in Chinese development finance, and to explain why the deal in Kenya should serve as a case study for other African borrowers. Show Notes: ODI Global: Greener on the other side? — Mapping China's overseas co-financing and financial innovation by Yunnan Chen and Teal Emery ODI Global: China's creditor diversification in Africa: impacts and challenges of infrastructure debt-financing by Chinese commercial creditors by Yunnan Chen and Tianyi Wu South China Morning Post: After delay, new Chinese funding plan will help extend railway to Uganda, Kenya says by Jevans Nyabiage JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Donald Trump strongly feels that U.S. security alliances in Europe no longer serve Washington's long-term interest. In his view, the U.S. is being "ripped off" by wealthy countries that can afford to pay for their protection but choose to rely on the United States instead. He also says much the same thing about the U.S. military presence in Japan and South Korea. Curiously, though, the Philippines is different. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently visited Manila and reaffirmed Washigton's "ironclad" commitment to protect the Southeast Asian country against "China's aggression." Ray Powell, director of the Sealight initiative at Stanford University's Gordian Knott Center for National Security Innovation and host of the "Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific Podcast," joins Eric and CGSP Southeast Asia Editor Edwin Shri Bimo to discuss why the national security team in Washington remains appears to be more committed to the Philippines than other alliance partners. (A full transcript of this episode is available on the CGSP website) Show Notes: Apple Podcasts: Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific? hosted by Ray Powell and Jim Caruso 60 Minutes: China rams Philippine ship while 60 Minutes on board; South China Sea tensions could draw U.S. in JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @gordianknotray Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

With new tariff threats from the Trump administration and rising tensions across key markets, companies and governments alike are scrambling to understand what decoupling—or de-risking—actually looks like in practice. From electronics and apparel to solar panels and electric vehicles, China's role in global production remains formidable. But is it unshakeable? In this special bonus episode, Eric is joined by Agatha Kratz, Juliana Bouchot, and Lauren Piper from the Rhodium Group, whose recent report "China and the Future of Global Supply Chains" offers one of the clearest pictures yet of what's happening on the ground. Together, they explore whether Southeast Asia, India, or Latin America can meaningfully absorb China's manufacturing output—and what the U.S. strategy of sweeping tariffs might mean for inflation, consumers, and the Global South. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth  

In recent years, the relationship between Chinese mining companies and local communities in many African countries has been very contentious over allegations of environmental damage, a lack of transparency, and tensions with local civil society groups. In Zimbabwe, a new initiative—the China-Africa Dialogue on Green Minerals for Responsible Investment (CADRI)—is taking a different approach. Rather than relying on confrontation, CADRI brings together civil society organizations, policymakers, and Chinese companies to push for greater accountability, transparency, and sustainable mining practices. This week, CGSP Africa Editor Géraud Neema speaks with Obert Bore, business and human rights program lead at the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), to discuss why this initiative appears to be working and what other African countries can learn from Zimbabwe's experience. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth  

When Donald Trump criticized Panama for its management of the canal that he claimed had fallen under Chinese control, many people at first thought this was just another round of Trump's usual bluster. But since his election last November, the President has been relentless in pressuring the government in Panama City and shows no signs of backing down until all Chinese entities have been expelled from the canal zone. Alonso Illueca, an associate law professor at the Universidad Santa María La Antigua and a specialist in China-Panama relations, joins Eric & Cobus from Panama City to discuss the escalating crisis and why the government doesn't have a lot of options to push back against the U.S. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth  

It's widely believed that Chinese lending to African countries is predominantly done by a few state policy banks, such as the China Exim Bank and the China Development Bank. While that was true in the past, today the situation is far more complicated. New research found that a diverse array of Chinese creditors are now active in Africa, including commercial banks, state banks, and corporate actors, among many others. And contrary to the popular perception that Chinese lenders are monolithic, the reality is that each of these creditors has very different agendas. Tianyi Wu, a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, and Yunnan Chen, a research fellow at ODI Global, join Eric & Cobus to discuss the diversity within the Chinese creditor market and why there are important pros and cons for African governments to consider when they borrow from these commercial banks. SHOW NOTES: ODI Global: China's creditor diversification in Africa: impacts and challenges of infrastructure debt-financing by Chinese commercial creditors by Tianyi Wu & Yunnan Chen: https://tinyurl.com/yc4v2nec Development and Change: The Political Economy of Variations in Energy Debt Financing by Two Chinese Policy Banks in Africa by Tianyi Wu: https://tinyurl.com/3wvnex6e Boston University Global Development Policy Center: Back in Action: The Ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Sees Renewed Relations and Development Prospects by Tianyi Wu: https://tinyurl.com/yeyufn5j JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

There's been a lot of talk in recent years about the new "small and beautiful" doctrine that now guides China's Belt and Road Initiative. The problem is that a lot of people still do not understand what it actually means in practice. President Xi Jinping first unveiled the concept at the Third Belt-and-Road Symposium in 2021 when he said that China's overseas development finance would focus more attention on "better connectivity" for telecommunications, energy, and financial services. China has also had to scale down its financing of large-scale infrastructure projects because of economic challenges at home and debt sustainability issues among borrowing countries. Lui Kanyi, a Beijing-based project finance lawyer and head of China at a large international law firm, has been closely following the transformation of the BRI for many of his Chinese clients. Kanyi joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the "small and beautiful" trend and what people should know about the future direction of the BRI. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is in Pakistan this week to get ties with its South Asian neighbor back on track after a series of terrorist attacks this year. The latest incident occurred earlier this month near the airport in the southern port city of Karachi when separatist militants with the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) killed two Chinese nationals in a suicide bombing. Pakistan has vowed to crack down on the militants but, so far, to little avail. In turn, Beijing has become increasingly frustrated with Islamabad's inability to better protect Chinese interests in the country. Eram Ashraf, a China-Pakistan relations scholar, explained in a column published in The Diplomat how the violence is taking a toll on this vital Chinese diplomatic relationship. She joins Eric & Cobus to explain what's at stake for both sides if the Pakistani government can't contain the BLA. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

On this week's Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian discuss another big week on Wall Street after a larger than expected Federal Reserve rate cut; the industrial impact of President Biden's decision to use US arms export regulations to veto Britain and France's desire to allow Ukraine to use their weapons against Russia; with Boeing machinists on strike, CEO Kelly Ortberg initiates a furlough plan suggesting a longer work stoppage; news report that Ted Colbert will be replaced by Steve Parker at Boeing Defense Space and Security; China Development Bank's order 80 Airbus A320 and 50 Boeing Max jets; duration of strike by workers at Textron's Cessna and Hawker; the US Army picks Anduril's Ghost X and Performance Drone Works' C-100 as the service's company-level “attritable” drone; Rob Dewar, father of the Bombardier C series, joins JetZero; outlook for the penetrating counter air element of the US Air Force's Next-Generation Air Dominance family of programs in the wake of the Air and Space Forces Association's annual Air Space Cyber conference last week and possible substitutes for the high-end manned fighter; what a new USAF plan means for the UK-Italy-Japan Global Combat Aircraft Program or the SCAP effort involving France, Germany and Spain; the USAF's request for information for a next-generation tanker; the credit rating implications of a lengthy Boeing strike; and the Boeing-Embraer agreement after the American company called off its union with the Brazilian firm.

U.S. officials have spoken at length about the urgent need to end their country's dependency on China for the critical resources needed to power next-generation mobility and technology. Part of the solution, they say, is to compete directly with the Chinese for lithium, cobalt, and other critical mineral mining rights around the world. The problem is few U.S. mining companies today do that kind of work in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia where these resources are found. But the U.S. is geologically endowed, prompting loud calls to mine these resources at home — which raises another problem. In his new book "The War Below," Reuters correspondent Ernest Scheyder explains how powerful stakeholders have made it very difficult for U.S. mining companies to operate domestically. Ernest joins Eric & Géraud to explain why the politics of mining make it nearly impossible for the U.S. to compete with China for critical resources. PURCHASE THE WAR BELOW ON AMAZON: https://tinyurl.com/24ng24tm JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @ernestschyeder Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Final preparations are underway for the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, which begins on September 4th in Beijing. This year's event comes at a particularly fraught time amid wars in Europe, the Middle East and the simmering Great Power rivalry between the United States and China. David Monyae, director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the politics that will frame the summit and why a growing number of African leaders increasingly see their interests aligned with China rather than the West. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Chinese development finance in Africa today is a small fraction of what it was a decade ago when Beijing's policy banks provided billions of dollars in loans to countries across the continent. But while those heady days of easily accessible finance will likely never return, there are indications major Chinese lenders are once again gearing up to extend new financing for badly needed infrastructure projects in Africa. Tarela Moses and Tim Hirschel-Burns from Boston University's Global Development Center closely follow the latest Chinese financing trends and join Eric & Cobus to discuss why there's reason for modest optimism. SHOW NOTES: CGSP: The African Development Bank and the Role of China in Africa's Call for Changes in the Global Financial Architecture by Tim Hirschel-Burns and Oyintarelado Moses: https://bit.ly/3V85E4R JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @tarelamoses | @timh_b Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth  

Chinese President Xi Jinping promised foreign companies greater access to China's huge market and more than $100 billion in new financing for other developing economies as he opened a forum Wednesday on his signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Xi's initiative has built power plants, roads, railroads and ports around the world and deepened China's ties with Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast. But the massive loans backing the projects have burdened poorer countries with heavy debts, in some cases leading to China taking control of those assets. At the forum's opening ceremony at the ornate and cavernous Great Hall of the People, Xi promised that two Chinese-backed development banks – the China Development Bank and the Export–Import Bank of China – will each set up 350 billion yuan ($47.9 billion) financing windows. An additional 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) will be invested in Beijing's Silk Road Fund to support BRI projects. “We will comprehensively remove restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector,” Xi said. He said China would further open up “cross-border trade and investment in services and expand market access for digital products” and carry out reforms of state-owned enterprises and in sectors such as the digital economy, intellectual property rights and government procurement. The pledges of hefty support from Beijing come at a time when China's economy has slowed and foreign investment has plunged. Xi alluded to efforts by the United States and its allies to reduce their reliance on Chinese manufacturing and supply chains amid heightened competition and diplomatic frictions and reiterated promises that Beijing would create a fairer environment for foreign firms. “We do not engage in ideological confrontation, geopolitical games nor clique political confrontation,” Xi said. “We oppose unilateral sanctions, economic coercion and the decoupling and severance of chains,” a reference to moves elsewhere to diversify industrial supply chains. Reiterating Chinese complaints that such moves are meant to limit China's growth, Xi said that “viewing others' development as a threat or taking economic interdependence as a risk will not make one's own life better or speed up one's development.” “China can only do well when the world is doing well,” he said. “When China does well, the world will get even better.” Representatives from more than 130 mostly developing countries are attending the forum, including at least 20 heads of state and government. Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending, reflecting China's economic and diplomatic support for Moscow amid the isolation brought by its war in Ukraine. Addressing the forum right after Xi, Putin praised BRI as being “truly important, global, future-oriented, aimed at creating more equitable, multipolar world relations." “This is truly a global plan,” he said, adding that it aligns with Russia's plan “to form a large Eurasian space, as a space of cooperation and interaction of like-minded people, where a variety of integration processes will be linked.” He referred to other regional organizations, such as the security-oriented Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Eurasian Economic Union of former Soviet states. Several European officials including the French and Italian ambassadors to China and former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin walked out while Putin spoke and returned afterwards. On Tuesday, Putin met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is the sole European Union government leader attending the forum. Their meeting was a rare instance of the Russian president meeting a European leader since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine in February 2022. Putin met with Xi after the opening ceremony. Also in attendance are the presidents of Indonesia, Argentina, Kazakstan, Sri Lanka, Kenya among other countries, as well as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. Most Western European countries and U.S. allies sent lower level or former officials to the forum. Guterres highlighted the BRI's potential to bring development to neglected areas while stressing the need for projects to be environmentally sustainable. He said the initiative could help drive the transition away from reliance on fossil fuels. “Developing countries will need massive support for a fair, equitable and just energy transition toward renewables while providing affordable electricity to all,” Guterres said. He also called for an “immediate, humanitarian” ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine war after a strike killed hundreds at a Gaza City hospital on Tuesday. With the BRI, China has become a major financer of development projects on a par with the World Bank. The Chinese government says the initiative has launched more than 3,000 projects and “galvanized” nearly $1 trillion in investment. It has also attracted criticism from the U.S., India and others that China is engaging in “debt trap” diplomacy: Making loans Beijing knew governments would likely default on, enabling Chinese interests to take control of the assets. An oft-cited example is a port that the Sri Lankan government ended up leasing to a Chinese company for 99 years. Many economists say China did not make the bad loans intentionally. A key concern is whether the BRI can become more sustainable in terms of debt burdens, said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London. The initiative now aims to become smaller and greener after a decade of big projects that boosted trade but left big debts and raised environmental concerns. China will also “monitor the debt sustainability of BRI countries more closely,” Christoph Nedopil, director of the Asia Institute at Griffith University in Australia, wrote in a report. “Chinese financial institutions will likely limit their exposure to projects that do not have stable cash flows from within the project,” he added. “That being said, ‘beautiful' strategic projects, such as strategic railways or ports, will still find Chinese financial creditors.” - by Simina Mistreanu, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Troisième épisode de notre série « nouvelles routes de la soie, dix ans après » au Sri Lanka et plus précisément au sud de l'île au 22 millions d'habitants, l'ancien fief du président déchu Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Coup de projecteur sur le port d'Hambantota, construit avant le lancement des « nouvelles routes de la soie » et devenu au fil du temps le symbole des dérives mégalomaniaques des Rajapakse, qui ont plongé le pays dans le chaos et l'une des pires crises économiques et politiques de son histoire. Pour rejoindre la pointe Sud de l'île depuis la capitale Colombo, il ne faut désormais plus que 3h30. Flambant neuve, inaugurée en 2015, l'extension de l'autoroute du Sud financée et construite par les Chinois est tout un symbole. La première autoroute du pays, qui relie aujourd'hui les ports de Colombo et d'Hambantota et les deux aéroports internationaux de Colombo et de Mattala, fait partie des nombreux projets d'infrastructures développés à coup de milliards de dollars de crédit, et aujourd'hui sous le label des « nouvelles routes de la soie ».Le cas du port en eau profonde d'Hambantota est encore plus emblématique. Pour rembourser une partie de ses dettes, le Sri Lanka a dû accorder une concession de 99 ans sur les activités commerciales du port à une entreprise publique chinoise (CMPH). Ces projets sont qualifiés « d'éléphant blanc », une expression tirée d'une légende thaïe pour désigner tous ces investissements démesurés qui ont contribué à ruiner le pays. Et dans le cas d'Hambantota, à exacerber le conflit entre l'homme et la faune sauvage.Un écosystème chambouléDepuis la construction du port d'Hambantota, la coexistence ancestrale entre les humains et les éléphants n'est plus du tout pacifique. Début juillet, en seulement trois jours, quatre villageois ont perdu la vie suite à des attaques d'éléphants sauvages. Ces comportements hostiles s'expliquent par la déforestation et la dégradation de l'habitat naturel des pachydermes, qui les obligent à rechercher des ressources vitales en dehors des forêts et des zones protégées. A Hambantota, les villageois rapportent la mort tragique de 17 personnes en un peu plus d'un mois. Au niveau national et selon les données officielles, 2022 a connu une mortalité record avec 145 décès d'humains et 433 décès d'éléphantsA Gonnoruwa, un village à une dizaine de kilomètres au nord du port, Nanini vient d'apprendre la mort de son fils, piétiné par un pachyderme alors qu'il se rendait à son travail. Le jeune homme avait emprunté comme chaque matin un raccourci, créé par l'entreprise qui a construit l'autoroute pour acheminer son matériel et qui traverse une réserve forestière. L'aire censée être une zone protégée est gérée par le bureau de la faune sauvage. Les villageois dénoncent une absence totale de signalisation ou de clôtures électriques pour protéger les humains. Sur ces terres à majorité cinghalaise et bouddhiste et dont près de la moitié des habitants vit en dessous du seuil de pauvreté, la vie ne tient qu'à un fil.Roshan Rajika peut en témoigner. Ce passionné d'environnement reçoit chaque jour des appels de villageois paniqués pour lui signaler la présence d'éléphants dans leurs rizières ou à proximité de leur maison. Une nuit, tous les rouleaux électriques des petits commerces dans un des villages ont été saccagés. Un éléphant affamé était passé par là.Le quadragénaire a filmé des centaines de vidéo de ces créatures majestueuses. Il se souvient du temps où la zone de Karagan Lewaya abritait une riche biodiversité. Autrefois visité par des oiseaux migrateurs et des troupeaux d'éléphants, l'espace est désormais occupé par le complexe portuaire et un gigantesque terrain qui sera transformé à terme en zone industrielle. Roshan en veut beaucoup aux autorités. « Je n'ai rien contre le développement, mais il n'y a eu aucune étude de faisabilité, de protection de la nature ou de stratégie pour éviter le conflit actuel homme-faune. Tous ces projets ont été initiés par notre gouvernement. Quand la construction du port a débuté, les autorités ont bâti des villages pour reloger les fermiers sans tenir compte des éléphants. La construction du port et des nombreux villages a grignoté leur habitat naturel et ce avec la bénédiction des politiciens locaux. »Des éléphants blancsC'est aussi l'avis de Saman Sudarashana, le secrétaire de l'association des fermiers de la région, qui dénonce les incohérences du gouvernement. « Notre district compte environ 450 éléphants. Le gouvernement a reconnu la région comme une zone de conservation de l'habitat des éléphants tout en lançant des projets de développement comme l'aéroport de Mattala, l'autoroute, un stade de cricket ou encore un gigantesque centre de conférence. Tout cela a été construit au beau milieu des aires protégées poussant les éléphants à venir se nourrir sur les terres agricoles. » Le secrétaire de l'association souligne le ras-le-bol de la population locale. « Personne ne se soucie de notre bien-être ni de celui des animaux. À cause de tous ces projets mal planifiés, des gens perdent leur vie, des maisons sont saccagées. Et les récoltes, cultivées au prix de nombreux sacrifices, sont détruites. Ce n'est pas la faute des éléphants, ce sont les élus qui ont mal géré la situation. Malgré les fréquentes manifestations et plusieurs grèves de la faim, les fermiers savent qu'ils ne peuvent compter que sur eux-mêmes. Dans cette zone sèche qui souffre de problèmes chroniques d'approvisionnement en eau potable, l'un des enjeux majeurs sera de trouver des financements pour construire un réservoir d'eau pour les éléphants, seule solution viable et durable, estime Saman Sudarashana.Ces éléphants blancs ont non seulement ruiné le pays mais aussi bouleversé la vie de centaines de familles, expropriées de leurs terres et relocalisées à des kilomètres plus au nord en échange de maigres compensations. Piyadasa 75 ans tient une petite épicerie en bord de route. C'est aussi le domicile de sa fille et de ses deux petits enfants. Le septuagénaire vivait à l'emplacement du port et cultivait des noix de cajou bio, destinées à l'export. La production lui permettait de vivre très correctement.  « Avant 2007, nous pouvions subvenir à nos besoins, vivre de notre travail. J'avais près de six hectares de terres cultivables, se souvient-il nostalgique. Aujourd'hui j'ai tout perdu. Je ne gagne que 10% de ce que je gagnais avant. Toute la région s'est transformée en zone semi-urbaine. Près de 180 familles dont une trentaine qui étaient mes voisins sur le site du port ont été relocalisées dans le village. Et je n'ai eu que 3 200 euros de compensation. »Impact économiqueInterrogé sur ce qu'il pense de la famille Rajapaksa, dont Hambantota est le fief ancestral, l'épicier répond sans ambages. « Tous les politiques sont pareils. Vous savez, j'ai des liens familiaux avec les Rajapaksa du côté paternel. Mon père m'a toujours dissuadé de voter pour eux. Il me disait : "les Rajapaksa sont tous des escrocs !" Moi, je suis pour Sajith Premadasa, le chef de l'opposition. Je ne soutiens pas non plus l'actuel président Ranil Wickremesinghe car il a des liens de parenté avec la femme de Mahinda Rajapaksa. Ils sont tous corrompus et se protègent les uns les autres. »Le district d'Hambantota compte environ 600 000 habitants, dont la majorité vit de l'agriculture et de la pêche. Le port de pêche avec son marché se situe à environ 3 km à vol d'oiseau du port international d'Hambantota.Le regard fatigué, vêtu d'un sarong et d'une chemise à carreaux, Jaufer Moulana, 57 ans, pêche depuis l'âge de 12 ans. Sa vie aussi a été chamboulée depuis la construction du port en eau profonde, qui se trouve sur la route stratégique des cargos entre l'Europe et l'Extrême-Orient.« Les cargos nous créent pas mal de problèmes. Avant, on pêchait à l'emplacement du port et on attrapait beaucoup de poissons. Aujourd'hui, la Marine nous interdit de nous y attarder à cause du passage des navires. Dans l'idéal, on aimerait pouvoir y aller le soir et rester jusqu'au matin, mais si un navire passe à ce moment-là, nos filets sont détruits. C'est déjà arrivé trois fois cette année. » Jaufer se plaint de l'énorme manque à gagner. « On nous oblige à quitter la zone, avant même d'avoir réussi à attraper assez de poissons. Vous ne pouvez même plus y planter un hameçon ! Je n'arrive plus à rentrer dans mes frais. » Et de fait, ce matin, le pêcheur n'a rien gagné, il n'a même pas pu couvrir ses dépenses d'essence, entre 10 et 15L qu'il a dû acheter à crédit.Pour comprendre ce sentiment d'abandon et l'inaction des élus, nous avons tenté de rencontrer le secrétaire de la mairie du district, M. Sumanasekara. L'entretien sera de courte durée. Le regard fuyant et le ton sec, l'agent du gouvernement a refusé de répondre à nos questions. Il nous a invité à écrire au ministère de l'Information pour obtenir une autorisation.Quand une porte se ferme, une autre s'ouvre, disait le célèbre écrivain espagnol Cervantès. Cette règle ne s'applique malheureusement pas à Hambantota. Sous un faux prétexte, la visite du port géré par la compagnie China Merchants Port Holdings, pourtant acceptée des semaines en amont et avec à l'appui une liste de questions que nous souhaitions poser, a été annulé à la dernière minute. Selon le service de presse du port, la personne dont on n'a jamais eu le nom et qui était chargée de nous faire visiter le port a dû quitter le pays de manière impromptu pour assister à des réunions urgentes.« No Go Zone »Le complexe portuaire ressemble à une base militaire. Les quatre routes menant aux terminaux sont coupées par des check points, truffés de caméras et surveillées par des agents privés et parfois aussi la marine sri-lankaise. Impossible de s'en approcher. Notre chauffeur de tuk-tuk a dû s'arrêter à deux reprises pour un contrôle routier aux abords du complexe portuaire.Un salarié du port a tout de même accepté de répondre à quelques questions par téléphone et sous couvert d'anonymat. Le jeune homme a confirmé que l'activité principale du port était le transbordement de véhicule. Combien de navires accostent le quai ? Entre dix et quinze selon lui, sur les trois derniers mois et les deux premiers de l'année. C'est la période où le trafic est le plus intense. L'écrasante majorité des employés sont des locaux. Tandis que les Chinois, quelques dizaines, travaillent dans le bâtiment de l'administration portuaire, auquel les Sri-Lankais n'ont pas accès.Notre interlocuteur ajoute que les salaires sont satisfaisants et que les repas sont fournis par l'entreprise. Une ombre au tableau toutefois : depuis que le port est géré par les Chinois, les promotions se font très rares et l'incertitude demeure étant donné que les contrats sont renouvelés tous les ans. Globalement et pour conclure, l'employé du port voit un impact plutôt positif sur sa vie et celles des jeunes de son village. Une cinquantaine ont pu être embauchés dans le port.Monsieur 10 %Frappés par une crise économique sans précédent depuis plus d'un an, les villageois résignés, reconnaissent qu'ils ne peuvent compter que sur eux-mêmes. Le malaise est profond à Hambantota. Un mot revient dans toutes nos conversations : la corruption. Une corruption endémique en particulier dans les sphères du pouvoir et autour du clan politique des Rajapaksa.Aruna Kulantuga, économiste politique à Colombo dénonce la cupidité des élites. À titre d'exemple, il cite le nom de l'un des frères de l'ex-président : Basil Rajapaksa, ancien ministre des Finances, communément appelé « Monsieur 10 % ». On l'a affublé de ce surnom en raison des commissions qu'il a perçues sur tous les contrats signés ces dernières années.  Et dans le cas d'Hambantota, l'économiste revient sur un épisode de 2014, lorsque l'ancien gouvernement Sirisena étranglé par les dettes cherchait une issue de secours.« Le coût du crédit pour la construction du port était estimé à 1,2 milliard de dollars. Mais l'entreprise qui a construit le port a révélé que la construction avait coûté 900 millions. Où sont passés les 300 millions restants ? Personne ne le sait. Une enquête diligentée en 2014 et menée jusqu'en 2019 a simplement conclu que tout cet argent avait disparu. Il ne se trouve pas dans le pays, ni même en Chine. Cet argent apparaît sur des comptes à Dubaï ou dans des propriétés luxueuses en Grande-Bretagne. Des centaines de millions de dollars ont été blanchis sans qu'on ait pu apporter des preuves. »Piège de la dette ?En moins de 20 ans, les investissements chinois au Sri Lanka ont augmenté à près de 12 milliards de dollars. Aujourd'hui, le pays doit 10 % de sa dette totale et 20 % de sa dette publique à la Chine seule, soit la plus haute proportion parmi ses nombreux prêteurs.Etranglé par les prêts, Colombo a dû se résoudre à céder à la Chine l'exploitation de son port du Sud pour 99 ans. Hambantota est ainsi devenu l'exemple par excellence en Occident du « piège de la dette », un terme utilisé pour la première fois en juin 2018 dans une enquête du New York Times et qui a depuis été largement diffusé dans la presse occidentale et parmi les chercheurs pour dénoncer la stratégie prédatrice de la Chine. Le cas du Sri Lanka a dans le même temps écorné les grandes ambitions de prospérité véhiculées par Pékin dans sa promotion des mégaprojets associés aux « nouvelles routes de la soie ».Mais pour l'analyste économique Thilina Panduwawala, le terme de « piège de la dette » est inapproprié dans le cas du port d'Hambantota. Son travail de recherche consiste comme il dit à séparer « les mythes de la réalité ». Il revient sur les étapes successives du projet. « Les principaux bailleurs sont les Chinoises Exim Bank et China Development Bank. Les emprunts ont débuté vers l'an 2000. Entre 2007 et 2014, le Sri Lanka a emprunté 1,2 milliard pour la construction du port d'Hambantota. Dès 2016, il devient évident que le pays est incapable de rembourser ses dettes. Ranil Wickremesinghe alors Premier ministre évoque au Parlement le lourd fardeau de la dette. Il décide de louer le port à China Merchants Port Holdings en échange de 930 millions de dollars, afin de renflouer les caisses vides en devises étrangères, et d'éviter de contracter de nouvelles dettes. »C'est à partir de là que l'on commence à parler de confiscation des avoirs par la Chine. Or, en réalité, aucune clause de ce type n'existe dans le contrat, souligne Thilina Panduwawala qui affirme avoir consulté le contrat que lui et son équipe rendront public prochainement. « Le crédit contracté auprès d'Exim Bank continue d'être remboursé, la dette n'a pas été effacée et l'argent perçu par la signature du bail à servi à accroitre les réserves de change », conclut-il.Aruna Kulatunga réfute également la théorie du piège de la dette. Ce dernier explique comment le clan Rajapaksa, tout puissant au sortir de la guerre civile en 2009-2010, a cherché à asseoir sa popularité en se lançant dans des projets trop coûteux. « Si l'on regarde les chiffres, plus de la moitié des emprunts provient de créances privées, c'est-à-dire du marché obligataire, accordés à des taux assez élevés entre 4 et 8 %, tandis que les taux des prêts bilatéraux étaient plutôt bas de l'ordre de 3 ou 4 %. Le leadership de l'époque a été frappé par un égo démesuré. Pour perpétuer cette adoration, ils ont investi tous azimut sans se soucier des conséquences. »Toute la responsabilité repose, selon l'économiste politique, sur les autorités sri-lankaises. « Ce ne sont pas les Chinois qui sont arrivés pour nous dire prenez, prenez l'argent, c'est nous qui avons emprunté. On le sait maintenant, car les données commencent à sortir, que les Chinois nous ont conseillé d'aller doucement, de ne pas nous précipiter. »Principe de neutralitéLe résultat est là. La Chine contrôle désormais le port septentrional et Aruna Kulatunga craint les conséquences géopolitiques de cette situation. « Lorsque vous regardez la carte de l'Asie du Sud, vous voyez un port chinois au Pakistan, au Bangladesh et dans le sud du Sri Lanka. Ces ports forment un triangle parfait qui encercle l'Inde. Notre voisin a donc toutes les raisons de s'inquiéter. Car en cas de confrontation, et c'est possible, on ne peut pas l'exclure, l'Inde sera encerclée. Pourquoi avons-nous accepté cela ? Nous n'aurions jamais dû, ce n'était pas dans notre intérêt. »L'expert rappelle le principe de neutralité que son pays s'est toujours imposé dans l'histoire contemporaine. « Nous n'aurions jamais dû être entraînés dans cette rivalité. Nous aurions dû garder une politique d'ouverture de nos ports, de nos eaux territoriales, de notre espace aérien. Et non pas vendre ou louer. Et puis 99 ans, c'est long ! On dit que le centre d'affaires Port City à Colombo est un bail de 99 ans. En réalité, c'est bien plus : une partie restera chinoise à tout jamais ! »Selon Aruna Kulatunga, la Chine compte prochainement investir 4 milliards de dollars supplémentaires, notamment dans la construction d'une raffinerie de pétrole uniquement destinée à l'export. Parmi les candidats sont cités le Chinois Sinopec, le plus grand raffineur d'Asie, ou encore Aramco, le géant pétrolier saoudien.Pour comprendre l'importance du port d'Hambantota il suffit de regarder une mappemonde. Le port se situe à seulement 10 miles nautiques de la route maritime commerciale Est-Ouest la plus fréquentée au monde. Pour comprendre les enjeux de ce port sur la carte des « nouvelles routes de la soie », nous avons interrogé Yasiru Ranaraja, le directeur de BRI SL. Cette organisation internationale de développement et de conseil s'intéresse de près aux projets en lien avec les « nouvelles routes de la soie » au Sri Lanka et dans la région.« Les navires chinois qui transportent du pétrole passent par le détroit de Malacca. La Chine achète la grande majorité du pétrole à l'Arabie saoudite, ses navires empruntent la route maritime ouest/est qui passe par Hambantota, puis le détroit de Malacca jusqu'à la mer de Chine du Sud. S'il arrivait quelque chose, la Chine aurait un grave problème. »Selon Yasiru Ranaraja, l'initiative chinoise comporte plutôt des aspects positifs pour son pays. « Le Sri Lanka pourrait devenir à l'avenir l'emplacement idéal, une base pour le commerce de l'énergie dans la région. Je pense que le port est stratégiquement important aussi bien pour la Chine que pour nous. Le Parlement sri-lankais avait dès les années 1970 des projets pour ce port, ce n'est donc pas nouveau. »Le district d'Hambantota, considéré comme l'une des régions les plus pauvres du Sri Lanka, a bénéficié d'un flux d'investissements considérables. À ce jour, le port et ses 60 km2 de terrain n'ont pas produit les recettes escomptées. Les activités du complexe portuaire sont encore très loin du rêve de Colombo de transformer l'île en hub régional. Pour développer la région et rendre le port viable et lucratif, Pékin devra injecter dans les prochaines années des milliards de dollars supplémentaires. Des projets titanesques à mille lieux des préoccupations et des attentes de la population.

There was a time when Chinese lending to developing countries rivaled the World Bank. Those days are now long gone as Chinese overseas development lending has been on a steady downward trajectory.New data from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center (GDPC) reports that in 2020-2021, China granted just 28 loan commitments worth just $10.5 billion -- a small fraction of what was lent in the early 2010s.Rebecca Ray, a senior researcher at GDPC, and Tarela Moses, a data analyst at the center's Global China Initiative join Eric from Boston to discuss the latest trends in Chinese development finance and specifically why Beijing has become much more risk-averse.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Twitter: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @tarelamoses | @bubeckyrayFacebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectFOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC:Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChineعربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfrJOIN US ON PATREON!Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug!www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject

①China's Spring Festival passenger trips predicted to spike by 99.5% ②China's ice-snow tourism expects over 520 million tourists by 2025 ③China plans over 60 space launch missions in 2023 ④China to launch national survey of cultural relics ⑤China allows cities to set lower limit on first-home mortgage rates ⑥Xiamen Air adds first Airbus aircraft to fleet ⑦China Development Bank ramps up support for Yangtze River protection ⑧China's Spring Festival passenger trips predicted to spike by 99.5%

0:00 -- Intro.2:10 -- Start of interview.3:00 -- Henry's "origin story". His other book "China's Superbank: Debt, Oil and Influence - How China Development Bank is Rewriting the Rules of Finance") (2012)5:03 -- His current role at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.6:09 -  The origin of his book Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green (2022).10:09 --  On the new battery age and the origin of lithium-ion batteries for EVs.12:53 -- On Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and its founder Robin Zeng.18:34 -- On the Chinese lithium industry and its champions Ganfeng Lithium and Tianqi Lithium. "They had a golden period where they could pick up assets globally, but now the West is catching up." Example: Government of Canada orders the divestiture of investments by foreign companies in Canadian critical minerals companies.21:10 -- About Tianqi's $4bn acquisition of SQM's stake in Chile. [Disclosure: I wrote about this case in 2018 here, here and most recently in my latest newsletter, here.] On the future of the Lithium Triangle (Chile, Argentina and Bolivia) for the global lithium supply chain. The unclear future of lithium in Chile, the government has hinted on the creation of a new Chilean national lithium company. "It's a once in a 100-year opportunity, are they just going to sit back and lose out on market share? This opportunity does not come very often."27:09 -- On the new US industrial policy to foster the EV and battery industry (and divest from China). The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS & Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act (“the single largest investment in climate and energy in American history”) combined will invest more than $135 billion to build America's EV future, including critical minerals sourcing and processing and battery manufacturing. The impact for the global supply chain, particularly in Latin America, Africa and rest of the world.33:03-- On geopolitics, ESG and sustainability of the global battery supply chain and EVs generally. The problem of greenwashing. Amnesty International's report on Cobalt in Africa (2016) "This is What We Die For" (on human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the global trade in Cobalt). "Chinese consumers are also getting more environmentally conscious."38:02  -- On the challenges of the energy transition from ICE vehicles to EVs. The importance of renewable energy. "Clean energy clusters will become very important."40:09  -- On energy security, cleaner battery producers (example Northvolt from Sweden), the rise of Gigafactories, the shift to EVs from global OEMs (A Reuters analysis of 37 global automakers found that they plan to invest nearly $1.2 trillion in electric vehicles and batteries through 2030) and the future of jobs in this industry. "Vehicle manufacturing employment, which stands at 13.6 million globally, already employs 10% of its workforce in the manufacture of EVs, their components and batteries." (see IEA world energy employment report). "It is a race for the jobs of the future, and that's where the West has lost out. That's what making this industry so critical." "But the West will definitely catch up, I'm very optimistic about the U.S."46:03 -- On whether the U.S. will encourage more mining in the US to bridge this gap. "The mining industry has not done a good job at convincing the public that this is what is needed. People who support clean energy find it hard to support mining. That's the crux of the issue."48:14 -- On Tesla, and whether they will move upstream in the supply chain with more refining or mining. And their China operations and supply chain dependence.53:19 -- The 1-3 books that have greatly influenced his life:The Quiet American, by Graham Greene (1955)Books by Somerset MaughamDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China, by Ezra Vogel (2011)Other books he recommends on the battery global supply chain:Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy, by Seth Fletcher (2011)The Powerhouse: America, China, and the Great Battery War, by Seth Levine (2016)The Shadows of Consumption: Consequences for the Global Environment, by Peter Dauvergne (2008)55:28 -- Who were your mentors, and what did you learn from them? Michael Forsythe, now with the NYT. When he was in China working for Bloomberg, working with investigative journalists.56:23 -- Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by? "Sooner or later...one has to take sides – if one is to remain human." by Graham Greene.57:18 --  The person he most admires: Greta Thunberg.Henry Sanderson is a journalist and author of Volt Rush, the Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green. He's currently an Executive Editor at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the leading provider of data and information on the battery industry. Before that he covered commodities and mining for the Financial Times for seven years in London. He was previously a reporter for Bloomberg News in Beijing, where he co-authored a book about China's financial system and state capitalism, China's Superbank. He grew up in Hong Kong and lived and worked in China for seven years.  __ You can follow Henry on social media at:Twitter: @hjesanderson__ You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

In a letter issued by President Cyril Ramaphosa on August 29, he said his administration's efforts to root out corruption were starting to yield results, with the Hawks reporting that, between the 2019 and 2022 financial years, 554 suspects had been arrested for corruption, 142 of whom were convicted. The latest of those involved in wholesale corruption to be brought to book are those allegedly involved in State capture through the plundering of State-owned Transnet. Asset management firm Trillian founder and financial institution Regiments shareholder Eric Wood, along with Albatime director Kuben Moodley appeared at the Palm Ridge court today, in Ekurhuleni, alongside former Transnet CEO Brian Molefe and CFO Anoj Singh, in connection with alleged fraud and corruption perpetrated seven years ago. The disgraced former Transnet executives were arrested early in the morning along with former Regiments executive director Niven Pillay and former Regiments CEO Litha Nyhonyha. These suspects joined Moodley, Wood and former Transnet acting CFO Garry Pita and former Transnet treasurer Phetolo Ramosebudi, as well as Trillian co-founder Daniel Roy, in the dock on charges of fraud and corruption relating to Transnet's procurement of 1 064 freight locomotives – a deal that cost South African taxpayers R189.2-million. Nonprofit organisation Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has welcomed the arrests, stating that Molefe and Singh had much to account for when it comes to the billions of rands South Africa lost as a result of State capture. “They were not only involved in State capture at Transnet, but also later at Eskom, the State's crippled power utility. We are also happy to see that Outa's referrals and submissions on State capture to the law-enforcement agencies contributes to the arrest of State capturers,” Outa CEO Wayne Duvenage said. Solidarity has also welcomed the arrests after Solidarity filed criminal charges against Molefe and Singh at the Brooklyn Police Station, in Pretoria, earlier this year. Solidarity said that, although these arrests are positive, justice had already been delayed for far too long, and that South African citizens deserved immediate action from the South African Police Service and other structures regarding other alleged State capturers. “The absolute injustice of years of corruption and theft cannot continue any longer because of endless delays on the part of our criminal justice system . . . Continuous pressure must be exerted on our security services to do their job, and any further dragging of feet will not be tolerated. “State capturers have robbed workers of their jobs and future and have stolen taxpayers' hard-earned money. We cannot allow it," Solidarity CEO Dr Dirk Hermann said. Solidarity contended that the damage caused by corruption was not limited to financial loss as it has also destroyed the State's ability to provide essential services, while also breeding distrust among citizens towards the South African justice system. “In order to purchase the locomotives, Transnet secured a $2.5-billion loan facility from the China Development Bank, the so-called CDB loan,” Outa State capture expert Rudie Heyneke explained. The 2015 loan, of which $1.5-billion was drawn down, formed part of the financing for the purchase of the locomotives, of which some were purchased from the China State-owned locomotive manufacturer CRRC . The balance of $1-billion was financed through a so-called “club loan” in South Africa. Investment banking firm JP Morgan was replaced by Trillian as the lead arranger and, for that, an additional R93-million was paid by Transnet to Trillian. “The original accused appeared previously for irregularities on this transaction. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has now also charged Molefe, Singh, Pillay and Nyhonyha for irregularities regarding the CDB loan,” Heyneke explained. In August 2020, Outa submitted a detailed referral to the Investigating Directorate on how the Tra...

In a letter issued by President Cyril Ramaphosa on August 29, he said his administration's efforts to root out corruption were starting to yield results, with the Hawks reporting that, between the 2019 and 2022 financial years, 554 suspects had been arrested for corruption, 142 of whom were convicted. The latest of those involved in wholesale corruption to be brought to book are those allegedly involved in State capture through the plundering of State-owned Transnet. Asset management firm Trillian founder and financial institution Regiments shareholder Eric Wood, along with Albatime director Kuben Moodley appeared at the Palm Ridge court today, in Ekurhuleni, alongside former Transnet CEO Brian Molefe and CFO Anoj Singh, in connection with alleged fraud and corruption perpetrated seven years ago. The disgraced former Transnet executives were arrested early in the morning along with former Regiments executive director Niven Pillay and former Regiments CEO Litha Nyhonyha. These suspects joined Moodley, Wood and former Transnet acting CFO Garry Pita and former Transnet treasurer Phetolo Ramosebudi, as well as Trillian co-founder Daniel Roy, in the dock on charges of fraud and corruption relating to Transnet's procurement of 1 064 freight locomotives – a deal that cost South African taxpayers R189.2-million. Nonprofit organisation Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has welcomed the arrests, stating that Molefe and Singh had much to account for when it comes to the billions of rands South Africa lost as a result of State capture. “They were not only involved in State capture at Transnet, but also later at Eskom, the State's crippled power utility. We are also happy to see that Outa's referrals and submissions on State capture to the law-enforcement agencies contributes to the arrest of State capturers,” Outa CEO Wayne Duvenage said. Solidarity has also welcomed the arrests after Solidarity filed criminal charges against Molefe and Singh at the Brooklyn Police Station, in Pretoria, earlier this year. Solidarity said that, although these arrests are positive, justice had already been delayed for far too long, and that South African citizens deserved immediate action from the South African Police Service and other structures regarding other alleged State capturers. “The absolute injustice of years of corruption and theft cannot continue any longer because of endless delays on the part of our criminal justice system . . . Continuous pressure must be exerted on our security services to do their job, and any further dragging of feet will not be tolerated. “State capturers have robbed workers of their jobs and future and have stolen taxpayers' hard-earned money. We cannot allow it," Solidarity CEO Dr Dirk Hermann said. Solidarity contended that the damage caused by corruption was not limited to financial loss as it has also destroyed the State's ability to provide essential services, while also breeding distrust among citizens towards the South African justice system. “In order to purchase the locomotives, Transnet secured a $2.5-billion loan facility from the China Development Bank, the so-called CDB loan,” Outa State capture expert Rudie Heyneke explained. The 2015 loan, of which $1.5-billion was drawn down, formed part of the financing for the purchase of the locomotives, of which some were purchased from the China State-owned locomotive manufacturer CRRC . The balance of $1-billion was financed through a so-called “club loan” in South Africa. Investment banking firm JP Morgan was replaced by Trillian as the lead arranger and, for that, an additional R93-million was paid by Transnet to Trillian. “The original accused appeared previously for irregularities on this transaction. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has now also charged Molefe, Singh, Pillay and Nyhonyha for irregularities regarding the CDB loan,” Heyneke explained. In August 2020, Outa submitted a detailed referral to the Investigating Directorate on how the Tra...

On todays episode of the WTFinance podcast I interviewed Henry Sanderson, Executive Editor at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and author of the upcoming book "Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green". Buy the book here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Volt-Rush-Winners-Losers-Green/dp/0861543750/During the interview we talked about commodity demand, what rare earth materials will be vital for the future, whether there are enough materials to go fully renewable and the need to onshore. I hope you enjoy!We depend on a handful of metals and rare earths to power our phones and computers. Increasingly, we rely on them to power our cars and our homes. Whoever controls these finite commodities will become rich beyond imagining.Sanderson journeys to meet the characters, companies, and nations scrambling for the new resources, linking remote mines in the Congo and Chile's Atacama Desert to giant Chinese battery factories, shadowy commodity traders, secretive billionaires, a new generation of scientists attempting to solve the dilemma of a ‘greener' world.0:00 - Introduction0:30 - Influence for writing the book?1:50 - Commodity demand trend moving away from China3:05 - Rare metal materials that will be vital for the future?4:25 - Will there be enough materials to go fully renewable?5:40 - Time to get mines online6:30 - Onshoring metal refineries8:10 - Majority of processing in China9:30 - Who are the major players in materials?12:20 - The Nickel problem?15:25 - Any other major sources of nickel?17:40 - Could demand for commodities create continued inflation?18:45 - Increased interest and investment in sector?19:09 - LME Nickel issue occurring again in the future?21:30 - Limit ups and downs in commodities22:40 - One message to take away from your book?Henry grew up in Hong Kong, and studied in the UK and the US. He worked as a journalist in New York, Beijing, and London. While living in Beijing for seven years, Henry co-authored a book with Michael Forsythe (now at the New York Times) about China's largest overseas lender, China Development Bank, which lent billions to countries such as Venezuela, playing a key role in the spread of China's power and state capitalism overseas. Henry is particularly interested in the geopolitics of the global energy transition and how individual Chinese companies define China's embrace of the world. He currently works as executive editor for Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a leading provider of data and analysis for the lithium ion battery supply chain. Henry Sanderson - Website - https://www.henrysanderson.net/Twitter - https://twitter.com/hjesandersonLinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/henry-sanderson-9889297/WTFinance - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfnTikTok - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeUjj9xV/iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-fatseas-761066103/Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

China Development Bank has extended 21 billion yuan, or about 3.1 billion U.S. dollars, in the first quarter to support the country's logistics system.

West Coast Cookbook & Speakeasy is Now Open! 8am-9am PT/ 11am-Noon ET for our especially special Daily Specials; River City Hash Mondays!Starting off in the Bistro Cafe, parents fight back against the GOP's classroom culture wars.Then, on the rest of the menu, states get the go-ahead to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations every 50 miles along interstate highways; the Republican-led West Virginia Senate rescinded the state's ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, declaring that it expired in 1979; and, a right wing extremist ex-Air Force sergeant plead guilty to killing a federal guard during the 2020 police brutality protests, and blaming it on Black Lives Matter.After the break, we move to the Chef's Table where three members of the Canadian Special Forces are under investigation for their involvement in the anti-covid trucker protest in Ottawa; and, a former vice president of China Development Bank was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes, and facilitating other financial crimes.All that and more, on West Coast Cookbook & Speakeasy with Chef de Cuisine Justice Putnam.Bon Appétit!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"I was never a spy. I was with the OSS organization. We had a number of women, but we were all office help." -- Julia Child~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Show Notes & Links: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/2/14/2080183/-West-Coast-Cookbook-amp-Speakeasy-Daily-Special-River-City-Hash-MondaysWCC&S Deep Archive: https://archive.org/details/west_coast_cookbook_and_speakeasy_with_justice_putnam_21_nov_17~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is an Electic Atmosphere in the Tasman nations on multiple fronts. Protests against mandates and restrictions continue to take place in Auckland and Victoria. In early election campaigning, Scott Morrison is revving up electric vehicles to fight CO2 emissions. Tim and Stephen discuss on Trad Tasman Talk. New Zealand's capital Wellington saw one of its biggest protests in recent years against Jacinda Ardern's continued lockdown of the North Island and vaccine mandates. New daily cases are continuing to rise but despite still the low hospitalization numbers in New Zealand, the Nurses' Organisation is claiming the health system is almost overwhelmed. Queensland announced its vaccinated economy for when the state reopens its borders, they call it a reward for those who've got vaccinated. Western Australia is not opening its borders until 2022, but despite that the state still wants to host an Ashes Cricket test this summer, part of the proposed CovidSafe plan is replacing the cricket ball if it gets hit into the crowd. Former NSW Labor Premier Bob Carr tweeted that Australia should emulate Singapore and deny healthcare to the unvaccinated. Protests have continued every weekend in Melbourne against Dan Andrews' proposed permanent Pandemic Legislation, 20,000 gathered on Saturday outside Victoria's Parliament House for the latest Kill the Bill rally. 60 Victorian QCs have now signed a letter expressing grave concerns over the powers in the bill joining the Victorian Bar Association and the Law Institute of Victoria. Former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating said this week it was not in Australia's interest to defend Taiwan as China is too powerful. Keating has become an apologist for Communist China and is on the International Advisory Board of the China Development Bank which is a state-owned bank. As an aside Keating's daughter Katherine met up with Jeffrey Espiten and Prince Andrew in New York over a decade ago. Scott Morrison was engaged in early federal election campaigning in Melbourne this week. He released the Coalition's Fuels Future policy to support the electric vehicle industry as part of his government's embrace of net zero emissions by 2050. Inflation is rising in Australia and New Zealand after each nation's respective Reserve Bank has printed money to support locked-down economies over the past 20 months. Unemployment has risen after the lockdowns have ended in Australia to 5.2% as more people look to rejoin the workforce. Bureaucrats in NSW have suggested the nation needs a surge of 2 million migrants to support new job demand. The Unshackled Links: Website: https://www.theunshackled.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TUnshackled Twitter: https://twitter.com/Un_shackled Gab: https://gab.com/theunshackled Minds: https://www.minds.com/The_Unshackled/ Telegram: https://t.me/theunshackled MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/theunshackled Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_unshackled Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/theunshackled/ Free eBook: http://theunshackledbattlefield.net/ Unshackled Productions: WilmsFront: http://www.timwilms.com Trad Tasman Talk: https://www.theunshackled.net/ttt/ The Report from Tiger Mountain: http://reportfromtigermountain.com/ Support Our Work:  Membership: http://www.theunshackled.net/membership Donate: https://www.theunshackled.net/donate/ Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/TheUnshackled Store: https://www.theunshackled.net/store/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's September 2021, and this is the fourteenth Audio Episode of “The Shyft Lift”, the regular news digest of the App for the globally-minded, based in South Africa. Governments in sub-Saharan Africa have budgeted to spend about $340 billion in 2021. By contrast, household spending will be closer to $1.3 trillion, nearly four times as much. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwfsyJAqXaM Between 2008 and 2019 the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China lent $462 billion to other countries – not far off the $467 billion lent by the World Bank over the same period. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlAurYDOQ8o Total issuance of bonds this year has reached R66.6bn, which is 27% higher year on year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qyNT8eqaOs The largest player in the local steel market, AMSA, makes about 65-67% of all sales with three million tonnes per year. This could rise if the market is boosted by positive global GDP growth and a more stable economy in SA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r5CVaxtU1A Only five African countries – Egypt, South Africa, Senegal, Tunisia and Ethiopia – can produce vaccines. The recent African Continental Free Trade Area agreement aims to improve the flow of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment along with vaccines. https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2021/04/15/tr041521-transcript-of-april-2021-sub-saharan-africa-press-briefing This month we focus on creating wealth for the next generation. In South Africa, one of the most unequal countries in the world, income distribution remains stubbornly racialised, gendered and spatial. An important factor in the racial component is so-called Black Tax, which occurs at all socio-economic levels. It used to mean only financially supporting elderly relatives who were denied the opportunity to create wealth themselves, largely due to historic factors, but now it often includes siblings and other family members. In SA, 70% of families will lose the majority of their wealth by the 3rd generation, and 90% by the 4th generation. The top 1% of South African earners take home 20% of all income while the top 10% take home 65%. The remaining 90% of South Africans share 30% of income in South Africa. Dr Thanduhlanga Tshume, Head of Generational Wealth at Standard Bank suggests five ways to create generational wealth: start now with stocks, clear your debt, diversify, look to the future, and remember that it's not just about the money. Shyft is an app for global citizens, based in South Africa. It helps you buy, send, and store local and foreign currency - anytime, anywhere, directly from your mobile. Visit getshyft.co.za to download the app. SHYFT operates under the license of The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited, an authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP number 11287). --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/standard-bank-southafrica/message

The Sri Lankan government has reached an agreement with China worth 61.5 billion rupees in the face of severe foreign exchange reserves. The China embassy in Colombo posted on its official Twitter page that the deal was made at the request of the Sri Lankan government. According to the China Embassy in Sri Lanka, the China Development Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka have signed an agreement worth 61.5 billion rupees. The China embassy in Sri Lanka posted on its Twitter account that the agreement was signed on a two-year lease. The China embassy in Colombo said the aid was being provided at the request of the Sri Lankan government. The China embassy said the financial assistance was for Sri Lanka's anti-corruption measures, building the economy, stabilizing financial stability and improving livelihoods.

A court in Shenzhen issues a landmark ruling on personal bankruptcy. Another executive from China Development Bank is under investigation. A senior aerospace executive is arrested for assaulting scientists. Plus,“Chinese Doctors” holds the top spot at the nation's box office.

The Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited says it has received the sum of $60m, which is the first instalment of the $629m loan facility from the China Development Bank for the construction of the deepest seaport in Sub-Sahara Africa.The Managing Director, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, Du Ruogang stated that the first instalment of the loan facility was received on Thursday, April 29 as the company had satisfied all the conditions necessary for the release of the funds.He stated that receipt of the first instalment of the loan facility is a major breakthrough in the quest to deliver a world-class deep seaport and to ensure that commercial operations commence before the end of 2022.

A groundbreaking new analysis by researchers in the United States and Germany provides an unprecedented look inside the contracts that China uses to lend billions of dollars to developing countries around the world. The new report, "How China Lends," was joint effort by scholars at AidData at William & Mary College, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany, the Center for Global Development and the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C.What they found is that Chinese lenders are "hard-nosed negotiators" who often structure loan deals that weigh heavily in Beijing's favor and include numerous clauses that shroud the agreements in secrecy. But they also acknowledge that many of the methods the Chinese employ are "neither unique nor unprecedented."One of the report's authors, AidData Executive Director Bradley Parks, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what their survey of 100 Chinese loan contracts revealed about China's approach to international development finance and how it differs from that of traditional lenders.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @aiddataSUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTERYour subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news.2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.comSubscriptions start at just $7 a month. Use the promo code "Podcast" and get a 20% lifetime discount on your annual subscription: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

Chinese debt relief talks are underway in a number of African countries including Angola, Zambia, Kenya, and Ethiopia among others but you wouldn't really know it. Officials on all sides aren't saying much and there's relatively little press coverage on the issue. Meantime, a growing number of African countries are signing on to the G20's common framework while at the same time negotiating debt deferral deals with the IMF and other multilateral creditors. In terms of private creditors, there's been little to no progress on any meaningful restructuring of the billions of Eurobond obligations owed by African borrowers.Mark Bohlund, a senior credit research analyst at REDD Intelligence in London, closely follows everything going on in the African debt market. He joins Eric & Cobus to provide an update on China's role in the debt situation confronting many of Africa's largest economies.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @markbohlundSUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTERYour subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news.2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.comSubscriptions start at just $7 a month. Use the promo code "Podcast" and get a 20% lifetime discount on your annual subscription: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

Getting a loan from one of China's two largest policy banks is significantly more difficult than it was just a couple of years ago. According to data from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center, lending by the China Development Bank and the China Exim Bank plunged 94% from $75 billion in 2016 to just $4 billion in 2019.This is a dramatic shift given that these two banks alone over the past 20 years have lent nearly as much as the World Bank. BU's findings have generated quite a bit of discussion and while other analysts may disagree with some of their results, most share their conclusion that Chinese policy bank lending has indeed fallen precipitously with no indication as to if or when it'll rebound.Kevin Gallagher, director of the Global Development Policy Center, and Rebecca Ray, a senior academic researcher there were among the leads who helped to build the new interactive database that tracks Chinese policy bank lending around the world. They both join Eric & Cobus from Boston to discuss their research and why Beijing is now far more judicious with its loans.SHOW NOTES:The Chinese Overseas Development Finance interactive database.Blog post: Tracking China’s Overseas Development FinanceJOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @KevinPGallagher | @BUBeckyRay | @GDPC_BUSUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER:Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news.2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.com

China is a leader in global power generation - both through fossil fuel and clean energy technologies. Chinese capital has been involved in establishing at least 777 power plants across the world, providing 186.5 GW of power generation capacity. To track China's impact on global power generation, Boston University's Global China Initiative is launching "China's Global Power Database" which Erik & Juliet discuss with BU's Cecilia Han Springer and Ma Xinyue. This database tracks all the world's power plants financed by Chinese foreign direct investment and/or China's two global policy banks, the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China. The database is extensive, gets all the way down to plant level details, and is completely open source and publicly available. Check out the China's Global Power Database for yourself: http://www.bu.edu/cgp/And check out our recommendations: Erik1) Follow @ChinaCamMonitor for good updates on China in Cambodia2) Fiona Apple's new album Fetch the Bolt Cutters3) Americans: VOTE!Ma Xinyue1) Listen to the Korean band: BTSCecilia Han Springer: 1) The Political Economy of the Chinese Coal Industry: Black Gold and Blood-Stained Coal by Tim Wright AND 2) FAIR BRI Dataset is forthcoming by the Global China Initiative, will cover the intersections between (see updates at bu.edu/gdp, subscribe to their newsletter, or follow on twitter @GDPC_BU)Juliet: 1) Listen to BU Global China Initiative's weekly seminars on Wednesdays 2) Black China Caucus (@BLKChinaCaucus): a collaborative effort that strives to enhance the presences and participation of Black experts specializing in any aspect aiding in the comprehensive understanding of China. The mission of the BCC is accomplished by the active promotion of Black China specialists as well as the creation of targeted resources aimed at enhancing the professional development and advancement of Black practitioners in the China space.

As a consequence of Covid-19 and its related impacts on the process plant construction schedule, JSE-listed Wesizwe Platinum’s Bakubung platinum mine development has been delayed, with the hot commissioning date now set for October 2021. Additionally, delays in public consultations required for the company’s integrated water-use licence application and environmental-impact assessment have led to the start of tailings and stockpad commissioning being delayed to June and March next year, respectively. Wesizwe could only progress 1.1 km of development for the six months to June 30, against a proposed target of 3.6 km for the year. During the six months under review, Wesizwe spent R1.4-billion on construction works. The company has posted a headline loss a share of 61.90c for the six months ended June 30, down 1 018% from the headline earnings a share of 6.74c posted in the prior corresponding period. Earnings a share decreased by almost 1 000% to a loss of 62.14c apiece, from earnings of 6.91c apiece reported in the prior six months. Wesizwe reported a loss of R1-billion for the six months under review, compared with comprehensive income of R112-million for the same period in 2019. The mine’s operating unit cost per metre and per tonne ended up being 251% and 216% higher, respectively, in the six months under review, owing to lower efficiencies in production and the overhead costs remaining flat. Some additional Covid-19 compliance costs also added to the variance. Wesizwe completed a revision of the mine’s definitive feasibility study based on the latest business case, which was approved by the technical committee and board in September. The company advised in its results statement that its cash resources of R1.7-billion are sufficient to conduct operations and develop the Bakubung mine up to the end of the year. However, the ability of the company to continue as a going concern is dependent on a number of factors, including the support of the majority shareholder. The company says its majority shareholder has provided a letter of comfort, supporting any shortfall in funding and guaranteed repayment of the China Development Bank loan.

Today, China is the world's largest official creditor, more twice as large as the World and the International Monetary Fund combined. Nowhere is this more evident than in Africa where Beijing has lent an estimated $143 billion between 2000-2017.But how China lends money is still poorly understood. Many observers often oversimplify the issue by characterizing it as "Chinese loans" or "Chinese finance." The reality is that the Chinese development finance model is extremely complicated and includes a lot of competing actors who each pursue their own agendas.Kanyi Lui is a Beijing-based project finance lawyer who's spent almost two decades working in the overseas Chinese development finance sector. He's worked closely with China's powerful policy banks, commercial creditors and in the private capital market as well. Kanyi joins Eric & Cobus to provide some badly-needed background as to who are the key players in this space and how they operate.SHOW NOTES:Chinese financing: how will China restructure zero-interest loans by Kanyi Lui.Chinese finance: banking with Chinese lenders by Kanyi LuiJOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesqueSUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER FOR JUST $3 FOR 3 MONTHS.Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news.2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.comTry it out for just $3 for 3 months: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

Former top banker in China pleads guilty to US$12 million corruption after being caught in Xi Jinping’s sweep Hu Huaibang, former party secretary and chairman of the China Development Bank, used status and resources to receive millions illegally over 10 years More than 1 million officials have been punished in President Xi’s crackdown on corruption A former top banker in China pleaded guilty on Thursday to illegally receiving more than US$12 million after being caught last year in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping campaign against corruption https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3095373/former-top-banker-china-pleads-guilty-us12-million-corruption Memphis Democrat accused of stealing $600K The U.S. Department of Justice has charged state... View Article

Turkcell signs $590M loan deal with China Development Bank Turkey's leading mobile phone operator, Turkcell, has signed a 590-million- dollar long-term loan deal with China Development Bank. The company said the eight-year maturity loan will fund its investments in infrastructure over the next three years. The loan will be repaid in the five years following a three-year grace period. McDonald's sues ousted CEO Steve Easterbrook McDonald's is suing its former chief executive Steve Easterbrook to recover tens of millions of dollars in severance pay after discovering evidence he had sexual relationships with multiple employees. The fast-food chain says he tried to cover them-up and arranged for one woman to get a lucrative stock award. Easterbrook was fired last year for having a relationship with an employee. Norges Bank faces criticism over oil fund appointment The watchdog overseeing Norway's central bank says there are still conflicts of interest surrounding the new CEO of the country's 1-point-1 trillion-dollar wealth fund. Norges Bank appointed hedge fund veteran Nicolai Tangen to the post in March. but Tangen has been allowed to keep a controlling stake in his fund, AKO Capital.

China famously lent billions of dollars to countries across Africa to build expensive, new railways. Nigeria, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya all used loans from Beijing to build new lines using a standard gauge (SGR) that will one day make it possible for these various railways to interconnect with one another.While a number of African countries are still eager to build out railways, it appears that the days of easy access to Chinese financing are coming to an end. Chinese policy banks like the China Exim Bank and the China Development Bank are becoming increasingly reluctant to lend money for African rail projects. Over the past year, these banks have refused to finance part of Kenya’s SGR, Uganda’s new SGR and Tanzania’s hugely ambitious plans to become a rail hub in East Africa.And all of this happened before the economic crisis in Africa brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. If it was tough before COVID-19, then it’s no doubt going to be even more difficult now for African policymakers to persuade China’s development bankers that railways are a good investment.At this point, it’s still too early to tell if the massive investments in African rail are going to pay off, either directly through increased passenger and cargo traffic, or indirectly by enhanced economic activity that the railway facilitate. Ethiopia, though, presents an interesting case study, according to Yunnan Chen, a senior research officer at the Overseas Development Institute in London.Chen conducted in-depth research on China’s role in developing Ethiopia’s rail network for his dissertation. She spent several months doing fieldwork and interview dozens of stakeholders to carefully examine the strengths and shortcomings of China’s railway development model in Africa.Yunnan joins Eric and Cobus to discuss her findings and to look ahead at what impact COVID-19 will have on the future of Chinese railway development on the continent.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @yunnanchenRead Yunnan Chen’s recent article: Railpolitik: the strengths and pitfalls of Chinese-financed African RailwaysSUPPORT THIS PODCAST. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT.Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news.2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.comSubscribe today and get two-weeks free: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

Để phát triển mạng điện thoại di động thế hệ 5, châu Âu vừa "cần" và vừa "ngại" Hoa Vi. Châu Âu tránh nêu đích danh Hoa Vi nhưng báo động các trang thiết bị của tập đoàn Trung Quốc này có thể là một mối đe dọa đối với an ninh của mạng 5G trên Lục Địa Già. Hoa Vi là một trong những đề tài mà thủ tướng Anh đã đề cập đến với tổng thống Mỹ bên lề thượng đỉnh NATO (04/12/2019) tại Luân Đôn. Từ tháng 5/2019, khi chính quyền Trump tuyên chiến với tập đoàn do ông Nhậm Chính Phi thành lập năm 1987, Hoa Kỳ liên tục thúc ép ba đồng minh thân thiết nhất trong Liên Hiệp Châu Âu là Anh, Pháp, Đức tẩy chay Hoa Vi. Ngày 10/10/2019 Bruxelles công bố một báo cáo nêu bật một số "đe dọa có thể nhắm vào hệ thống mạng 5G", "khả năng của một số quốc gia hay các nhà cung cấp mạng tiến hành các đợt tấn công liên tiếp và tinh vi đe dọa đến an ninh" mạng điện thoại di động của châu Âu. Dù vậy, Liên Âu đang cân nhắc việc hợp tác với Hoa Vi để phát triển hệ thống viễn thông đời mới. Anh, Pháp và Đức đang bị giằng co giữa một bên là mối liên minh chiến lược và quân sự với Washington và bên kia là những lợi ích về thương mại với Bắc Kinh. Đề cao cảnh giác nhưng không cấm cửa Hoa Vi Trước mắt, lập trường chung của châu Âu là một mặt kêu gọi "đề cao cảnh giác" trước nguy cơ trang thiết bị 5G do có thể bị "một số Nhà nước hay các nhà cung cấp mạng" sử dụng như những con ngựa thành Troie, dùng để dọ thám đối phương. Nhưng đồng thời từ Luân Đôn đến Berlin hay Paris đều tuyên bố "không cấm cửa Hoa Vi". Trả lời đài RFI tiếng Việt, chuyên gia về tin học và kỹ thuật số, Julien Nocetti, cộng tác viên của Viện Quan Hệ Quốc Tế Pháp - IFRI nhấn mạnh đến thế kẹt của châu Âu trên hồ sơ nhậy cảm này : "Cho đến nay Liên Hiệp Châu Âu chưa quyết định dứt khoát về trường hợp Hoa Vi. Nhưng đã nhiều lần Ủy Ban Châu Âu thảo luận và nghiên cứu kỹ hồ sơ này. Đặc biệt là trong những tháng gần đây, câu hỏi Bruxelles có nên cấm cửa Hoa Vi hay không gây nhiều tranh cãi giữa các thành viên, đặc biệt là tại Anh và Đức". Riêng với nước Anh, hồ sơ Brexit khiến bài toán càng thêm nan giải. Nước Anh sắp chia tay với châu Âu và sẽ cần có những điểm tựa vững chắc như là Mỹ và cả Trung Quốc. Ông Julien Nocetti giải thích tiếp : "Cái khó đối với Luân Đôn là nước Anh bị giằng co giữa Trung Quốc và Mỹ. Với Trung Quốc thì lợi ích quan trọng nhất là thương mại, đặc biệt là trong bối cảnh Brexit. Đồng thời, Vương quốc Anh lại có một mối quan hệ rất đặc biệt với Hoa Kỳ, chủ yếu là về an ninh và chiến lược. Đó là chưa kể Luân Đôn cũng sẽ rất cần đến Washington trong giai đoạn hậu Brexit". Tại Berlin, Hoa Vi cũng là một chủ đề gây nhiều tranh cãi. Đức có mối quan hệ gần gũi với Hoa Kỳ từ sau Thế Chiến Thứ Hai. Điều đó không cấm cản Washington cho đặt máy nghe lén điện thoại của thủ tướng Merkel. Đồng thời, trong số các lãnh đạo phương Tây, bà Angela Merkel là một trong những người thường xuyên công du Trung Quốc nhất. Chuyên gia Pháp Nocetti nhấn mạnh đến mức độ gắn bó chặt chẽ giữa công nghệ của Đức với Trung Quốc. Điều đó khiến vấn đề bảo vệ an ninh mạng trong quan hệ với đối tác châu Á này lại càng lớn : "Trong trường hợp của Đức, vấn đề càng phức tạp hơn. Giám đốc ngành tình báo cho rằng, trang thiết bị của Hoa Vi chưa chắc đã "nguy hiểm" hơn so với của Mỹ. Ngược lại, thủ tướng Merkel luôn thiên về phía Washington. Tuy nhiên, từ năm 2013 sau vụ tai tiếng Mỹ nghe trộm điện thoại của bà Merkel, Berlin thận trọng hơn với đồng minh Hoa Kỳ. Cùng lúc, về thương mại và công nghiệp, các tập đoàn của Đức vừa cần đến các đối tác Trung Quốc vừa lệ thuộc vào các hãng của Trung Quốc. Nguy cơ ở đây là nếu ngả về phía Hoa Vi, Berlin sẽ làm Washington phật lòng và lại càng tăng thêm mức độ lệ thuộc vào các đối tác Trung Quốc. Dù vậy, tới nay Đức cũng chưa đưa ra quyết định sau cùng là có nên hay không chọn Hoa Vi làm đối tác để phát triển hệ thống 5G". Riêng Paris, cho đến đầu tháng 12/2019, Pháp tuyên bố "không nhất thiết phải theo đuôi Hoa Kỳ loại Hoa Vi khỏi các dự án xây dựng mạng điện thoại đời mới" nhưng đồng thời Pháp, cách nay vài tháng, vừa thông qua một bộ luật nhằm nâng cao khả năng bảo đảm mức độ an toàn cho mạng 5G, nhưng tránh không nêu tên bất kỳ một nhà cung cấp nào. Cộng tác viên Viện Quan Hệ Quốc Tế Pháp, ông Julien Nocetti, hơi ngạc nhiên về thái độ "kín đáo" của chính phủ Pháp : "Lập trường được giữ khá kín của Pháp khiến không ít người ngạc nhiên. Về thực chất, Paris luôn tỏ ra gần với quan điểm của Washington, dù không cực đoan như Mỹ. Hiện tại, Pháp nói là không loại Hoa Vi, đồng thời kêu gọi tăng cường các chuẩn mực về an ninh mạng và nhất là giành quyền kiểm soát khâu quan trọng nhất trong tiến trình phủ sóng 5G". Mỹ chơi trò đánh hỏa mù ? Nói cách khác, trước mắt, Hoa Vi vẫn tự tin là đủ sức thuyết hục châu Âu không về hùa với Mỹ để loại tập đoàn Trung Quốc này. Nhất là ngay cả chính Washington, sau khi Nhà Trắng viện lý do an ninh quốc gia, "cấm các công ty Mỹ mua trang thiết bị của Hoa Vi và ZTE", thì trong sáu tháng qua, cũng Washington đã ba lần tạm hoãn lệnh trừng phạt tập đoàn viễn thông Trung Quốc này. Nhưng điều đó không cấm cản chính quyền Trump vì muốn triệt hạ Hoa Vi đã ngỏ ý "hỗ trợ" hai tập tập đoàn châu Âu là Nokia và Ericsson về mặt tài chính như tin được tờ báo Financial Times loan tải. Vẫn theo tờ báo tài chính này, một số quan chức Mỹ cho rằng "cần tạo điều kiện" để có một sự "cạnh tranh" trên thị trường cung cấp mạng 5G trong lúc mà từ "nhiều năm qua, Hoa Vi đã được Ngân Hàng Phát Triển Trung Quốc dễ dàng cấp tín dụng để trở thành một ông khổng lồ trong ngành viễn thông của thế giới". Cần biết rằng China Development Bank là ngân hàng lớn nhất của Trung Quốc. Báo Financial Times không quên nhắc lại rằng, Ericsson vừa phải nộp phạt hơn 1 tỷ đô la cho chính phủ Mỹ trong khuôn khổ cuộc điều tra về tội hối lộ, cạnh tranh bất bình đẳng để giành được thị phần tại Việt Nam, Trung Quốc và Djibouti trong thời gian từ năm 2000 đến 2016. Thực lực của châu Âu ? Vậy câu hỏi đặt ra là liệu Liên Hiệp Châu Âu thể trông cậy vào hai con chim đầu đàn trong ngành viễn thông của mình là Nokia và Ericsson mà không cần đến Hoa Vi của Trung Quốc hay không ? Chuyên gia Pháp, Julien Nocetti trả lời : "Trong ngắn hạn, châu Âu không thể đoạn tuyệt với Hoa Vi. Đây là kịch bản không thực tế chút nào. Liên Hiệp Châu Âu có nhiều lá chủ bài để phát triển mạng 5G, có một số các công ty đã làm chủ trong lĩnh vực này. Tôi muốn nói tới Nokkia và Ericsson. Châu Âu vừa có các chuyên gia, vừa làm chủ kỹ thuật này. Tuy nhiên, đừng quên rằng ngay cả các tập đoàn châu Âu là Nokia và Ericsson cũng đang có nhiều dự án với các đối tác Trung Quốc. Một ngày nào đó, các công ty này tính chuyện thay thế Hoa Vi, thì lập tức Bắc Kinh sẽ trả đũa". Nhược điểm của châu Âu là vấn đề tài chính, như giải thích của ông Nocetti, Viện Quan Hệ Quốc Tế Pháp : "Nói về phương tiện cần được huy động, quan trọng nhất là vế tài chính. Đây là cốt lõi của vấn đề và cũng là nhược điểm của châu Âu. Chúng ta thấy rằng, để phát triển mạng công nghệ thông tin đời mới, ngân sách của một vài quốc gia trong Liên Âu là không đủ". Qua hồ sơ phát triển công nghệ điện thoại 5G, châu Âu nói chung và Pháp nói riêng, rõ ràng là đang bị kẹt giữa hai ông khổng lồ là Mỹ và Trung Quốc. Trớ trêu hơn cả là châu Âu hay Pháp, Đức, trong một thời gian dài đã dẫn đầu các công nghệ từ tin học đến viễn thông. Châu Âu đã có rất nhiều lá chủ bài trong tay, từ nhân lực đến kỹ thuật, nhưng chỉ vì thiếu đoàn kết để có được một chiến lược phát triển chung, để rồi Trung Quốc giành lấy được thế thượng phong. Giờ đây, trên bàn cờ 5G, châu Âu đang bị dồn vào thế thủ. Nếu có tham vọng thoát khỏi cảnh trên đe dưới búa giữa Trung Quốc và Hoa Kỳ, Bruxelles cần "nhanh chóng hành động mà không được phép đi sai một nước cờ", như kết luận của chuyên gia về an ninh mạng, công nghệ kỹ thuật số, Julien Nocetti, cộng tác viên Viện Quan Hệ Quốc Tế - IFRI.

Douglas Fuller is an associate professor in the Department of Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong and the author of Paper Tiger, Hidden Dragons: Firms and the Political Economy of China's Technological Development. In his book, Fuller explores a question that has hounded heads of state around the world for decades: How can a developing country get ahead in the tech sector? Drawing on the results of 499 interviews from experts over the course of 15 years, Fuller discusses China's answer to this question in the context of its attempts to dominate the global semiconductor industry. Fuller and Jordan also touch on the transformative impact of the trade war and the concept of technology transfer and their implications for the immediate future of the Chinese tech sector.  Jordan's newsletter is now available for sign-ups: chinaecontalk.substack.com. In the past few weeks, he's translated articles on topics like the troubled future of VPNs in China, the role of “operations” in Chinese internet companies, and the rise of a cheese tea Starbucks slayer.  What to listen for in this week's ChinaEconTalk: 27:38: Chinese tech companies are often portrayed as monolithic, but in reality, the financial decisions that brought companies like ZTE and Huawei to the international stage are significantly different: “[Huawei CEO and founder] Ren Zhengfei — there was a method to his madness. He decided to forgo what were these rational incentive structures to just embrace state procurement and instead took a very high risk strategy of very early on looking abroad for contracts, for markets because he really wanted to hone Huawei's capabilities by competing against the best… In contrast, a firm like ZTE was more than happy to be much more reliant on the Chinese marketplace when it went abroad. It sort of very much followed this [path of taking] China Development Bank subsidized loans to sell equipment in African countries where the leading foreign firms were not interested because the price points were so low.” 41:16: What should U.S. policy look like in regards to Chinese tech policy? In considering this question, Fuller notes: “Investment binges [by China] have wrecked certain markets… Now the United States is extrapolating forward. What if they do this in memory chips or other semiconductor products? Those two areas are of high concern, particularly when thinking about, ‘Well, are these natural outcomes, or not?' And I would say the investment binges and the levels of subsidization of a lot of industrial investment in China, this obviously didn't just happen because the market dictated it.” Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Douglas Fuller is an associate professor in the Department of Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong and the author of Paper Tiger, Hidden Dragons: Firms and the Political Economy of China’s Technological Development. In his book, Fuller explores a question that has hounded heads of state around the world for decades: How can a developing country get ahead in the tech sector? Drawing on the results of 499 interviews from experts over the course of 15 years, Fuller discusses China’s answer to this question in the context of its attempts to dominate the global semiconductor industry. Fuller and Jordan also touch on the transformative impact of the trade war and the concept of technology transfer and their implications for the immediate future of the Chinese tech sector.  Jordan’s newsletter is now available for sign-ups: chinaecontalk.substack.com. In the past few weeks, he’s translated articles on topics like the troubled future of VPNs in China, the role of “operations” in Chinese internet companies, and the rise of a cheese tea Starbucks slayer.  What to listen for in this week’s ChinaEconTalk: 27:38: Chinese tech companies are often portrayed as monolithic, but in reality, the financial decisions that brought companies like ZTE and Huawei to the international stage are significantly different: “[Huawei CEO and founder] Ren Zhengfei — there was a method to his madness. He decided to forgo what were these rational incentive structures to just embrace state procurement and instead took a very high risk strategy of very early on looking abroad for contracts, for markets because he really wanted to hone Huawei’s capabilities by competing against the best… In contrast, a firm like ZTE was more than happy to be much more reliant on the Chinese marketplace when it went abroad. It sort of very much followed this [path of taking] China Development Bank subsidized loans to sell equipment in African countries where the leading foreign firms were not interested because the price points were so low.” 41:16: What should U.S. policy look like in regards to Chinese tech policy? In considering this question, Fuller notes: “Investment binges [by China] have wrecked certain markets… Now the United States is extrapolating forward. What if they do this in memory chips or other semiconductor products? Those two areas are of high concern, particularly when thinking about, ‘Well, are these natural outcomes, or not?’ And I would say the investment binges and the levels of subsidization of a lot of industrial investment in China, this obviously didn’t just happen because the market dictated it.”

On episode 16 we introduce our new co-host Juliet Lu! Juliet and Erik speak with China Research and Project Leader at the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University - Ma Xinyue about her latest work on the PandaPaw DragonClaw blog “Assessing China’s Most Comprehensive Response to the “debt trap”: the Belt and Road ‘Debt Sustainability Framework’ https://pandapawdragonclaw.blog/2019/07/17/debt-trap-for-whom/ Recommendations: Ma Xinyue Two Articles from Chen Muyang State Actors, Market Games: Credit Guarantees and the Funding of China Development Bank https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13563467.2019.1613353?af=R&journalCode=cnpe20Official Aid or Export Credit: China’s Policy Banks and the Reshaping of Development Finance http://www.bu.edu/gdp/files/2018/09/GCI-Muyang-Chen-18-int.pdfErik Follow the PandaPaw / DragonClaw Crew Ma Tianjie @TJma_beijing Calvin Quek @clearroads Tom Baxter @tombaxter17 Lizzo’s Tiny Desk Concert https://www.npr.org/2019/07/29/732097345/lizzo-tiny-desk-concertJuliet The Glass Palace: Amitav Ghosh https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Palace-Novel-Amitav-Ghosh/dp/0375758771

South Africa's state-owned power utility Eskom is in dire straits. The electric power company now has more than $30 billion of debt and its current revenue no longer provides enough money to cover daily operational costs. Now, as a result of the ongoing financial crisis at the company, Eskom is now load-shedding with rolling blackouts across the country. Given that Eskom provides almost the entire country's electricity, the stakes for both president Cyril Ramaphosa and South Africa at large are both enormous. Back in April, there were indications that the China Development Bank might step in to provide $2.5 billion in emergency financing but those talks have now reportedly gone cold. Nonetheless, South Africa's Department of Public Enterprises, who oversees Eskom, says it remains optimistic a deal with China can be reached. This week Eric & Cobus speak with University of Johannesburg professor Hartmut Winkler about the fate of Eskom and what role, if any, is China playing to help salvage the company. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @hawiknowledge1 Email: eric@chinaafricaproject.com | cobus@chinaafricaproject.com Sign up here if you would like to join our weekly email newsletter mailing list for a carefully curated selection of the week's top China-Africa news.

Welcome to the 94th installment of the Caixin-Sinica Business Brief, a weekly podcast that brings you the most important business stories of the week from China's top source for business and financial news. Produced by Kaiser Kuo of our Sinica Podcast, it features a business news roundup, plus conversations with Caixin reporters and editors. This week: We discuss how China's yuan dropped below seven per dollar as the trade war escalated. We note that troubled Hengfeng 恒丰 Bank has received official approval for a restructuring plan that involves investments from a provincial government and a unit of China's sovereign wealth fund. We dive into the story of Hu Huaibang 胡怀邦, the former chairman of policy lender China Development Bank, who is under investigation for allegedly using his position to funnel billions of dollars of dodgy credit to fallen energy and financial group CEFC China Energy and prop up the heavily indebted real estate conglomerate HNA Group. We analyze Huawei's new operating system “Harmony,” which marked the Chinese smartphone giant's latest step toward creating its own software ecosystem. We report that several Chinese automakers' sales of new-energy vehicles hit the skids in July as the industry navigates government subsidy cuts. We hear that Foxconn and customer Amazon face renewed criticism from a labor advocacy group for allegedly slashing wages and flouting labor laws at a Chinese factory as pressure from U.S. tariffs mounts. We find out that Tesla's Shanghai facility is on track to officially start production at the end of this year, the company said Wednesday in a message posted to its official Weibo account. We chat about mini-programs — bare-bones applications that run instantly on web platforms — which are the new front line as China's internet giants battle for traffic and corporate business, and the country's biggest search engine is keen to get in on the act. In addition, we talk with Tanner Brown, head of real-time news at Caixin, about deadly heat waves in China. We also chat with Doug Young, managing editor of Caixin Global, about recent news about Huawei.

Mathane Makgatho, the former Transnet Treasurer told the Zondo Commission that she eventually resigned in 2014 from the state-owned enterprise because she felt her life was at risk and with four young children, she could not play Superwoman. She told the commission that several other officials at the Transnet followed her because of the toxic environment created by her bosses Brian Molefe and Anoj Singh who saw the straight-talking Makgatho as an obstacle to their pact with the Guptas to loot Transnet. Despite trying time and time again to prevent Regiments, a Gupta-linked firm from becoming involved in securing a $2.5 billion loan from the China Development Bank for the purchase of new locomotives, which she believed Transnet was more than capable of doing itself; she could not convince Transnet’s managers. She was made to believe Taiwanese mafia were involved in the deal. The article was republished with permission from the Daily Maverick. - Linda van Tilburg

In deliveries, three Boeing 737-800s were delivered to Aeroflot, Ryanair, and Shangdong Airlines. One A321-200 was delivered to VietJetAir. Boeing has announced the completion of flight tests for the 787-10 Dreamliner with Rolls Royce engines. Testing with GE engines has not yet concluded. Boeing has acknowledged that the blade issues on the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 for the 787-9 has been present across all carriers, rather than isolated to those with publisized flight disruptions due to groundings, such as Air New Zealand. Lockheed Martin has filed for a $212 Million Governement Reimbursement for restructuring costs of helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft, which it aquired for $9 billion USD in 2015. An $840 million class action suit has been brought against the FAA due to privacy concerns with regards to the drone registration database created by the National Defence Authorization Act passed into law in December Airlines for America, the primary US airline lobbyist group, spent a total of $8.59 million in 2017, a 34% increase from the previous year. According to a study by the London School of Economics, in-flight broadband is expected to expand to a $130 billion global market by 2035, which equates to an additional $3.21 in per passenger revenue. According to its financial statements, Quatar Airways has aquired, unannounced, an additional 0.33% equity holding in Cathay Pacific since its initial share acquisition in November HNA announced today that it has cleared due-diligene checks for JP Morgan, UBS, Creid Suisse, and others in the past few months, mitigating the concern of collapse. China Development Bank, which is highly exposed to the company, has announced its intent to support the company, as its collapse would not be in the general interest. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has contracted US companies Jeppesen and Honeywell to address the 72% of the country's civil airports that are not currently in the administation's aviation navigation database. Taiwan has denied Chinese Airlines China Eastern and Xiamen traffic rights during Chinese new year due to China's opening of four routes near the disputed martime border earlier this month. The Australian Government has launched its second probe into airline fares in response to citizen concerns over the significantly higher price tag of rural flights compared to hub-to-hub trips.

Last month China held a major international forum on its Belt and Road Initiative, the first of its kind since Beijing announced the project in 2013. Drawing official delegations, scholars, entrepreneurs, as well as representatives from financial institutions and media organizations from 130 nations, the forum was an important step in China’s drive to develop infrastructure and connectivity along the “Belt and Road Corridors” from China to Africa, Europe, South and Southeast Asia. Though many important details about the initiative remain unclear, foreign businesses are already vying for opportunities to join the initiative, and their excitement was primed by President’s Xi Jinping’s promise at the Forum to raise tens of billions of dollars in new financing. The event generated some concern about whether actual profits and benefits will match expectations. From the perspectives both of recipient countries and investors, the Belt and Road Initiative represents huge potential and significant risk. Amid the enthusiasm and apprehension surrounding the project, a robust dialogue and accurate information are critical. In support of this, the National Committee and the India China Institute of the New School hosted a delegation of financial and economic scholars led by the director general of the International Finance Department of the China Development Bank, Mr. Liang Huijiang, to discuss the May 2017 Belt and Road Forum on June 20, 2017 with moderator Mark Frazier, professor of politics and director of the New School’s India-China Institute. Mr. Liang Huijiang is director general of the International Finance Department of the China Development Bank (CDB). He oversees strategy and policy making of the bank’s international business operations as well as cooperation with national and multilateral development banks.  He also manages an overseas loan portfolio of over USD 300 billion, and is instrumental in expanding the bank’s global network. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Liang was deputy director general of the bank’s Treasury Department, playing a key role in building a professional team for the bank’s liquidity and investment portfolios as it reached several milestones in overseas bond offerings and underwritings. Between 1998 and 2003 Mr. Liang was special assistant to Mr. Chen Yuan, then president of the CDB. In that capacity, he was in charge of developing strategies as the CDB transformed itself from a semi-government agency into a market-oriented bank. Before joining CDB, Mr. Liang worked in the International Department of the People’s Bank of China, where he was involved in annual consultations between China and the IMF and reform of China’s exchange rate regime. Mr. Liang holds a master’s degree in finance from the London Business School (2004), a master’s in economics from the PBC School of Finance, Tsinghua University (1996), and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hangzhou University (1993). Dr. Wang Wen is a professor and executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China. He also serves as a consultant fellow at the Counselors’ Office of the State Council of China, secretary general of the Green Finance Association of China, and standing director of World Socialism Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. As a leading think tank professional since 2013, Dr. Wang was named a “2014 Top Ten Figures of Chinese Think Tanks,” and a “2015 China Reform and Development Pioneer.” Dr. Wang worked as chief op-ed editor and editorial writer at Global Times before 2012, and won a China News Awards in 2011. He has written and edited over 20 books including Think as a Tank; Anxiety of the U.S.; Visions of the Great Powers; 2016: G20 and China; Theories of World Governance: A Study in the History of Ideas; and The G20 and Global Governance. Dr. Zha Daojiong is a professor of international political economy at the School of International Studies, Peking University, where he holds concurrent appointments in the University’s Institute of South-South Cooperation and International Development and Institute of Ocean Research. He specializes in studying non-traditional security issues in China’s foreign relations, including energy, food, public health, and transboundary water management. His recent research interests have expanded to political risk management for Chinese investments overseas. Professor Zha has served as Arthur Ross Fellow at the Center on US-China Relations of the Asia Society in New York, as the inaugural Rio Tinto China Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, and as senior research fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is also a member of the China chapter of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, and a senior advisor to the Chinese Association for International Understanding. He is an active participant in the National Committee’s longstanding track II economic dialogue. Professor Zha has written and edited seven academic books, in addition to dozens of journal articles. He taught in Japan for six years and holds a doctoral degree in political science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the East-West Center.   Dr. Zhai Kun is a professor at the School of International Studies, Peking University, and director of the Center for Global Interconnectivity Studies, Peking University.  Dr. Zhai was formerly director of the Institute of World Political Studies (2011-2014) and director of South and Southeast Asian and Oceania Studies (2007-2011) at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR). He is a council member of China People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, a China expert and eminent person of the ASEAN Regional Forum, and deputy president of the China Association of Southeast Asian Studies. Dr. Zhai has published extensively on China’s diplomacy and strategic thinking. He frequently writes for the People’s Daily, China Daily, World Knowledge, and Oriental Morning Post. Dr. Zhai received his Ph.D. in international relations from CICIR, and his M.A. in international relations and B.A. in international journalism from the University of International Relations.

Hong Kong-based state-owned enterprise China Merchants Group (CMG) is reprising its industrial and commercial pioneering role, this time as a founder of the China-Belarus Industrial Park, also known as Great Stone Industrial Park and a major Belt and Road project. Beside an HKTDC seminar recently CMG Director Hu Zheng detailed investment features at the Park, including “10+10” corporate tax exemption and preferential loans through China Development Bank.

Norbert is a young African professional with over 10 years of experience in China. A Rwandan national, Norbert speaks 6 languages including Chinese, French and English and has 6 years’ experience in Chinese investments in Africa, working with such prestigious institutions as China Development Bank and Exim Bank. He is a co-founder of YAPS (Young African Professionals and Students) and co-founder and CEO of Kiziga.com, the biggest African platform for online Chinese university application and China-related Human resources and internship opportunities, and that project won him the Harambe-Intel Entrepreneur Award. Today, Kiziga represents 186 Chinese universities on the African continent. Norbert is also the representative of African Leadership Network in China, and a columnist at China investment magazine.

The Africa-China relationship is pretty smooth when you have the Export-Import Bank of China or the China Development Bank throwing billions of dollars in your direction. However, not everyone involved in the relationship is so lucky. In this episode, host Winslow Robertson speaks to an individual Chinese entrepreneur, Liang Zhang, who is a travel consultant, bringing small Chinese tour groups to Morocco to experience the country and its culture. We discuss how he got started, why he chose Morocco, and why everyone should visit the country. If you want to learn more about a different side of the China-Africa relationship, please listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxOpT-xrD_k In this episode of China Money Podcast, guest Jenny Gao, managing partner of Mandarin Capital, talks about how her fund helped an Italian company to penetrate the Chinese market, and why she is betting on the future of China's Dagong Global Credit Rating's future in Europe. Listen to the full interview in the audio podcast, watch an abbreviated video version, or read an excerpt. Q: You are only the second female guest on our program's one-and-half-year history. So let's start with your personal career. You initially worked at one of China's three policy banks, the Export and Import Bank of China. How did you get into the private equity industry? A: I worked at the Export and Import Bank of China (Exim Bank) ever since the beginning of its operation in 1994. The Bank is very much involved in the business of providing loans to Chinese companies to invest abroad, as well as undertaking big construction contracts and exporting machinery goods. During that time, I accumulated lots of networks among big Chinese State-Owned Enterprises and big Chinese private companies that were engaged in China's "Go Global" businesses. When Mandarin Capital Partners was set up in 2007, my managing partner, Alberto Forchielli, asked Exim Bank to provide the best support in terms of talent to support the fund's business in China. I was picked by the Exim Bank's management to work at Mandarin, and that's how I started doing private equity. Q: In way of background, Exim Bank is one of three major investors in Mandarin's first fund. The other two being China Development Bank and the second largest Italian bank, Intesa San Paolo? A: Yes, they were the three cornerstone investors and each provided EURO 75 million in the fund. At the end of 2007, we raised EURO 328 million in total. Q: From my previous conversation with Alberto Forchielli, Mandarin Capital's strategy, as I understand it, is to invest in China-Europe cross border deals, helping Chinese companies to expand in Europe and European companies to explore the Chinese markets? A: Exactly. To be more specific, we invest in Chinese companies, and then help them to expand in Europe through mergers and acquisitions, or finding strategic partners. Vice versa, we invest in European companies, and help them expand in China through M&A, building a joint venture or investing in green field investments. We see strong synergies between such team-up. Q: Can you give us a specific example to illustrate your strategy? A: We invested in an Italian company called Dedalus. Its main business is to make medical software for hospitals and other healthcare related institutions. One of the major products is the platform software that can link hospitals, drug stores, government agencies and insurance companies together, so that all of these institutions can efficiently exchange data and information to improve efficiency of the whole healthcare system. The company has already successfully implemented four platform software systems in Italy. In China, this kind of software started only two years ago. This market is in a very early stage. China just began implementing similar software for medical records. So Dedalus' technology is very relevant to the Chinese market. But Dedalus is a medium sized company, and couldn't navigate the Chinese market by itself. After we became a shareholder, we helped them to look at many potential acquisition targets in China. We probably looked at more than 30 medical software companies, and finally we decided to choose Sanwei Technology, a company located at a third tier city in Northern China. The city is an ideal location because it was launching one of the biggest projects in platform software in China. Sanwei became Detalus' China platform to develop the software in Chinese and also to set up a model project in the city. Q: Financially, what kind of targets have Datalus been able to achieve through al...