ALGERIACHINA Beijing in the line of fire 17th June 2010 Image courtesy of Panos Pictures View site Yet again Chinese companies are being penalised in the anti-corruption campaign led by some of President Bouteflika’s rivals in the security elite Chinese companies are caught in the political crossfire between President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his opponents in the military and intelligence services led by General Mohammed ‘Tewfik’ Mediene. The main point of contention is the conduct of the government’s promised anti-corruption campaign, which is targeting some of Boutflika’s ‘grands projets’, seen as his legacy to the country and which others regard as a lucrative source of revenue.
ALGERIACHINA The highway on trial 17th June 2010 Image courtesy of Panos Pictures View site As the graft wars intensify between factions of the Algerian government, several officials are appearing in court in connection with irregularities on contracts with Chinese companies in the East-West Highway project....
ETHIOPIAINDIA Fertile fields for India 17th June 2010 Image courtesy of Panos Pictures View site The Addis government shows scant regard for the potential local impact of massive Indian investment in floriculture and biofuels Ethiopia is renowned more for its famines than for its fertile fields but land leasing has become a burgeoning business in some of the most unlikely locations. Vast swathes of...
MAURITIUSINDIA Taxing times 17th June 2010 Port Louis suspends six forex companies as talks resume on the tax treaty that allows Indian companies to launder illicit funds India’s Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is sending a team of senior officials to resume the difficult negotiations with Mauritius to resolve the lingering stand-off over the 1983 Double Tax Avoidance Agreement....
SOUTH KOREAAFRICA Out of the starting blocks 17th June 2010 On 24 May, Seoul’s Strategy and Finance Ministry identified Algeria, Ethiopia, Congo-Kinshasa, South Africa and Tanzania as ‘strategically important’ countries in its economic cooperation with Africa. South Korea...
CONGO-KINSHASAASIA Private grief, state cash 17th June 2010 Most of China’s massive investment in Congo comes not from private companies but from the state enterprises leading the charge to Kinshasa China may be the biggest state investor in Congo but its private companies have invested less than those from South Africa and Britain, a new survey in Kinshasa reveals....
PAKISTANAFRICA Get in the game 17th June 2010 Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari held a mini-summit of African ambassadors on 2 June to launch Islamabad’s first real forays into Africa. In the style of Beijing’s Forum on China-Africa...
CONGO-KINSHASACHINA Is what is good for Zijin good for Congo? 17th June 2010 A storm is gathering over attempts by China’s Zijin Mining Group to buy Platmin Congo without prior approval from President Joseph Kabila’s government, despite generally good Beijing-Kinshasa relations....
GUINEACHINAAUSTRALIA Building an improbable railway 17th June 2010 There are two big problems with the new deal between the China International Fund and the small Australian mining company Bellzone announced in Conakry on 24 May to...
CHINA Chen Bingde 17th June 2010 People’s Liberation Army Chief of Staff, China Chinese arms are affordable options for African militaries looking to upgrade, and the advisors of the People’s Liberation Army are ready to meet that demand. On 23-31 May,...
ZIMBABWE Morgan Tsvangirai 17th June 2010 Prime Minister, Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s 24-26 May visit to South Korea was intended to drum up much-needed business for Zimbabwe. An investment promotion and protection deal was agreed with...
CHINA Xia Huang 17th June 2010 Ambassador of China to Niger Xia Huang’s short tenure as Ambassador to Niger has been anything but uneventful. Since his arrival in Niamey in November 2009, Xia has contended with a coup that...
INDIA S.M. Krishna 17th June 2010 Minister for External Affairs, India After the resignation of New Delhi’s point man on Africa, Shashi Tharoor, in May, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is taking an even more hands-on role in the cultivation of...