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Published 1st January 2011

Vol 4 (AAC) No 3


Top in trade and investment

Image courtesy of Panos Pictures
Image courtesy of Panos Pictures

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Confirming its status as Africa’s biggest trading partner, Beijing is taking on new diplomatic initiatives that may herald an eventual end to ‘non-interference’

Standing at US$114.8 billion in November 2010, China-Africa trade has bounced back faster than most of Africa’s other foreign trade since the 2008 global financial slowdown. China is now marking its second year as Africa’s biggest trading partner after overtaking the United States in January 2010. China-in-Africa fits into the wider picture of China’s rise: bailing out weakened European economies, the building of a muscular military infrastructure and the Beijing government’s available, but unused, leverage to resolve global conflicts from North Korea to Sudan.


‘An emerging priority’

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New Delhi’s diplomats struggle to offer Africa something that Beijing and Washington do not

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh describes Africa as ‘an emerging priority’ for his government, which is poised to reinforce its economic, diplomatic and security links with t...


The home front

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The economic crisis and the changing face of government in Tokyo will result in less attention to Africa

The Democratic Party of Japan’s crisis of popularity forced a cabinet reshuffle and now a new raft of ministers will handle relations with Africa. The replacement of Land, Transpor...


Japanese flip-flops

Struggles within the Democratic Party of Japan and also between the DPJ, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and smaller coalition parties promise more turbulent politics in Japan t...


South-south support

From Jakarta to Hanoi, Asia’s smaller powers are all building their diplomatic and trade ties with Africa’s emerging economies

North Africa is the prime diplomatic and investment destination for Muslim countries from Southeast Asia like Indonesia. Egypt’s Trade Representation Authority reported that bilate...


Building without BRICs

Feeling a little slighted by China’s invitation to South Africa to join the BRIC emerging market group, Seoul wants to trade its way to the top

China’s invitation to South Africa – rather than South Korea – to join the developing-country top table group of Brazil, Russia, India and China in December has irritated policy-ma...


Sowing seeds

Africa is another theatre in which North and South Korea play out their rivalries. This has led to unintended consequences, especially in the case of a South Korean spy in Libya(AA...



Pointers

Makiko Kikuta

Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs

West Africa is only a recent target of Tokyo’s donor diplomacy and commercial overtures, and just last year Japan opened embassies in Mauritania and Mali. Parliamentary Vice-Minist...


Seyoum Mesfin

Ambassador to China

With his January appointment as Ambassador to China, Seyoum Mesfin steps back from the day-to-day battles in Addis politics. He will, however, maintain a central role in his countr...


Sriprakash Jaiswal

Deputy Minister of Coal

India is seeking African supplies to cope with a looming coal shortage. Dependent on coal, India has large reserves – 58.6 billion tonnes in 2009 – but environmental regulations ob...