TOPIC

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Angola

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Angola. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Luanda

Head of State

President João Lourenço

Head of Government

President João Lourenço

US-China relations

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

6 Dec 2025 - 6:51AMvideocam

Europe’s refugee crisis

UK toughens asylum policy as anti-immigration sentiment rises

18 Nov 2025 - 1:34PM

China-Africa relations

Chinese loans fuel Angola’s future cities but analysts cautious over the costs

20 Oct 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

US$1.4 billion Tazara rail deal puts China on fast track to Africa’s Copperbelt

State-owned CCECC will refurbish and operate the ageing Tanzania-Zambia railway, securing access to vital shipping links.

1 Oct 2025 - 12:00PMvideocam

More than 50 years after China funded and built the Tanzania-Zambia railway, the same state-owned company is set to refurbish the ageing rail link. Photo: Shutterstock

US-China relations

US invests in Zambia project in bid to loosen China’s grip on critical minerals

USTDA will provide US$1.4 million grant to Metalex Africa to fund feasibility study on expanding the copper and cobalt mine.

19 Sep 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China, US, Japan race to control African rail routes in critical minerals fight

Infrastructure is no longer just about moving ore, it is about shaping global supply lines, one analyst notes.

6 Sep 2025 - 2:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Kenya’s plan to switch debt payments from US dollars to yuan is a ‘win-win’

The move could set a new precedent, reducing Nairobi’s reliance on US currency while meeting Beijing’s goal of increased trade deals in yuan.

5 Sep 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Kenya has announced plans to repay its debt to China in renminbi rather than US dollars, strengthening its economic ties with Beijing. Photo: SCMP

Middle East

Qatar joins Gulf neighbours in African funding game with US$103 billion pledge

Al-Mansour Holdings is looking to tap into six resource-rich sub-Saharan countries for minerals, oil and gas.

4 Sep 2025 - 3:17PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Angola rail project not aimed at countering China, CEO says

The US has framed it as key to de-risking from China, but Nicholas Fournier says Lobito Atlantic Railway is ‘a purely commercial entity’.

23 Aug 2025 - 8:39PM

China-Africa relations

China investing US$350 million in Angola in drive to boost food security

The deals to grow corn and soybeans involving major state-owned firms come as Beijing seeks to reduce reliance on US agricultural supplies.

2 Aug 2025 - 2:00PMvideocam

A farmer checks newly harvested soybeans in central China’s Henan province. China’s actions in Angola highlight its strategic shift towards Africa for food security, especially given recent trade tensions with the United States. Photo: Xinhua

China-Africa relations

China looks to Africa as testing ground for global roll-out of yuan

A growing list of African nations have made deals to explore or implement use of the Chinese currency for trade and financial transactions.

16 Jul 2025 - 7:00PMvideocam

China is seeking to expand the yuan’s international use and break the dominance of the US dollar. Photo: Shutterstock

China-Africa relations

Opinion | Africa could emerge a winner from China’s war-induced energy shift

China’s transition to renewables could see African nations benefit as long as public-private partnerships help unlock potential gains.

30 Jun 2025 - 7:06AMvideocam

DR Congo

Opinion | Trump’s Africa policy zeroes in on minerals and militarism

As China tightens mineral export controls, the US is recalibrating its approach towards resource-rich African nations.

25 Apr 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China still leads the pack in Africa’s critical minerals race as US falls behind

Beijing has spent years – and billions – investing in Africa’s mining sector, and it is now paying off, experts say.

12 Mar 2025 - 11:16PMvideocam

China has spent billions investing in African critical minerals, such as this copper and cobalt mine in the DRC, leaving the US in its dust in the global rare earths race. Photo: AFP

China-Africa relations

In Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, China is proving it is master of the sea

China’s naval presence in an area notorious for piracy is both protecting its investments and stretching its military muscles.

29 Dec 2024 - 4:00PMvideocam

Chinese naval presence in the Gulf of Guinea is helping to protect its oil interests as it flexes its military muscles. Photo: Xinhua

History

Brazil-Angola cruise along slave trade route to shed light on dark past

The Great Passage cruise will make the transatlantic trip millions were forced into in reverse, in the name of education and accountability.

14 Jan 2025 - 1:29PM

Joe Biden

Biden arrives in Angola for his long-awaited sub-Saharan Africa visit

US president will use the three-day trip to counter China’s influence by highlighting an ambitious US-backed railway project.

3 Dec 2024 - 4:13AMvideocam

China-Africa relations

‘This is meant to be a demonstration’: how US plans to challenge China in Africa

The US and China are in a race to secure greater access to Africa’s vast mineral reserves with an infrastructure push by land and sea.

12 Nov 2024 - 11:40AMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Why is China choosing Gulf, Russia over Africa for crude oil supplies?

A report has highlighted the struggle among African oil suppliers as China moves towards other trading partners.

7 Jul 2024 - 6:11PMvideocam

US-China relations

US must avoid ‘devastating’ budget cuts to vie with China in Indo-Pacific: envoy

But Republican lawmakers question whether funds are being spent effectively to counter Beijing’s ‘malign influence’.

28 Jun 2024 - 6:36AMvideocam

US-China relations

US Export-Import Bank seeks more latitude to counter Belt and Road Initiative

Testifying before a supportive Congressional panel, the agency’s president asks for loosened restrictions to respond to Beijing’s export subsidies and finance.

28 Jun 2024 - 5:36AMvideocam

Reta Jo Lewis, president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, testifies to the House Financial Services Committee in Washington on Thursday. Photo: SCMP Pictures

China-Africa relations

China should look to Africa to counter overcapacity claims, AFC chief says

Samaila Zubairu, head of the development bank, says China should not see the continent as just the source of raw materials.

23 May 2024 - 2:35PM

Samaila Zubairu, chief executive of the Africa Finance Corporation, says Africa is “open and ready to do business with anybody that wants to do business”. Photo: Bloomberg

China-Africa relations

Coalition of the dissatisfied? Why China and Russia are winning friends in Africa

Beijing and Moscow are doing some things right but bigger picture forces are at play, analyst says.

19 May 2024 - 8:08PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Does China’s oil-for-infrastructure lending model in Africa need a rethink?

Chinese resource-backed loans were a lifeline for African economies but fluctuating commodity prices exposed a hidden danger.

20 May 2024 - 4:46PMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea raises terrorism alert for 5 of its embassies. Here’s why it’s odd

Analysts say the sudden two-tier rise of the warning despite no major events in progress for Seoul could signal precautions against a retaliation over a row on defected diplomats.

3 May 2024 - 5:08PMvideocam

A US soldier and South Korean soldiers stand guard in the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarised Zone separating North and South Korea. Photo: AFP

China-Africa relations

‘White gold’ mines in Africa bear fruit after decades of Chinese investment

New Zimbabwe processing plants help create lithium supply chains for Beijing as other markets tighten.

3 May 2024 - 3:17PMvideocam

Kamativi mine in Zimbabwe has been developed to process lithium as part of China’s bid to expand mineral supply in Africa. Photo: X/@ZANUPF_Official

Tourism

What the rest of ruined St Paul’s in Macau might have looked like

According to one culture official, the New Cathedral of Coimbra, in Portugal, served as the model for Macau’s Church of St Paul – of which only the facade remains, following a fire in 1835.

23 Apr 2024 - 4:15PM

China-Africa relations

Critical minerals for EV batteries help to drive China-Africa trade growth

Two-way trade between China and Africa has defied expectations, growing despite economic challenges.

20 Apr 2024 - 10:00PMvideocam

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