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Belt and Road: The nations

Belt and Road: The nations
The initiative spearheaded by the Chinese government and endorsed by President Xi Jinping in late 2013 aims to improve trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Visitors take pictures with 2-metre-tall promoters at Kazakhstan booth at Hong Kong’s International Travel Expo on June 11. The Belt and Road Office has concluded memorandums with key institutions in Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, laying solid groundwork for collaboration. Photo: Nora Tam
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | 3 key belt and road connectivities that Hong Kong drives

Hong Kong’s Belt and Road Office is focusing on strengthening links related to infrastructure, rules and standards, and people-to-people connections.

Rohingya Muslims

Opinion | Why China should lead commission for a phased Rohingya repatriation

Belt and Road Initiative

China weighs risks as social unrest rocks strategic partner Nepal

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Belt and Road Initiative

China steps up Belt and Road Initiative funding with focus on Central Asia

The region received an ‘unusually high concentration’ of investment, particularly in metals and mining, new research has found.

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Under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, more investment and construction has been sent to Central Asia, with Kazakhstan the largest beneficiary. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

My Take | China champions ‘inclusive AI’ to win the hearts and minds of developing world

Beijing’s policy is focused on more affordable systems, inclusive tech development efforts and a seat at the table of AI governance.

Global South

Can India block China’s leadership in Global South-based alliances like the SCO?

As Beijing promotes a multipolar world order based on empowered developing countries, New Delhi also views itself as a leader.

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China-Middle East relations

Boom goes the deal? China’s Iran investments under fire, but Middle East beckons

Mideast is crucial to China’s belt and road plan, but amid the Iran-Israel war, a question resurfaces: how safe are Chinese assets there?

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Illustration: Henry Wong
US-China relations

Could a ‘more focused’ US gain an edge over China in Indonesian tech contest?

Although Jakarta has close economic ties with Beijing, a report says the push to boost its hi-tech economy could present openings for American firms.

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China-Asean relations

Exclusive | China woos the neighbours, with Xi said to be planning 3-country tour in April

The Chinese leader is expected to spend three days in Malaysia as well as visit Vietnam and Cambodia.

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US-China relations

Trump cut off aid to South Africa. Will it tilt the balance in China’s favour?

Washington’s ‘self-centred foreign policy’ may push Pretoria and others closer to Beijing, observer says.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Electric & new energy vehicles

Exclusive | Why does a Kazakh tycoon want to ride China’s electric vehicle wave?

‘We are a natural partner for China, especially in the growing EV sector,’ says Kenges Rakishev, chairman of the Fincraft Group.

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Kenges Rakishev, chairman of the Fincraft Group. Photo: Handout
China-Africa relations

China and the chocolate factory: Ivory Coast investment helps secure cocoa beans

If tonnes of beans go to China instead of Europe or US, chocolate makers in those regions will feel the loss, expert says.

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Belt and Road Initiative

China-Pakistan ties: presidents to focus on terrorism and economy

Asif Ali Zardari will arrive in China on Tuesday and is expected to discuss with Xi Jinping safeguarding China’s presence in the region.

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Ukraine war

Russia’s overheated economy is squeezing one of its key China trading channels

Investment in Russia’s railways is to be slashed by nearly a third, complicating trade with China, state media reported.

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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, left, and China’s President Xi Jinping in front of the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square, Beijing in May. Photo: Pool / AFP / Getty Images / TNS
Belt and Road Initiative

Xi Jinping touts shared views with Brazil on Ukraine, other matters ahead of G20

Xi says six-point Ukraine framework gets ‘a positive response from the international community’, even though Zelensky has rejected it.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen at the Apec Economic Cooperation forum summit in Lima on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Belt and Road Initiative

Brazil backs away from joining China’s belt and road but keeps funding door ajar

Beijing had hoped to make the initiative’s expansion a centrepiece of Xi Jinping’s visit to the country next month.

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China-Africa relations

Chinese cement firms look to growing African markets to make up for woes at home

Major cement producers see higher prices – and profits – in countries such as DRC, Mozambique and Ethiopia amid China’s property crisis.

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China-Africa relations

Chinese firm says US$900,000 of gold stolen in armed attack on mine in Ghana

Workers including Chinese citizens were injured in the robbery in April and suspects have been detained, according to Beijing Xiaocheng.

Chinese companies seeking to invest in minerals and resources have looked to Africa, but there are growing concerns over the security risks. Photo: Amy Nip
Belt and Road Initiative

China needs deterrent force to protect its expanding overseas interests: expert

Former PLA officer said worsening relations with the US and its allies have made the task more urgent.

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US-China relations

Changes needed for US funding tool to compete with China’s belt and road: CEO

Head of US International Development Finance Corporation Scott Nathan calls on members of Congress to review the eligibility criteria for funding to help build partnerships, particularly in Latin America.

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China-Africa relations

Why China’s foreign minister still starts the year with a trip to Africa

The timing of the trips has remained consistent but their purpose has shifted since Qian Qichen started the convention in 1991.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China-Afghanistan relations

Why China is wary of opening up Afghanistan’s new road to Xinjiang

Observers said the Taliban’s hopes that the completed project will become a link to China’s vast network are unlikely to be shared by Beijing.

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The exact location of Afghanistan’s Little Pamir Road has not been disclosed, but it is understood to reach the Chinese border via the narrow and barely accessible strip of land called the Wakhan Corridor. Photo: AFP
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | China’s belt and road success — Western narratives don’t do it justice

While a fuller assessment of this ambitious initiative will only be possible with time, its benefits so far cannot be denied. More importantly, the belt and road shows the rise of China has brought not colonial conquests or wars, but trade, tourism, infrastructure and economic growth.

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Diplomacy

Vladimir Putin confirms he will meet Xi Jinping in Beijing next month

In St Petersburg, Russian president tells Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi he will attend Belt and Road Forum, saying the strategy ‘fully meets and coincides’ with Russia’s interests.

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Science

China-Italy nanotech helps repair Church of the Scalzi in Venice: paper

Research team studies nine different ways to consolidate marble stones with patented combination of methods used in church restoration project.

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The Church of Santa Maria di Nazareth is the beneficiary of a method developed by Chinese and Italian researchers to treat marble stones damaged by time and the elements. Photo: Shutterstock
China-Africa relations

China and Russia pursue Eritrea for its strategic location in Africa

Big powers consider Eritrea’s access to the Red Sea, Suez Canal and Persian Gulf waters and onwards to the Indian Ocean important.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) holds a welcome ceremony for Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in Beijing on May 15, 2023 before their talks. Photo: Xinhua
China-Africa relations

China vows to aid Ethiopian recovery and boost ties with Kenya, Nigeria

China’s top diplomat makes a surprise stop in Addis Ababa and says Beijing is ‘willing to play a positive role in easing Ethiopia’s debt pressure’.

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China digital currency

China railway hub to use Belt and Road connectivity to promote digital yuan

Xuzhou will promote the use of the digital yuan in cross-border trade with Belt and Road countries using its connectivity via 18 regular cross-border railway lines to 21 countries in Europe and Asia.

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