Niamey, Niger | AFP | The leaders of Benin and Niger have given their backing to Chinese involvement in a controversial major rail infrastructure project set to span several countries. “We have taken stock of the railway issue (and) we tried to see which measures could be taken to move …
Read More »MOTORING: New Volkswagen Touareg
China chosen as launch site of Volkswagen’s new ‘premium’ flagship Kampala, Uganda | MOTORING GURU | Volkswagen has abandoned the United States in favour of China for the world debut of its third-generation Touareg – because that’s where the money is. And you will need plenty of money to get into …
Read More »Zimbabwe leader to meet Xi in first China state visit
Beijing, China | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa was due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday as he seeks economic support from a major partner that previously backed his ousted predecessor Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa, who received military training in China when he was a young liberation fighter decades …
Read More »Chinese enterprises encouraged to invest in Uganda
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s Ambassador in Beijing Dr. Chrispus Kiyonga has encouraged Chinese enterprises to invest in Uganda because the country offers many opportunities and is friendly. Dr. Kiyonga said this during a visit to Shenyang and at a conference co-organised by the Uganda Embassy, the Liaoning Provincial authorities …
Read More »China’s aircraft carrier spotted in huge naval drill
Beijing, China | AFP | Beijing flexed its military muscle this week as its sole operational aircraft carrier apparently took part in a huge naval drill with dozens of other vessels in the South China Sea, satellite images showed. The pictures, taken by Planet Labs Inc., appear to show the …
Read More »A bridge so far: China’s controversial megaproject
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Touted as an engineering wonder, the world’s longest sea bridge, which connects Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, includes a snaking road crossing and an underwater tunnel and reportedly uses enough steel to build 60 Eiffel Towers. Nine years after construction began on the 55-kilometre …
Read More »North Korea’s Kim meets China’s Xi on first foreign trip
Beijing, China | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was treated to a lavish welcome by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a secretive trip to Beijing as both sides seek to repair frayed ties ahead of landmark summits with Seoul and Washington. On his first trip abroad since …
Read More »China invents invisible ‘super material’
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | China has claimed it has created a mysterious “super material” that can make anything invisible — and it could make the country unstoppable in war. The exact functions of the materials have not yet been disclosed but a Chinese news platform reported that the …
Read More »Trump to announce China trade sanctions on Thursday
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump is poised to unveil sanctions against China Thursday for the “theft” of US intellectual property, a White House official said, teeing up a second potential confrontation in as many months. Spokesman Raj Shah told AFP that Trump will announce actions following …
Read More »Empowered Xi Jinping says China ready to fight ‘bloody battle’
Beijing, China | AFP | President Xi Jinping delivered a blistering nationalist speech Tuesday, warning against any attempts to split China and touting the country’s readiness to fight “the bloody battle” to regain its rightful place in the world. Xi’s address capped an annual session of the National People’s Congress …
Read More »