1. China in Africa

FM visits South Sudan and pledges support
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi arrived in the Republic of South Sudan on Tuesday to strengthen ties with the world's newest country one month after it declared independence. In an interview with South Sudan's Al-Masier newspaper, posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website on Tuesday afternoon, Yang said his visit "gives testimony to the importance China attaches to cultivating friendship and cooperation with South Sudan".
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China to boost oil cooperation with both Sudans
China vowed to support Sudan and South Sudan and help both countries develop their oil industries, its foreign minister said as Beijing is aggressively pursuing natural resources in Africa. Foreign minister Yang Jiechi visited the southern capital Juba on Tuesday, one of the first senior foreign visitors since South Sudan became independent last month.
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China-aided Lusaka General Hospital handed over to Zambia
Lusaka General Hospital, aided by the Chinese government, was completed and on Monday handed over to Zambia. Commissioning the opening of the newly constructed hospital, Zambian president Rupiah Banda said his country has over the years enjoyed the all-weather bilateral friendship with China, which is based on mutual benefits of the two peoples, and the commission of the Lusaka General Hospital will largely improve health delivery system and bring access to cost effective health care to the country.
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Chinese investors on S African gold mine hunt
Chinese investment firms appear to be aggressively targeting South Africa’s smaller gold mines, with another potential takeover transaction confirmed at the weekend. China African Precious Metals (CAPM) said it would offer R150 million ($20 million) to buy Pamodzi Gold Orkney from provisional liquidators, an announcement coinciding with a new high in the bullion price. This is the third Chinese-led foray into the sector here in three months, with Chinese investors showing considerable willingness to pursue opportunities outside the country’s major gold mining companies.
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'Re-think Sino-Africa ties'
Africa should rethink its relationship with China and end current trade practices under which raw materials are being spirited out of the continent with little benefits to technological and industrial capacity. Namibia has booming trade and political relations with China, which has emerged as the world's second largest economy and could be the biggest as soon as 2018. Despite the cosy relations, Namibia has said Chinese investors should add value to raw materials domestically.
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Africa-China unpaid bills ‘not our responsibility’
MINISTRY of Youth and Sport publicly distanced itself from any responsibility ascribed to it for the outstanding bills of the Africa-China Young Leaders Forum that took place in May. Despite the fact that the forum was hosted by the Swapo Party and the Communist Party of China, a spat ensued between Swapo Party Secretary General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana and Youth Minister Kazenambo Kazenambo when the latter refused to pick up the tab when the Chinese delegation who purportedly promised to cover all costs, failed to do so. With many unpaid bills at the end of the conference and service providers clamouring for payment, Iivula-Ithana reportedly approached the Ministries of Youth and Trade to cover the costs. At a press briefing yesterday, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Peingeondjabi Shipoh said earlier speculations in the local media that the Ministry has failed to honour its commitments towards the forum are devoid of any truth.
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NFCA plans to invest USD 700 million to boost production at Zambian unit
China’s diversified miner and leading copper producer, Non Ferrous Mining Company of Africa may plough in about USD 700 million in its Zambian unit at Chambishi mine’s south east ore body copper project to improve copper production and meet international metal demand from the Southern African nation. According to the company, the plan to invest the amount in the South East Ore Body is because of the volume of the project which the company seeks to maximize on copper production and create more employment as well as contribute to the growth of the mining sector.
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Mozambique and China due to sign ten cooperation agreements in Beijing
Mozambique and China are due Wednesday to sign more than ten cooperation agreements, memorandums and exchange of notes, in the financial, economic, technical and social areas as part of a state visit by Mozambican President Armando Guebuza that began Tuesday. According to Mozambican state newspaper Notícias, which cited diplomatic sources, the two sides plan to sign an agreement for technical and economic cooperation worth around US$7.6 million, a framework agreement in financial cooperation with the China Development Bank (CDB), as well as a framework agreement on cooperation in the area of Small and Medium-sized companies.
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SA students to get agri skills in China
Fifteen postgraduate students have been awarded the opportunity of a two-year scholarship programme to further their studies in agriculture, forestry and fisheries in China. The postgraduate scholarship, which is a partnership between the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and China, is part of an existing Cooperation Agreement between the two countries.
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2. India in Africa

India aims for trade deals with Africa
India said on Tuesday it expects to reach a preferential trading deal with the Southern African Customs Union by the end of the year as it seeks to expand its economic footprint on the African continent. India's trade minister also said New Delhi will be pursuing trade deals with other African nations as the country seeks to catch up with China which has outpaced it in trade and investment in the continent over the past decade. "India is keen to partner with countries in Africa not only for buying minerals but also for providing technology for mining and exploration," trade minister Anand Sharma said in a speech in the Indian capital.
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3. In Other Emerging Powers News

Russia to build a nuclear power plant in Nigeria
Africa may have its second nuclear power station within years. The first one was built in South African Republic in 1984, while the second station in planned in Nigeria. Russia is likely to run the project. The sides have already signed a draft agreement on the proposed nuclear power plant, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, says.
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SA and Lesotho to build 1 200 MW hydropower plant
South Africa and Lesotho on Thursday signed an implementation agreement for the second phase of the R15-billion Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) and committed to building a hydropower station with an installed capacity of between 1 000 MW and 1 200 MW. The hydropower plant would be operational in 2018, and would see some 200 MW supplied for Lesotho’s power needs, with the remaining power transmitted to South Africa.
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Emerging powers urge restraint in Syria
Emerging powers India, Brazil and South Africa urged Syria's regime to show restraint and respect for human rights at a meeting in Damascus with President Bashar al-Assad, a joint statement said Thursday. The countries "called for an immediate end to all violence and urged all sides to act with utmost restraint and respect for human rights and international human rights law", the joint statement said.
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4. Blogs, Opinions, Presentations and Publications

SA must be realistic about its resources – Gigaba
It is estimated that significant amounts of finance is needed to get infrastructure in Africa on track. An Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic estimates annual investment needs in infrastructure in Africa at $38 billion a year over the next 10 years, with two thirds of this required from the energy sector. Gigaba urged Africans not to contribute to the "China-phobia we hear all around us, we must not be romantic about the nature of Chinese involvement in Africa." "Africa has been identified by Beijing as a strategic source to meet this resource and new market requirements and consequently, Chinese engagement in Africa has increased dramatically over the last decade. "However, the Chinese engagement has been accompanied by an accelerated process of infrastructure investment, albeit with the challenges and dynamics of its own," said Gigaba.
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Economy: Mbeki urges Africa to focus on new trading allies
Africa should tap the US$ 50 billion capital exported from the continent to fund economic development, while seeking fair trading rights with China, Japan, Turkey and South Korea, former South African President Thabo Mbeki said Wednesday. Mbeki told a leadership forum underway in Mombasa, Kenya, that Africa should refocus on trade and capital generated within for investment, saying that trade within the continent could be enhanced using the regional economic blocs.
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Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's Written Interview with South Sudan Press
On August 9, 2011, Al-Masier in South Sudan published a written interview with China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. The text is as follows.
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