Lucy Corkin reviews ‘China’s Rise: Challenges and Opportunities’, by C. Fred Bergsten, Charles Freeman, Nicholas R. Lardy and Derek J. Mitchell, an assessment of China’s challenges, both internal and external and how this will affect the world in general and the US in particular. Although written primarily for US policymakers, it is ‘an excellent reference for China watchers from any discipline who seek to further understand the complexities of the Chinese state’, says Corkin.

As Macau marks the 10-year anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, Lucy Corkin discusses the 'special administrative region's' role in promoting stronger economic ties between Portuguese-speaking countries.

Lucy Corkin reviews 'China into Africa: Trade, Aid and Investment', edited by Robert I. Rotberg, a book which she regards as 'a very interesting read' despite its deficiencies in certain areas.

With trade between China and the Portuguese-speaking Macau Forum countries falling in the wake of the global economic downturn, Lucy Corkin discusses Macau's efforts to 'leverage its position more aggressively to promote trade and investment between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries'.

The coherence of Jonathan Glennie’s is ‘impressive, given the complexity of the topic he has tackled,’ Lucy Corkin writes in this week’s Pambazuka News. The volume ‘adds its voice to a growing body of literature criticising the global aid architecture and its agents, the rich country donors.' What is interesting in Glennie’s account, says Corkin, is that his analysis ‘includes the role of aid advocacy groups and campaigners’ – a ‘bold step considering his own campaigning background’.

In the third quarterly report on the Macau Forum, Lucy Corkin provides a roundup of the latest political and economic developments in the countries that constitute the Macau Hub. From the recent appointment of a new chief executive in Macau to the Bank of China using Macau as a platform to promote greater ties between China and the Portuguese speaking countries in Africa and Brazil, Corkin astutely explores the interconnectedness between these issues.

In the second quarterly report on the Macau Forum, Lucy Corkin explores developments between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. From China’s burgeoning trade and investment relationship with Brazil and its continued engagement with Angola, Corkin explores Mozambique’s new strategic relationship with Beijing.

Behind the rather inane-sounding title lies an in-depth and complex investigation of the effects of Mozambique’s heavily aid-supported economic trajectory. Indeed, the image of bicycles and their presence in the country is used as a running theme throughout the book to illustrate the innate problems with the methods currently used to measure economic development and poverty alleviation, and to question their effectiveness. In the authors’ well-researched assessment, it is high time for a new approach.

Vanguard’s documentary , which premiered in late 2008 is a well-informed and multi-faceted commentary on China’s growing role in Africa. Given the heightened and often fever-pitch media commentary that reflects on China-Africa relations, it is refreshing to find a documentary that attempts to presents a multidimensional perspective to what has become parochial and controversial mainstream reporting. With Angola as its case study, the production team ambitiously sought to unpack the various elements of Luanda’s relations with Beijing.