New Delhi — The absence of Western Sahara at the III India – Africa Summit is motivating concern among some participants in the event taking place in New Delhi, changing the apparent size of economic cooperation, also giving space to political content.
Interviewed today by the Angolan press, in the Indian capital, the Foreign minister, Georges Chikoti said that such policy is “relatively large” and is a topic on which Africa will need to review it positions, as the issue of the Sahara has already divided the continent for some time.
The Cabinet minister explained that the Sahara (only missing African member in New Delhi) is a member of the African Read More
Bilateral trade between India and Africa has risen massively in the past decade, from $8.2 billion in 2004 to $75 billion in 2014. However, India’s imports from Africa grew at an average annual rate of 35 per cent in this period, while exports only rose by an average annual rate of 23 per cent.
This has resulted in a rising trade deficit with Africa. Trade surpluses stood at $ 1.4 billion in 2004, and turned deficit at $ 5.7 billion in 2014, according to a working paper by Export Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank).
The paper assumes importance as the ongoing India-Africa summit strives to boost bilateral Read More
The 3rd India-African Forum Summit in New Delhi from Oct. 26-29 is generating some hype among the Indian and international media, but the same excitement is missing from the African landscape. Even in the African think tank community, the response to the summit seems to be muted, except for a few organisations in South Africa and Kenya which have produced analytical commentaries in the run-up to the event.
Considering that this is one of the largest gatherings of African leaders and governments in India’s capital, why is the excitement not escalating among mainstream African media, academia, and think tanks? This is even more a question because South Africa Read More
From the 26th to the 29th of October 2015 India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government will be hosting its first ever Africa Summit. With more than 35 African governments having accepted Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s invitation to attend, IAFS 3 promises to be a grandiose affair. IAFS 3 comes at a time when Africa is preparing to host one of its other partners, China. The 6th China Africa Forum, co-chaired by South Africa will take place from the 4th – 5 th of December in Johannesburg. IAFS 3 therefore is therefore an opportunity for New Delhi not to be caught following the dragon’s tail but rather setting its Read More
Up until now, 1983 was when India hosted the largest congregation of heads of state, all in New Delhi at the same time. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister, and her guest list included Fidel Castro, Zia Ul-Haq and Hosni Mubarak.
This month, the Modi government is angling to top that bash, by inviting heads of all 54 African states. This is for the third edition of the India-Africa Summit Forum (IAFS III), which is being held at New Delhi from 26 October to 29 October.
The largeness of the event is in style with several initiatives by the current government. While the Summits under Read More
MOROCCO (Rabat): Joint venture in fertiliser sector operational since 1999; Tata builds bus bodies in Casablanca. In 2014, exports $ 500.5 mn; imports $ 855.8 mn
ALGERIA (Algiers): Trade grew from $ 55 mn in 2001 to $ 3.33 bn in 2011; fell to $ 1.82 bn in 2014 due to fall in crude prices. Exports: auto spares, machinery; imports: oil and its products
MALI (Bamako): LoCs worth over $ 300 million. Among the world’s poorest, wracked by Tuareg rebellion and jihadi activities
NIGERIA (Abuja): Each other’s largest trading partners in Africa. Over 100 Indian owned/operated companies
NIGER (Niamey): In 2014-15, exports $ 78.22 mn; imports $ 0.55 mn
TUNISIA (Tunis): In 2014, exports $ 283.92 mn; imports $ 148.45 Read More
Chinese investment in Africa has fallen by as much as 84 percent in the first half of this year to $568 million compared to the same period last year when it invested more than $3.54 billion in Greenfield projects and other existing projects on the continent, the Financial Times reported.
China’s investment in Africa has been hurt by an economic slowdown in the Asian giant, which many believe could turn into a full blown economic crisis if not handled well.
The six-month investment data in Africa indicate that despite a reduction in flows into the continent, China has nearly doubled its interest in raw material. Investment in extractive industries including Read More
Sky News understands that the Prime Minister is to announce the creation of a new ‘China Zone’ within Airport City Manchester during a visit to the North West with President Xi Jinping of China.
The new development will comprise two new office buildings which will be reserved for Chinese companies wanting to relocate there.
Ministers hope that the project will attract Chinese companies wanting to establish a hub in the north-west by offering them exemption from business rates because of its location within the Airport City Enterprise Zone.
It will be the latest in a string of announcements aimed at strengthening trade ties between the UK and China during a week when Read More
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, who hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping in Britain this week, has become the Cinderella of Beijing’s up-and-down relationships with the West. Very much out of favor in 2012 over his courtship of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader habitually on a collision course with Beijing, Cameron has now moved up comprehensively in the friendship stakes — all part of a determined U.K. government bid to woo Chinese trade and investment.
In a Chinese TV interview at the end of last week, Cameron attempted to deflect complaints that Britain is kowtowing to China. “We see no conflict with having that very special relationship, Read More
The lavish red-carpet treatment afforded to Chinese President Xi Jinping in London this week has reopened the debate about how the West should deal with the rise of a more powerful and assertive China. Just how much pressure should be placed on Beijing to play by international norms of trade and finance when there are so many deals on the table?
This dilemma is illustrated by the contrasting approach in engagement between the U.K. and the U.S.
This past week has seen the British government extolling a new “golden” era of relations as it courts Chinese inward investment and closer financial ties. A state-owned Chinese company has been allowed to Read More