Posted on

Chinese Ports and Terminals on the Gulf of Guinea


There has been much ado about a possible Chinese navy base in West Africa. It almost seems more a matter of ‘when’ then a matter of ‘if’. But if China does indeed want a base there, what would be a likely spot? In this article, I focus on 3 Chinese port projects on the Gulf of Guinea and investigate their potential as a military base. The Gulf of Guinea region is of particular importance with widespread concerns over maritime security. The list of worrisome incidents includes piracy and armed robbery at sea, trafficking, oil theft, and illegal fishing. This matters as it may provide China the reason it needs to build a base: protecting its interests – vessels, companies and citizens – in a perceived hostile environment.  The ports discussed are: Port of Bata, Equatorial Guinea. Port of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Port of Lekki, Nigeria.

Continue reading “Chinese Ports and Terminals on the Gulf of Guinea”

Posted on

China and Sri Lanka meet in New York – Agree on some more BRI

Colombo Port City in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Picture via Xinhua.

Troubled Sri Lanka is looking for help. Who better to turn to than your largest single creditor? China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry met in New York on September 23, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. There was a lot to celebrate, according to reports in Chinese state media. This year marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the ‘Rubber-Rice Pact’. The latter is a curious deal signed in 1952.

Read the full editorial on Silk Road Headlines.

Posted on

China Is Already Doing EV Battery Swapping And Here’s Everything You Need To Know About It

It may seem that China wants to be big in every possible technology. That’s because it is true. China does indeed want to be big in everything. Today we take a look at China’s efforts to become a big player in battery-swap technology for electric cars.

This technology has mostly been rejected by the rest of the world, but China is launching new battery swap stations and new battery-swap cars by the dozen each week.  In this post: a bit of history, a bit of policy, and a lot of new cars. To keep this article within readable limits, I mainly look at battery swap solutions for passenger cars. For an overview of tractor trailer trucks with swappable battery packs see my earlier article. Besides cars and trucks, China also has large battery-swap programs for buses, light trucks, and delivery vans.

Read the full story on The Autopian.