Beijing’s pivot towards Africa

China’s approach to winning friends around the world has long been characterised as cheque-book diplomacy, with big events overseas invariably accompanied by top-dollar deals. But President Xi Jinping’s ongoing visit to Africa seems to point to a shift, with China more concerned about politics than pure economics. In opening remarks at the China-Africa Forum, both Xi and his African counterparts described each other as trusted friends. Xi characterised Beijing’s ties with South Africa as that of “comrade and brother”, prompting many to...