Infrastructure

Japan, China and the race for Africa’s critical minerals

As Japan expands its Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision across Africa, competition with China is increasingly centred on critical minerals, supply chains and strategic infrastructure. Japanese academic Mitsugi Endo analyses the implications.

Mitsugi Endo

25 May 2026

Not distracted: Southeast Asia remains firmly in China’s diplomatic orbit

China has kept Southeast Asia in its sights despite other pressing concerns: it seeks to draw Vietnam closer by highlighting their socialist credentials and has reached out to the Philippines despite their differences. Malaysia’s East Coast Railway Line will also bind Southeast Asia closer to China, says ISEAS researcher Lye Liang Fook.

Lye Liang Fook

06 May 2026

Can the Gulf-South Asia corridor rewire global trade and energy flows?

The Strait of Hormuz crisis has driven alternative routes, strengthening energy supply chains and boosting cooperation across the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, while expanding cross-border trade — so the outlook is not entirely bleak despite disruption at Hormuz, says Chinese academic Peng Nian.

Peng Nian

24 Apr 2026

Petroyuan on the horizon: The Middle East crisis rewires global oil finance

The conflict and the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz have made the petroyuan more viable as an emergent geopolitical instrument, but this does not augur a plain displacement of the petrodollar, but a more fragmented, coercion-driven and multipolar monetary order, contends EAI deputy director Chen Gang.

Chen Gang

20 Apr 2026

Fear of long war hits China’s Gulf investors hard

China’s Gulf investment outlook is under pressure as expectations of a drawn-out Iran conflict grow, with analysts saying a narrow ceasefire window will determine whether risk appetite recovers or further deteriorates. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei reports.

Sim Tze Wei

20 Apr 2026

Trump is mistaken: China is a wind power giant

Contrary to US President Trump’s Davos comments on Chinese wind farms, China’s wind power is a central pillar of its energy transition, with wind farms dotted around the country’s northern and northwestern regions, and in recent times, along its southeastern coastlines too. But these efforts are not without its challenges, such as an entrenched top-down approach and the difficulty of turning wind capacity into efficiently used, reliably transmitted clean power. EAI deputy director Chen Gang shares his insights.

Chen Gang

12 Feb 2026

[Big read]: From Kowloon to Shenzhen: The bullet trains redefining Hong Kong life

Rising numbers of young mainland-origin professionals and even Hong Kongers live in Shenzhen for bigger homes at half the price, using high-speed rail to keep Hong Kong jobs — boosting quality of life amid sky-high rents. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing takes a look at the good and the bad of this greater integration between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Tai Hing Shing

11 Feb 2026

The China model with different outcomes: Lessons from Kazakhstan and Thailand

Despite ambitious plans, deep pockets and expanding ties with China, neither Kazakhstan nor Thailand has achieved sustained structural transformation. Academic Guanie Lim analyses what went wrong. 

Guanie Lim

29 Dec 2025

Simandou mine: How China is driving Guinea’s new model for resource growth

The Simandou mine shows how China and Guinea are redefining resource development. By linking mines, railways, ports and local skills, it offers a new model for sustainable growth, says academic Gu Qingyang.

Gu Qingyang

19 Dec 2025

Indonesia’s high-speed rail hits a money crunch — can it pull through?

Indonesia’s Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Rail (Whoosh) faces heavy financial losses as ridership falls short and debt payments rise. Can the project overcome these challenges and stay on track? Researcher Michael Hutahaean and academic Chen Xiangming examine the situation.

Michael Hutahaean, Chen Xiangming

12 Dec 2025

When Chinese mining meets weak governance in Africa — who pays?

The Lubumbashi dam collapse exposes the human and environmental toll of Chinese mining in Africa. Weak oversight leaves communities and forests at risk — a warning spotlighted at COP30. Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May unpacks the stakes.

Genevieve Donnellon-May

08 Dec 2025

Simandou: The African mine that could shake Australia and reshape China’s rise

Guinea’s Simandou complex, the largest iron-ore mine in history, is now operational, set to reshape global trade and industrial supply chains. The long-delayed project could shift China-Africa economic ties, challenge Australia’s mining dominance and draw Washington’s strategic attention, observes researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May.

Genevieve Donnellon-May

02 Dec 2025