China’s increasing involvement in Africa has captured considerable attention from policymakers and academics. Formalized in a 2006 policy statement, “China’s Africa Policy,” Beijing’s interest in the region translates into Chinese government and government-affiliated institutions investing billions of dollars in large-scale construction projects across the continent.

Countries join alliances, or entities such as the European Union, because these groups make the benefits and obligations of membership as unambiguous as anything in international relations can be. For Germany and South Korea, however, relationships with historic allies — NATO and the United States, respectively — appear to be changing before our eyes.

China’s military will take part in an infantry exercise for the first time with Australian and US forces in October, the Pentagon said on Thursday.  The joint exercise will take place in northern Australia and marks another step forward in efforts by Washington and Canberra to bolster relations with China’s People’s Liberation Army, officials said.

China's foreign ministry has condemned the behaviour of some Chinese citizens in Africa following its ambassador to Tanzania giving an uncommonly frank newspaper interview in which he decried the "bad habits" of his compatriots. In the interview, Lu Xinsheng said Chinese businessmen smuggle ivory and rhino horns out of the country and flood local markets with counterfeit goods while contractors constantly try to undercut each other, resulting in shoddy infrastructure projects. 

There is no question that China is the linchpin in BRICS. Now the founding of the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) suggest that BRICS can be looked to for bold moves in the future, with China leading the charge. All sides agree that this is a mutual partnership with noble goals of reciprocal investment and development, but it’s hard to ignore China’s considerable muscle.

It is no secret that the world’s two largest economies–the U.S. and China–don’t always see eye to eye in terms of values, politics, economics, and leadership. However, despite on-and-off competition and cooperation between their governments, the lives of American and Chinese citizens are becoming increasingly intertwined. 

A Ugandan official on Thursday said that cultural exchanges and cooperation with China has deepened the people to people relations of the two countries.  Rose Namayanja, minister of information and national guidance told reporters here that over the years there have been increased cultural exchanges as Ugandan artists go to China and vice versa.