How Chinese Traders Both Help and Hurt Local Merchants in Ghana

A China in Africa Podcast

By Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more on May 22, 2019

It is well documented that a lot of people in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa resent the growing Chinese migrant presence, in terms of both the people who come into their countries and the Chinese way of doing business that is often culturally out of sync with local customs. Those perceptions, however, can be misleading. While an influx of Chinese business people in places like Accra, the capital of Ghana, have brought new, intense competition for local merchants and suppliers, they have also helped to lower prices for consumers. Other merchants, who buy wholesale, appreciate the new competition from Chinese traders because prices are also lower for them as well. And landlords in Accra’s Central Business District aren’t complaining either about the arrival of Chinese business people, given that rents have gone up.

China’s New Red Guards

By Jude Blanchette on May 22, 2019

Oxford University Press: Ever since Deng Xiaoping effectively de-radicalized China in the 1980s, there have been many debates about which path China would follow. Would it democratize? Would it embrace capitalism? Would the Communist Party’s rule be able to withstand the adoption and spread of the Internet? One debate that did not occur in any serious way, however, was whether Mao Zedong would make a political comeback.

As Jude Blanchette details in China’s New Red Guards, contemporary China is undergoing a revival of an unapologetic embrace of extreme authoritarianism that draws direct inspiration from the Mao era. Under current Chinese leader Xi Jinping, state control over the economy is increasing, civil society is under sustained attack, and the Chinese Communist Party is expanding its reach in unprecedented new ways. As Xi declared in late 2017, “Government, military, society, and schools, north, south, east and west—the Party is the leader of all.”

But this trend is reinforced by a bottom-up revolt against Western ideas of modernity, including political pluralism, the rule of law, and the free market economy. Centered around a cast of nationalist intellectuals and activists who have helped unleash a wave of populist enthusiasm for the Great Helmsman’s policies, China’s New Red Guards not only will reshape our understanding of the political forces driving contemporary China, it will also demonstrate how ideologies can survive and prosper despite pervasive rumors of their demise.

How Does My NGO File for a Temporary Activity in Multiple Provinces?

on May 21, 2019

There does not appear to be one set answer to this question, despite the fact that a large number of successful temporary activity filings have taken place in multiple provinces. Different provincial Public Security Bureaus (PSBs) have offered differing guidance on this point in the past. Two NGOs that spoke with The China NGO Project said that they were able to file with only one PSB for a temporary activity that took place in multiple provinces. The groups stressed that their good relationship with a determined partner was the key in making the filings a success. Another foreign NGO, however, said it had filed separate sets of temporary activity of documents for each province it worked in, even though its project is listed as a single activity on the MPS website.

Have Any Foreign NGOs Been Denied Registration or Had Their Temporary Activities Shut Down?

on May 21, 2019

The China NGO Project is not aware of any groups who have been explicitly denied registration by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) or by a provincial Public Security Bureau (PSB). Similarly, we are not aware of any groups who have had their temporary activity filings explicitly rejected by a PSB or being forcibly shut down while in process.

What Would Amending Hong Kong’s Law on Extradition Mean for International Non-Profits?

By Amanda Bogan & Jessica Batke on May 20, 2019

Hong Kong legislators are currently engaged in a fierce struggle over the proposed passing of a bill that would expand Hong Kong's policy to allow for extradition, on a case-by-case basis, to countries with which the territory does not have formal agreements. One such country is China. Since the 1997 handover, Hong Kong’s extradition law has explicitly excluded the possibility of extradition to mainland China, but the amendments currently being debated would change that.

Amanda Bogan

on May 20, 2019

Amanda Bogan is a Research Assistant for the China NGO Project. She is a recent graduate of the School of Advanced International Studies’ Hopkins-Nanjing Center, where she earned her M.A. in International Affairs with a concentration in China Studies and International Politics. While pursuing her Master’s degree, she interned with the Congressional-Executive Commission on China in D.C., the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu, and Deloitte’s Risk Advisory branch in Hong Kong. Bogan also studied for two years at National Taiwan University’s International Chinese Language Program as a Huayu Enrichment Scholar. She is fluent in Chinese.

Guangdong and Guangxi PSBs Meet with Foreign NGO Representatives

Ministry of Public Security WeChat Posts—April 29, 2019

on May 20, 2019

The PSB stated that with the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, and the announcement of the “Guangdong-Macau Greater Bay Area Development Plan Outline,” exchange and cooperation between Macau and Guangdong, including foreign NGO activities in Guangdong and interior provinces, will increase. The PSB also expressed its hope that Macau’s foreign NGOs would carry out their activities in accordance with the law and do their part to bring investment, technology, and modern managerial concepts to the region, thereby promoting the development of the domestic charity sector. The Guangdong PSB intends to carry out its responsibilities in accordance with the law, strengthen its communication with foreign NGOs, and actively coordinate with foreign NGOs to resolve any difficulties and ensure the legal operations of activities in Guangdong, while fully protecting the lawful rights and interests of foreign NGOs.

Kwaku Dankwah

on May 18, 2019

Kwaku Dankwah is a Ph.D. candidate in International Relations and an Academic Staff member, tutoring Comparative Politics with a focus on the U.S., China, India, Japan, Russia, and the EU, at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Adelaide, Australia. His research deploys a comparative approach in exploring constructions of China in two sub-Saharan Africa countries. He is an experienced Teaching/Research Assistant with an extensive intercontinental profile (his academic travels have taken him to all continents except Latin America) and he trades on the Australian, New York, and Ghana Stock Exchanges. Dankwah holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Ghana.

Why China’s ‘Debt Trap Diplomacy’ Critics Are Wrong

A China in Africa Podcast

By Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more on May 17, 2019

China’s critics, led largely by the United States, are determined to warn developing countries about the risks of borrowing too much money from Beijing. They contend China will use these loans to financially entrap economically vulnerable countries as part of a broader effort to exert political influence and control. Mark Akpaninyie disagrees, arguing that China’s debt diplomacy is a “misnomer” and should instead be called “crony diplomacy.”