TOPLINE: The Chinese government on Thursday rejected the World Health Organisation’s plan for the second phase of investigation into the origins of Covid-19—which will also examine the possibility that the virus may have escaped from a Wuhan lab—signaling further politicization of the investigation that has previously been hampered by Beijing’s unwillingness to share important data.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



Zeng Yixin, the vice minister of China’s National Health Commission (NHC), told reporters he was “shocked” by the plan to investigate the lab leak hypothesis and said “it is impossible for us to accept such an origin-tracing plan.”



<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-china-coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-a20391afec60601f3d666efc3c18b61d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According to</a>&nbsp;the Associated Press, Zeng dismissed the theory as a rumor “that runs counter to common sense and science.”



Responding to the WHO’s earlier statement about the investigation being hampered by the lack of raw data from Chinese authorities, Zeng reiterated Beijing’s stance that some data could not be completely shared due to privacy concerns.



Zeng insisted that the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s labs have no virus that can directly infect humans and noted that a WHO-led team of experts had visited the lab earlier this year and concluded that a leak was highly unlikely.



The vice minister also dismissed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/intelligence-on-sick-staff-at-wuhan-lab-fuels-debate-on-covid-19-origin-11621796228?reflink=share_mobilewebshare" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">media reports</a>&nbsp;that staff and graduate students at the institute had fallen sick due to the virus and then transmitted it to others.



The vocal push back from Beijing comes a week after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for better cooperation from China and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-world-news-health-science-coronavirus-pandemic-c0c594f9060f676c0ea48c2d1c69daec" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">noted</a>&nbsp;that there had been a “premature push” to rule out the lab leak theory.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



In March, the World Health Organization and China&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-convened-global-study-of-origins-of-sars-cov-2-china-part" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a>&nbsp;a joint study that offered preliminary insight into the origin of the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus. The report suggested that the outbreak was likely caused by the virus jumping from bats to humans through an intermediary animal and also labeled the lab leak hypothesis as “extremely unlikely.” It was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/30/who-criticises-chinas-data-sharing-as-it-releases-covid-origins-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sharply criticized</a>&nbsp;by the U.S., U.K., Canada and several other countries who accused China of “withholding access to complete original data and samples”. The lab leak theory—initially pushed by fringe groups—has seen a rise in mainstream interest after President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2021/05/26/biden-says-intelligence-agencies-have-coalesced-around-two-likely-scenarios-for-origin-of-covid-19/?sh=266488003fb2">ordered</a>&nbsp;U.S. intelligence agencies to examine the origin of the pandemic in May. U.S. intelligence agencies have two prevailing theories at the moment with branches believing that it was transmitted from animals, while another branch believes it came from a lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which does research work on bat viruses.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-china-coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-a20391afec60601f3d666efc3c18b61d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">China rebuffs WHO’s terms for further COVID-19 origins study</a>&nbsp;(Associated Press)



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-will-not-follow-whos-suggested-plan-2nd-phase-covid-19-origins-study-2021-07-22/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">China rejects WHO plan for study of COVID-19 origin</a> (Reuters)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

News Conference On Chinese Vaccines Against COVID-19 In Beijing

China ‘Shocked’ By WHO’s Plan To Investigate Covid-19 Lab Leak Theory

TOPLINE Three researchers working at a Wuhan virology lab went to the hospital with Covid-like symptoms weeks before the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in China on December 8, according to newly disclosed U.S. intelligence obtained and reported by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday—corroborating previous State Department findings and casting further doubts on the longstanding assertion that Covid-19 did not escape from a lab.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



The State Department previously&nbsp;<a href="https://2017-2021.state.gov/fact-sheet-activity-at-the-wuhan-institute-of-virology/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;that U.S. officials have &#8220;reason to believe&#8221; several researchers inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology faced &#8220;symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses&#8221; last fall, but it didn&#8217;t specify that the researchers were hospitalized or the exact timing of their illnesses.



Unnamed officials familiar with the intelligence reportedly gave the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal&nbsp;varying accounts of the new information&#8217;s veracity, with one person saying it needed further investigation while another described it as &#8220;very precise.&#8221;



“The U.S. continues to hype the lab leak theory,&#8221; China&#8217;s Foreign Ministry, which did not immediately respond to&nbsp;Forbes&#8217;&nbsp;requestfor comment, said in a statement to the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal.&nbsp;



In its statement, the Foreign Ministry pointed to March&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-convened-global-study-of-origins-of-sars-cov-2-china-part-annexes.pdf?sfvrsn=3065bcd8_5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">findings</a>&nbsp;from the World Health Organization saying it was &#8220;extremely unlikely&#8221; that Covid-19 originated from a lab leak and that it was instead more likely the virus spread from bats to humans.



However, after the report was released, WHO head Tedros Ghebreyesus called for a deeper investigation on the matter,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-30/who-chief-critiques-covid-report-says-lab-leak-study-needed" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">saying</a>&nbsp;the probe didn’t adequately assess the possibility of a lab leak.



Forbes&nbsp;is awaiting comment from the State Department.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Many scientists last year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/05/10/a-timeline-of-the-covid-19-wuhan-lab-origin-theory/?sh=370c029e5aba">initially dismissed</a>&nbsp;claims that Covid-19 originated in a Wuhan lab, but the theory quickly became a hot-button issue among conservative lawmakers casting blame onto China for the pandemic. However, as widespread vaccination helps the U.S. turn a corner on the virus, a growing number of domestic officials—from both sides of the aisle—are once again calling for investigations into the origins of Covid-19. Secretary of State Antony Blinken&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/04/11/biden-secretary-of-state-condemns-chinas-acts-of-genocide-against-muslim-uyghurs/?sh=26f49b7050ca">condemned</a>&nbsp;China last month for its lack of transparency during the pandemic&#8217;s early days, saying the country failed to give international health experts real-time access to information about the virus&#8217; spread and urging the country to help put in place a stronger global health security system to revisit the pandemic&#8217;s origins.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h3>



Though the virus was first confirmed in December 2019, WHO researchers have since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/possible-early-covid-19-cases-in-china-emerge-during-who-mission-11612996225" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">identified</a>&nbsp;more than 90 potential Covid-19 cases dating as far back as October of that year.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE&nbsp;</h3>



Asked earlier this month whether he was confident Covid-19 developed naturally, Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation&#8217;s top infectious disease experts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fauci-not-convinced-covid-19-developed-naturally" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">responded</a>: &#8220;No actually&#8230; I am not convinced about that. I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened… Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/intelligence-on-sick-staff-at-wuhan-lab-fuels-debate-on-covid-19-origin-11621796228?reflink=share_mobilewebshare" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Intelligence on Sick Staff at Wuhan Lab Fuels Debate On Covid-19 Origin</a>&nbsp;(WSJ)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/05/10/a-timeline-of-the-covid-19-wuhan-lab-origin-theory/">A Timeline Of The COVID-19 Wuhan Lab Origin Theory</a> (Forbes)



By Jonathan Ponciano, Forbes Staff

gettyimages-1201569878-594×594

Report: Wuhan Lab Staff Went To Hospital With Covid-Like Symptoms Before Confirmed Outbreak, New Intelligence Finds

In Beijing, UN Secretary-General António Guterres meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo credit: UN China/Zhao Yun April 2018

China, the UN, and the Global Opportunity for Partnerships & Progress

As 2021 begins, for the third week in a row, the number of new <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/latest-on-coronavirus-outbreak/for-3rd-week-covid-19-cases-fall-globally-who/2130519">COVID-19 cases globally has fallen</a>.



But over the past year, we have seen countries flatten the curve only to let their guard down. This complacency even found in nations with advanced healthcare systems, costs lives and devastated livelihoods.



While the prospect of vaccines in 2021 provides hope in defeating this virus, UN Secretary-General António Guterres&#8217;s message that &#8216;there is no panacea in a pandemic&#8217; is clear. Robust public health measures centred around the scientifically proven steps that prevent the spread of COVID-19 remain the most practical response. To its credit, China has set a good example by adopting this approach, as I have witnessed firsthand.



As the incoming UN Resident Coordinator to China, I travelled to Guangzhou from Kenya. In Kenya, I served in the same capacity, and as a <a href="https://kenya.un.org/en/107185-these-should-be-our-build-back-better-priorities-2021">UN Country Team in Kenya we joined the Government of Kenya in confronting the pandemic head on</a>.



And in my new role I was not and should not be afforded any preferential treatment on my arrival.



The rules were clear. From the very point of embarking for China, I was subject to the same requirements mandating certificate proof of a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid and IgM antibody test issued no more than two days before travel.



These tests form just part of a comprehensive testing and tracing system found in China, critical to preventing future outbreaks and clusters.



Upon arrival<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/siddharthchatterjee1un_covid19-activity-6756771231833317376-LWNB">, I noted the rigorous and orderly entry screening practices enforced in China</a>, with officials wearing appropriate personal protective equipment as they checked incoming travellers for signs and symptoms.



Like all passengers arriving in China, officials directed me to a designated hotel to complete a 21-day quarantine period.



These inconveniences are necessary to ensure controlling the spread of COVID-19 at the port of entry. I commend these well-orchestrated actions across a range of government departments to ensure the health and safety of the people in China, regardless of nationality is the highest priority.



I began my work in quarantine on 16 January 2021, preparing for my duties as Resident Coordinator and communicating virtually with new colleagues from the UN system in China. I look forward to greeting them in person and forging partnerships with the Government of China, development partners, academia, the private sector and many new and existing stakeholders.



During this, I have managed my time with a sense of purpose, as I kept in touch with loved ones, catching up on reading, writing, and reflecting. This was my first time in quarantine and a rigorous fitness regimen, combined with breathing exercises and a bit of yoga proved to be critical for keeping my mind and body sharp, positively buoyant and in fine fettle. I even managed to clock an average of 20,000 steps a day.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49904" width="515" height="687" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-300x400.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-600x800.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sid-Head-Stand-1-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px" /><figcaption>The author doing a headstand in his hotel room. Yoga and breathing exercises are a good way to stay fit and achieve equilibrium particularly during quarantine.</figcaption></figure></div>



While I eagerly await the outside world upon the safe completion of this quarantine period on 06 February 2021, I know that the virus is still out there, mutating and turning more aggressive.



Recent COVID-19 outbreaks ahead of the Lunar New Year have alarmed authorities in China, who have responded in kind with proactive and aggressive measures.



Spring travel or &#8216;Chunyun&#8217; to be with families in this special time has been discouraged in certain municipalities in China, which happens to one of the world&#8217;s largest annual migration.



I acknowledge that these responses can place strain on our happiness and well-being, but it is critical that we not lose sight of our goal to defeat the virus.



This task still requires that we do all we can to protect each other. Governments, societies, and individuals everywhere must continue to encourage wearing masks, physically distancing, observing good hygiene etiquette and above all spreading compassion and not the virus.



These actions in unison with strengthening our testing, tracking and isolation systems will ensure our efforts on vaccines are not in vain with their rollout in the coming year.



With simple public health measures informed by science as adopted here in China, the world can slow the virus&#8217;s spread, save lives and livelihoods and end the pandemic.



I look forward to joining the UN family in China and we will continue to work in lockstep with the Government of China to fight COVID-19 and advancing universal health coverage.



Siddharth Chatterjee, 常启德 is the United Nations Resident Coordinator(designate) to China. Follow him on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/@sidchat1">@sidchat1</a>.

Health Checks at the airport

In Prevention Still Lies the Cure: Thoughts On China’s Fight Against COVID-19

China’s GDP grew 4.9% in the third quarter compared to the same time last year, the country’s National Bureau of Statistics <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202010/t20201019_1794616.html" target="_blank">said</a> Monday, as the economic superpower continues to rebound after the coronavirus pandemic. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h4>



That growth was fueled by strong retail sales and industrial production, the government said.&nbsp;



China’s exports rose 9.9% last month while imports soared 13.2%—two more&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-trade/chinas-imports-exports-surge-as-global-economy-reopens-idUSKBN26Y0BL" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">strong signs</a>&nbsp;of recovery.&nbsp;



China’s is the only major economy that is expected to grow in 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund, which is forecasting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/CHN" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1.9% growth</a>&nbsp;for the year.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE&nbsp;</h4>



Despite robust growth at home, the Chinese government also noted Monday that the global environment remains “complicated and severe” and that the country is under “great pressure” to prevent any further outbreaks of the virus.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



China’s economy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/04/17/coronavirus-drags-chinas-economy-into-first-slump-in-four-decades/#1aa08e324bcb">shrank 6.8%</a>&nbsp;in the first quarter—its worst contraction in 40 years—as the government shut down nearly all activity in parts of the country to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In the second quarter, growth bounced back to 3.2% after factories reopened and the government poured billions of dollars in stimulus measures back into the economy.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h4>



Economists&nbsp;<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/economic-outlook-gdp-estimates-bank-america-stimulus-bill-recovery-quarter-2020-9-1029582684#" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expect</a>&nbsp;the United States to see growth in the third quarter, too, but that growth is likely to be limited in the fourth quarter if further stimulus measures from the federal government are delayed until 2021.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/07/30/economy-shrank-at-historic-33-annual-rate-in-second-quarter-but-thats-not-the-whole-story/">Economy Shrank At Historic 33% Annual Rate In Second Quarter—But That’s Not The Whole Story</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/09/07/chinas-exports-surged-95-in-august-despite-escalating-tensions-with-the-united-states/">China’s Exports Surged 9.5% In August Despite Escalating Tensions With The United States</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/10/15/europe-breaks-record-for-weekly-coronavirus-cases-as-countries-enforce-new-lockdowns/">Europe Breaks Record For Weekly Coronavirus Cases As Countries Enforce New Lockdowns</a> (Forbes)



-By Sarah Hansen, Forbes Staff

CHINA-ECONOMY-GLASS

China’s Economy Continues Rebound With 4.9% Growth In Third Quarter

As of Monday, September 29, figures show that global pandemic Covid-19 has taken the lives of over one million people. According to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/09/28/covid-19-has-killed-more-than-1-million-people-worldwide/#7d4ac45f1276">ForbesUS</a>, the death rate shows few signs of decreasing as there is an average of 3,819 deaths per day since the start of the year. Furthermore, <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/">WorldOMeter’s</a> figures show the country leading with the highest number of deaths globally is the United States of America. The U.S, who have been leading with the highest number of deaths since May, now sits with over 205,000 reported deaths.&nbsp;



“As some countries start to open up we see cases and deaths starting to spike. This is a critical moment for countries and we ask leaders to put targeted measures in place that we know can suppress the spread,” World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom said at a media briefing on September, 18.&nbsp;



China, the epicenter of the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus which reportedly originated at a market in the city of Wuhan, first reported a Covid-19 death in mid-January. However, for several weeks now the country of origin has maintained that their death rate remains at 4,634.&nbsp;



In the African region, of the million, the fatal virus has killed 35, 000 people on the continent. However, there has been a decline in infections in the African region since July 20. WHO in the African Region claims that some of the most-affected countries including Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa have all seen infections drop every week over the past two months. Deaths due to the virus have also remained low in the region.



Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa said in a statement on September 24 that though the decline is good news, this does not mean that measures to mitigate the spread should not be relaxed.&nbsp;



“The downward trend&#8230;speaks to the robust and decisive public health measures taken by governments across the region. But we must not become complacent. Other regions of the world have experienced similar trends only to find that as social and public health measures are relaxed, cases start ramping up again,” Moeti said.&nbsp;



“This pandemic has shown that whether countries are rich or poor, health systems can be completely overwhelmed and essential services can break down,” Tedros added.&nbsp;&nbsp;



For more of an update on Covid-19 across Africa click <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/health/2020/09/28/in-numbers-coronavirus-update-covid-19-in-africa/">here</a>

US-HEALTH-VIRUS-PRISON

Coronavirus Claims The Lives of More Than 1 Million People Worldwide

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="720" height="405" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WHO.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-46685" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WHO.jpg 720w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WHO-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WHO-600x338.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /><figcaption>Flags fly at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo Eric Bridiers/ <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/us-mission/14195612051" target="_blank">U.S. Mission Geneva</a>/ <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-ND</a></figcaption></figure>



The World Health Organization (WHO) has been under attack- efforts being made to defund it, ridicule it, undermine it. The world is fighting a major pandemic which rivals the flu of 1918, which killed over 50 million people.



The Coronavirus pandemic may well be a precursor of what is to come in the future. This for sure is not the last pandemic the world will grapple with, <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/opinion/2020/05/13/without-universal-health-coverage-we-are-sitting-ducks-when-the-next-pandemic-strikes/">so let’s brace for impact</a>, as the velocity and virulence of the next contagion may be far more fierce and destructive than COVID-19.



A recent remark that “WHO has been bought by China” is painful to hear. Coming from a senior leader of a country which is the beating heart of the UN’s multilateral system, and has been at the vanguard of improving lives and livelihoods of populations all over the world, is puzzling.



Words matter, and by promoting a number of incorrect and insinuating statements, such language may damage the overall pandemic response and undermine an organization that is doing its best – under the extraordinary circumstances – to save lives across the globe.&nbsp;



I live in Kenya, and on a day to day basis I see the WHO working with countries across the continent to strengthen health systems and tackle health crises. These African countries, like many others especially in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, rely on WHO for guidance, expertise and often for human resources, particularly around disease responses like Ebola, Marburg, Zika or the plague.&nbsp;



I myself have been a beneficiary of the organization’s work, having been immunized as a child through one of the WHO immunization programs, and <a href="http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/09/qa-we-need-a-decisive-win-against-polio/">surviving polio</a> thanks to these efforts. Small pox would not have been eradicated without WHO. Billions more have benefited from WHO’s work, and humanity as a whole stands to gain from a well-funded, highly operational institution not only during this pandemic, but for years to come to prevent the next pandemic and build robust health systems.



Currently, there have been more than 15 million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 600,000 deaths around the world. But this tiny microbe has impacted far more than just the global health system. It has pressure tested our political, economic, social and cultural institutions, attacking not only our bodies but the very threads of humanity that hold us together. What’s clear already is that the virus mercilessly exploits any chinks in national unity or global solidarity, making it an enemy far more formidable the modern world has seen in recent history.&nbsp;



At a pivotal time for tackling the pandemic, the global response needs solidarity, not politicization. The attacks against WHO threatens to derail global efforts to bring this pandemic under control.



Over the course of the next few months, governments will determine not only how they tackle COVID-19, but they will set a precedent that will guide the world for tackling future global threats.&nbsp;No country can overcome this pandemic on its own, no matter how advanced its economic systems are or how mighty its military is.



This pandemic is threatening lives, livelihoods, social and economic systems that have taken decades to build. It is an enemy that is threatening to reverse the gains the world has made in healthcare, education, poverty reduction, eradicating hunger and strengthening political unity.



For the sake of humanity, we must stand united against it, and this means supporting institutions that are playing a key role in the pandemic response.



From the climate crisis to inequality, antimicrobial resistance to the threat of a meteor hit, global challenges need global solutions, and these solutions cannot be developed if we focus on demonizing institutions rather than addressing the real issues at hand.



In terms of COVID-19, we have seen examples from around the world that clearly show that no matter how bad the outbreak, leaders can get a grip on the virus. By working with a whole of government and whole of society approach, the virus can be brought under control. Countries that have done this successfully, including New Zealand and Vietnam, which stand out as exemplars of how to tackle the pandemic, have shown us that a singular focus on preventing transmission and keeping their populations safe – not engaging in politics, blame games and blatant denial of science – is what is needed to ultimately flatten the curve.



WHO continues to provide valuable leadership in navigating the pandemic, helping the world deal with this crisis by distributing much-needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and diagnostics, providing technical guidance for health workers, leading efforts to find a vaccine and disseminating&nbsp;information that is playing a critical role in keeping people safe. Reducing support for WHO at this time is therefore tantamount to saying that we are all on our own. But we are not.



At the conclusion of the 73rd World Health Assembly on 19 May 2020, the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “COVID-19 has robbed us of people we love. It’s robbed us of lives and livelihoods; it’s shaken the foundations of our world; it threatens to tear at the fabric of international cooperation. But it’s also reminded us that for all our differences, we are one human race, and we are stronger together.”



Let’s take a moment to look at the value WHO brings to the world. It may not be a perfect institution, but it is providing global leadership at a time when it is needed most.



What WHO has achieved in 72 years is remarkable, and undeniable. To accelerate the science, find solutions to the COVID-19 challenges and build global solidarity; now more than ever, the world needs WHO.



Siddharth Chatterjee, is the United Nations resident coordinator to Kenya. He has served with the UN and the Red Cross Movement in various parts of the world affected by conflicts and humanitarian crisis. He is also a decorated Special Forces veteran and a Princeton University alumnus. Follow him on Twitter&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/sidchat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">@sidchat1</a>



The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.​​​​​

Attacking WHO is Unhelpful-Let’s Focus on Defeating The Virus

Chinese billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/he-xiangjian/#1a7eb7342bfe">He Xiangjian</a>&nbsp;survived an abduction plot this weekend after kidnappers carrying explosives forced entry into his home at Guangdong province.



He Xiangjian, one of the richest men in China with an estimated net worth of $24.8 billion, was rescued on Sunday after his son, 55-year-old He Jianfeng, sneaked out of the family home and swum across a river to raise the alarm, according to local news.



According to a statement posted on Weibo, a Chinese equivalent to Twitter, police responded on Sunday night to a break-in at an 18-hole golf course and sports center owned by He Xiangjian’s Midea Group.



Although police have not named He Xiangjian in their statement, a spokesperson for the local Foshan Public Security Bureau wrote on Weibo, “The victim is safe!” with the police statement attached. Midea Group confirmed the incident on Weibo, and thanked the “media and all sectors of society for their concern.&#8221; 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Who is He Xiangjian?</h2>



Entrepreneur He Xiangjian is the founder of home appliance giant Midea Group, which took shape in 1968 after He led a group of 23&nbsp; residents from Guangdong Province to form a lid production workshop.



Today Midea Group trades on the Shenzhen stock exchange and has more than 200 subsidiaries, including Germany-based robotics firm Kuka. Xiangjian stepped down from its operations in 2012. His son He Jianfeng is now a director of Midea Group and Midea Real Estate Holding.



In January, Midea Group donated products like air conditioners, water heaters and washers and dryers to Wuhan hospitals battling coronavirus.



He Xiangjian is currently the 7th richest billionaire in China, according to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#e0f70223d788">Forbes’ Real Time Rankings</a>.



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddawkins/">David Dawkins</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/worlds-billionaires">Billionaires</a>

gettyimages-200565738-001-170667a

Chinese Billionaire Held Hostage With Explosives As Son Swims Across Lake To Raise The Alarm

The Nigerian entrepreneur and banker, a former FORBES AFRICA cover star, has founded a think tank to catalyze his country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.



It was not until February that Atedo Peterside, Founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank and Chairman of Anap Jets and Anap Foundation, began to take the global coronavirus pandemic seriously. Until then, he had received several reports from his Vice President at the Anap Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to promoting good governance in Nigeria, but like many others, believed this was a foreign issue that would not make its way to Africa.



He is of the view that Nigeria should have acted sooner in its Covid-19 response.



“This is a race against time. If Nigeria had stopped international flights coming into the country maybe two weeks earlier than we did, it would have been 520 people who would not have entered the country,” says Peterside.



“There is a saying that when Nigeria sneezes, the rest of Africa catches a cold and this is true. With falling oil prices coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic, we will be lucky if we have anything close to the 2008 financial meltdown,” says Franklin Cudjoe, founder of the IMANI Center for Policy and Education.



To curb the spread of Covid-19, the Nigerian government imposed lockdowns and curfews but the restrictions were short-lived as it put pressure on many of the country’s 200 million inhabitants, who were struggling to survive.



“I think it is important to emphasize that a complete lockdown is not sustainable in Nigeria. I believe we are dealing with a marathon and not sprint. If it is a marathon, a complete lockdown is not sustainable because people will not cooperate after a while. They will die of hunger,” says Peterside.



According to him, the science suggests that the fight against the coronavirus may last between 15 to 18 months and the only way to control the spread is by ramping up testing.



“The Covid-19 fight in Nigeria is a campaign to get people to change their behavior and you cannot achieve that in one day or one week. It is something that has to be sustained. There is a reason why the governor of New York is on TV every day. In most of the countries where this has been successful, there has been effective communication and it is not enough to just come out to threaten people with a full lockdown,” says Peterside.



That need to change behavior and provide a solution that will help contain the spread of the virus is one of the reasons behind the Anap Foundation Covid-19 Think Tank.



“We established the Anap Foundation Covid-19 Think Tank on the 22 of March 2020, as a catalyst to help Nigeria respond to the coronavirus disease. The Think Tank is comprised of 18 members drawn from across the six geopolitical zones and the diaspora (US and Germany),” says Peterside.



Collectively, the Think Tank has a wealth of expertise in medicine and logistics amongst other areas of specialization that Peterside hopes will aid the government’s fight in testing and best practices to tackle the pandemic.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">&#8220;The Covid-19 fight in Nigeria is a campaign to get people to change their behavior and you cannot achieve that in one day or one week. It is something that has to be sustained.&#8221;</blockquote>



“Lagos cannot feed itself so you can never have a complete lockdown. The reason why a complete lockdown worked in China is because the Chinese government can deliver everybody’s needs to their door. If you cannot do this, then we can’t have a complete lockdown. This means we need Think Tanks like these to come up with other innovative solutions that are specific to our individual needs,” says Peterside.



One of the areas where the Think Tank is hoping to make an impact is to act as a mediator between the government and private sector to resolve certain key issues that will aid in its fight against the pandemic.



“We entered this battle without having enough doctors and yet it seemed as if our doctors were rejecting offers of health from Chinese doctors. We have one of the lowest doctor-to-patients ratio for any large country in the world. Italy, a country with a very large doctor-to-patient ratio, still took doctors from Cuba and China to help in its fight and Nigeria must also accept help if it is given to us,” avers Peterside.



A key goal for the Think Tank is to advocate the adoption of all health measures and behaviors necessary to ensure that Nigeria keeps the infection rate down, a feat that may prove difficult given the many infrastructural and health challenges facing many countries in Africa.

_W0A3614

Atedo Peterside On Covid-19: ‘Nigeria Must Also Accept Help If It Is Given To Us’

Analysts predict BRICS could become as big as the Group 7 by 2027. Can the BRICS nations effectively come together promoting inclusiveness, trade and technological collaboration?

The recurring question at the three-day BRICS summit in July, which brought some of the planet’s most powerful leaders to Africa’s richest square mile Sandton, was the importance of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) when it comes to inter-trade. So what happens next?
The 4IR, like the three revolutions preceding it, has disrupted economies and societies around the globe. In many instances, developing countries have been left behind, perpetuating the exclusion of the past rooted in colonialism and exploitation.
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), who are aware of the enormous hurdles, used the gathering in Johannesburg to issue a clarion call for united and concerted action for the impending revolution.
Host president Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa – which is the current chair of BRICS – said the 4IR presents the world with opportunities and should be embraced.
“As the BRICS forum, we can neither ignore, nor take for-granted, the reality that is the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the impact that it will have on the global economy. There is no area of economic activity that is immune from technological disruption.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_37173" style="width: 750px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37173" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-37173 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Cyril-Ramaphosa_GL-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="740" height="493" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Cyril-Ramaphosa_GL-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Cyril-Ramaphosa_GL-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Cyril-Ramaphosa_GL-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Cyril-Ramaphosa_GL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Cyril-Ramaphosa_GL.jpg 1241w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" />Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo by Gypseenia Lion</div>
&nbsp;
<blockquote> “It [The Fourth Industrial Revolution] has the potential to solve many of the social problems we face, by better equipping us to combat disease, hunger and environmental degradation.”</blockquote>
The 10th summit, hosted in South Africa for a second time, was held from July 25 to 27. It brought together a galaxy of delegates, government officials, business people and the media at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Roads were barricaded amid heavy police and military presence, with strict no-flying zones applied as Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, among some of the world’s most reclusive leaders, spent a night or two under African skies.
Under the theme, ‘BRICS in Africa: collaboration for inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution’, the focus of the summit was issues and solutions to achieve inclusive growth through collaboration.
Technology, big data and innovation were amongst the most operative words. Ramaphosa set the agenda by highlighting the role technology will play years from now.
“The technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution provide developing and emerging economies with the opportunity to leapfrog the technologies of the preceding revolutions.
“It aims to translate the vision of the second decade of BRICS cooperation into reality through deepened cooperation on industrialization, innovation, inclusiveness and investment,” he said.
India’s Prime minister, Narendra Modi, emphasized the need for shared policies and collaboration in order to unlock the opportunities of the future.
But, he added, the consequences of the revolution may be difficult to predict.
“Whatever happens will be far-reaching. We need to discuss how we will prepare for it. Traditionally, manufacturing will continue being a source of jobs for our youth. We need to make changes in our approach and make sure that schools prepare our youth for the changes,” said Modi.
The BRICS Youth Forum started off as an idea during a meeting between the heads of the five states in South Africa in 2014.
Encouraging dialogue with regard to youth policies and employment, the forum has notched some progress.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2018/09/10/why-we-need-hard-cash-into-the-economy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Why We Need ‘Hard Cash In The Economy</a>
South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education and Training, Naledi Pandor, said the youth forum consolidated a set of messages that was to be sent to the BRICS leaders.
“The youth have begun to speak, they believe BRICS should be a solid formation and they have ideas on how the youth should collaborate to ensure that the BRICS idea is not just the idea of our generation but one that exists in perpetuity,” she said.
As argued by the South African Minister of Science and Technology, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, collaboration between the youth from the five states will take the form of what she called “young researchers’ exchange”.
For Kubayi-Ngubane,“the inclusion of young people especially with regard to new tech and innovations should be prioritized as much as  the formal trade collaboration.
“Innovation [is] becoming the cornerstone for our economy going forward,” she told FORBES AFRICA.
<div id="attachment_37174" style="width: 750px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37174" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-37174 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Family-photo_km-1024x681.jpg" alt="" width="740" height="492" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Family-photo_km-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Family-photo_km-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Family-photo_km-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Family-photo_km-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Family-photo_km.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" />(left to right) India&#8217;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of China Xi Jinping, South Africa&#8217;s President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and the President of Brazil Michel Temer. Photo by Karen Mwendera.</div>
The BRICS countries, which account for 40% of the world’s population, have not been laggards with regard to technological advancements, with the World Economic Forum noting in 2016 that four of them – South Africa, Brazil, China and Russia – are in the top 100 list of countries with the latest technologies.
The President of BRICS’ New Development Bank, K V Kamath, says that some of their big investments “include power, port and renewable power”.
Analysts predict that BRICS could become as influential as the Group 7 (the USA, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Canada and Italy) by 2027.
Therefore, the collaboration of BRICS nations is a key strategy to strengthen not just political powers but technological capabilities as well.
However, this collaboration calls for the redefinition of borders and going against the norms of sovereignty.
During the summit, emphasis was placed on establishing open economies. This would help foster easier trade between BRICS countries.
Within the hallways of the convention center, presidents Jinping and Ramaphosa shared a joke as they walked side by side towards the stage. They had caught up earlier.
China has dominated the trade relationship with South Africa, with some analysts going so far as to suggest that the world’s second largest economy is dumping goods in South Africa.
Dressed in black and a blue tie, the Chinese president said he was delighted to visit the Rainbow Nation once again and used his opening address to drive home a message clearly directed at US President Donald Trump.
“We BRICS countries should firmly promote an open world economy, be resolute in rejecting unilateralism and protectionism, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and jointly steer the global economy toward greater openness, inclusiveness, balanced growth and win-win outcomes for all,” he told the 1,000-plus business leaders present.
Among those present at the summit was Alan Mukoki, CEO of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which groups approximately 20,000 small, medium and large enterprises.
Mukoki said as desirable as having open economies among the BRICS countries is, it may have negative implications for those members not as developed as the others.
“You need to manage those things correctly, you need to say ‘let’s all start on an equal footing’. We start together and then when we are equal, we can then go and race an open race,” he told FORBES AFRICA.
“Even though I look fit, you can’t say that I should run the same race as Usain Bolt. It is not going to happen…otherwise we will destroy and decimate the economies of the region. South Africa’s economy cannot be big if the economies of the region are actually small,” he said.
Mukoki said the right mechanisms and strategies should be put in place in order for each member state to compete equally.
Others however remain hopeful.
South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, chose his words carefully when describing what South Africa is looking for regarding trade and investment in an open economy.
“It’s all about building regional value chains allowing us to up the value chain and become more sophisticated producers of industrial products and more value-added products,” he told FORBES AFRICA.
For South Africa, the involvement in BRICS is an opportunity to strengthen intra-Africa ties. A number of countries
<div id="attachment_37176" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37176" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-37176 size-medium" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Break-the-Brics_GL-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Break-the-Brics_GL-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Break-the-Brics_GL-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Break-the-Brics_GL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Break-the-Brics_GL-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Break-the-Brics_GL.jpg 1736w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Trevor Ngwane, coordinator of the Break the BRICS coalition, hands over a memorandum of demands to South African Minister of Public Works, Thembelani Nxesi. The Group gathered outside the Sandton Convention Centre claiming BRICS in &#8220;anti-poor&#8221;. Photo by Gypseenia Lion.</div>
were invited to an outreach program of the BRICS summit, including Ethiopia, Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Senegal, Jamaica, Gabon, Togo, Uganda and Rwanda. Each presented opportunities to deepen their partnerships with BRICS countries.
&nbsp;
“BRICS is not in competition with anyone, BRICS seeks to work with the entire global community for the betterment of humankind,” said Anil Sooklal, ambassador for BRICS, to FORBES AFRICA.
“The summit is not the end, the summit is the beginning of a process.”
&#8211; By Gypseenia Lion and Karen Mwendera

dps2_gl

Towards An Open World Economy

The past three decades have seen a marked step change in Africa’s international relations. While geography historically favoured a European focus &#8211; especially in North Africa &#8211; the continent has shifted its gaze to the East.
China has catapulted from being a relatively small investor in the continent to becoming Africa’s largest economic partner. Africa-China trade is poised to grow 20% year on year making it seem like dragons are the new king of the African jungle.
Investment in Africa has however been structured around Chinese ownership, with roughly 90% of firms either majority controlled or owned outright by Chinese nationals. There are estimated to be over 10,000 Chinese firms in Africa that have created work for several million Africans. This economic stimulus continues to have significant economic impact in communities riddled with historic economic disparities.
Chinese firms have shown remarkable prowess in sectors such as manufacturing, resources, and infrastructure. One of the first famous examples is the Tanzania-Zambia Railway built between 1970 and 1975, for which China provided a zero-interest loan of RMB980 million ($150 million). Sectors including agriculture, banking, insurance, transport and logistics, housing, information communications technology and telecommunications are poised to see significant shifts to Chinese firms. Chinese firms have the benefit of tried-and-tested business models which bear great similarities to the African marketplace.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2017/08/24/africas-time-animation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8216;It&#8217;s Africa&#8217;s Time For Animation&#8217;</a>
To ensure the sustainability of the Africa-China partnership, three key concerns need to be addressed: Corruption, personal safety, and language and cultural barriers.
Corruption has thrived in Africa’s current climate of political and economic impunity. Corruption creates and increases poverty and exclusion. While corrupt individuals with deep political ties enjoy a lavish life, millions of Africans are deprived of their basic needs like food, health, education, housing, access to clean water and sanitation. Violence and crime across the continent derail efforts to encourage community building and foreign direct investment. Language and cultural barriers can lead to clashes that lead to misunderstanding and ignorance of local regulations.
If these problems are left unaddressed, the misunderstandings &#8211; and potentially serious long-term social issues &#8211; could weaken the overall sustainability of the Africa-China relationship.
Chinese aid to Africa has been criticized as being a form of economic colonization. Politically aid has been used to create strong bilateral ties between African countries and China. Proponents highlight the structural benefits brought about by aid; downplaying the benefits to China in the form of profit, resource extraction, and the acquisition of service contracts to Chinese companies. In a nutshell, whichever country offers the greatest economic gains based on China’s growth strategy becomes a target for aid. Currently this strategy is geared towards partnering with resource-rich countries, which often lack the political and economic structures required to efficiently and effectively manage such bilateral trade opportunities.
The key challenge is to ensure that there is an effective political and economic strategy to piggyback off Chinese intervention to ensure broad based economic empowerment.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/investment-guide/2017/08/21/private-money-worth-weight-gold/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Private Money Worth Its Weight In Gold</a>
Part of this strategy should include elements like building a middle class in Africa, developing African entrepreneurs, allocating factors of production, industry 4.0, innovative distribution, and public-private partnerships.
The current economic polarization in Africa needs to be addressed by actively creating a middles class. Clan-based economic feudalism needs to be replaced by an educated and economically engaged middle class. Economic empowerment in turn will promote political development leading to healthier international trade relations.
Entrepreneurship, while still in its African infancy, has made significant strides both domestically and internationally. Agriculture, manufacturing, retail, and tourism can act as an employment sponge for basic labour intensive work. While not a cornerstone employment strategy, it will lead to rapid, broad-based job creation, often requiring very basic skill sets. Further vocational training can be provided in these sectors to prevent generational skills gaps.
Effective allocation of factors of production &#8211; specifically land ownership &#8211; will be critical. It&#8217;s a sensitive subject given Africa&#8217;s colonial past, however it&#8217;s one governments need to address to start an ambitious national agricultural plan. The rapid growth of Africa&#8217;s population presents significant opportunities for our poultry and grain sector.
Industry 4.0 will make global manufacturing much more competitive in the future. Traditional industrial economies, such as Germany and the United States, expect the fourth industrial revolution to create many competitive advantages, reversing the trend to relocate manufacturing processes to low-cost countries and create new high-tech opportunities at home. Africa is ideally positioned to leapfrog into Industry 4.0 by adopting best practices seen in developed countries. This will enable African-owned manufacturers to effectively compete with Chinese companies.
Africa is at the tip of an economic renaissance that will see opportunities being created that were considered impossible a few decades ago. But, this requires strong leadership in both politics and business. Citizens in turn will have to hold their political leaders accountable, specifically promoting broad-based economic empowerment, to ensure that the maximum number of people benefit from this growth. &#8211; Written by Johan Hanekom
<div id="attachment_33408" style="width: 154px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33408" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-33408" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Johan-Hanekom.jpg" alt="" width="144" height="144" />Johan Hanekom</div>
Johan is a globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and growth with an emphasis on corporate entrepreneurship. A believer in social entrepreneurship, his paper while at Oxford focused on developing a nation of social entrepreneurs in Africa.

Is China Really Helping Africa?

Anti-terrorism and transactional relationships are likely be the main features of US President Donald Trump’s Africa policy. But if Trump’s proposed cuts to the state department hold, the US will be less and less of a presence on the continent, according to <a href="http://www.businessofgovernment.org/bio/gregory-f-treverton" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Prof Gregory F Treverton</a>, who directed the US <a href="https://fas.org/irp/nic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Intelligence Council</a> in the Obama Administration.
Treverton, who is currently Professor of Practice at the <a href="https://www.usc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of Southern California</a>, is a world authority on security and intelligence. I put a number of questions to Treverton who visited South Africa recently to deliver the keynote address at a <a href="http://www.dirco.gov.za/docs/2015/dirco0714.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">South African Council on International Relations</a> conference on South Africa’s relations with Africa.
Why is Donald Trump’s foreign policy so incomprehensible?
I wish I knew! It’s a continual struggle between, on the one hand, the true believers, the American firsters who are anti-trade and anti-engagement in what they see as an unfriendly world, and on the other more traditional conservative Republicans.
The pattern has been that the more traditional conservative Republicans, like the Secretaries of State and Defence, tug policy in a more familiar direction, only to have the president blow the process up with a tweet condemning the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/paris-climate-agreement" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Paris climate agreement</a> or <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/30/trumps-tweet-tirade-against-germany-could-backfire-on-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">labelling</a> Germany an unfair trader. The intensity of the struggle is reflected in the continuing haemorrhage of leaks, all from the very top of the administration.
Didn’t the post-Second World War liberal international order need a shake up?
Yes, and perhaps in that sense we’ll end up thanking Trump, if, and this is a big if, we get through the next years without a major crisis or too much broken crockery. Some of Trump’s complaints, like (America’s Western) allies bearing too little of the burden, have been true for a long time. And the reaction by Americans to the sense that they pay too much for the “public goods” of international economics and security has been going on for a long time.
Polls routinely show that Americans <a href="http://www.politifact.com/global-news/statements/2016/nov/09/john-kerry/yep-most-people-clueless-us-foreign-aid-spending/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">think</a> the country spends on foreign aid 20 or 30 times what it actually does. So, too, the questioning of what we all too easily call the “liberal international order” has been growing over time.
You suggested that Russia under <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/vladimir-putin" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vladimir Putin</a>, is a declining power. Doesn’t the evidence point in the other direction?
It surely is a declining power, though Putin has played a weak hand extraordinarily well. It is in demographic decline, and far from modernising the Russian economy, Putin has only deepened its dependence on hydrocarbons. My fear is that as the country declines, it will be all the more tempted to turn to what tools it retains – cyber attacks and nuclear sabre-rattling.
How do you think Trump’s Africa policy will turn out?
In <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/01/11/rex-tillerson-pick-for-secretary-of-state-breaks-with-trump-on-key-issues/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">testifying</a> before Congress, Secretary of State <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38281954" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rex Tillerson</a> probably was as clear as the administration could be given its disarray. Africa was in the “turning to other countries” category, and he began with the fight against terrorism. He did, though, mention the economic opportunities in Africa, mostly in the sense of business that might be done. I suspect those will continue to be the emphasis.
So does this mean that anti-terrorism and transactional relationships will be the main features of Trump’s Africa policy?
I think they will continue to be the main drivers, for better or worse, though not the only drivers. The country will have to respond to major humanitarian crises whether the administration wants to or not. And some of the legacy programmes of the last two administrations, like the <a href="https://agoa.info/about-agoa.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">African Growth and Opportunity Act</a>, or the <a href="https://www.pepfar.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief </a> have had bipartisan support, so we’ll see how they fare in the congressional budget process.
And, if this is so, what are the long-term implications of this for US relations with the continent?
If Trump’s proposed cuts to the <a href="https://www.state.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">State Department</a> and <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">USAID</a> hold, the US will be less and less of a presence on the continent. The main beneficiary, diplomatically, will be China, followed by the Europeans and perhaps even Russia, though it doesn’t have much to contribute except arms sales.
If there is any silver lining, perhaps it will be that Africans, and particularly South Africans, will realise they have to take more initiative on their own.
When it comes to the US itself, you raised the possibility that it might break up? Were you speaking in abstract terms, or is this a real possibility?
I meant it mostly as a metaphor and as a touchstone for thinking about the future. I don’t think it’s likely, but it does have to be considered.
What is certain is that the next few years will be a kind if a guerrilla war, one mostly fought in the courts, between the US federal government and the “blue” (read Democratic Party-controlled) states, led by California, over climate change, immigration and other issues.
What does the Trump presidency mean for these ideas?
So far it seems bound to increase the divide in America. Trump has talked and acted entirely to please his base. He has played on fear, fanning it by portraying the country in dire straits surrounded by a hostile world. So far that base – especially older and often poorer white Americans – seems to have been satisfied by word, words they see as validating them.
But we’ve known from the beginning that Trump can’t deliver on his promises: those “good” low-skilled jobs in manufacturing or mining (as he has portrayed them) aren’t coming back. So we’ll see, but I expect that realisation to only deepen the anger and disaffection. &#8211; Written by <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-vale-189558" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Peter Vale</a>
The co-hosts of the conference Treverton addressed were the <a href="https://www.uj.ac.za/faculties/humanities/JIAS" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study</a> (JIAS) and the <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/wsg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wits School of Public Management</a>.
Originally published by <a href="https://theconversation.com/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Conversation</a>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81424/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />

Look to China for the main beneficiary of America’s likely retreat from Africa

China started censoring certain parts of WhatsApp, according to <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40651951" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports</a>. Though there was no comment from the state, many presumed it came as part of a broader response to outcry over the death of political prisoner and Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.
Using the so-called Great Firewall of China, or another part of its vast censorship apparatus, China managed to stop users sending WhatsApp video messages and other multimedia. But, given Facebook&#8217;s added security, including its <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/04/06/whatsapp-brings-full-end-to-end-encryption-for-all-one-billion-users/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">end-to-end encryption</a> of WhatsApp messages, how could the Chinese censor images and video while allowing the app to otherwise function as normal?
Turns out, it&#8217;s very simple, according to computer science student and security researcher Frieder Steinmetz. He put together a video showing the possible method China is using, just on a massive scale. It simply redirects a phone&#8217;s access to the media files server used by WhatsApp, causing video and photo downloads to fail.
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He redirected connections trying to reach &#8220;mmg.whatsapp.net&#8221; and &#8220;mms.whatsapp.net&#8221; &#8211; the servers for downloading multimedia content &#8211; to the IP address 10.0.0.1. This was done with his own firewall. Afterwards, he removes the redirection via the web interface of his firewall. That&#8217;s when the images can again be downloaded.
Obviously, this is a small-scale experiment. But it&#8217;s likely China could simply expand it using their control over the country&#8217;s internet. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know the first thing about China&#8217;s censorship infrastructure but I imagine it is pretty easy to accomplish,&#8221; Steinmetz added.
Could WhatsApp do more to fight such censorship? Possibly. WhatsApp&#8217;s encryption is based on that of another popular messaging app, Signal. The creators of that tool have a neat trick for preventing forms of censorship. A source familiar with the app&#8217;s workings said Signal chooses to host services on Google servers alongside a lot of others. No one can see which service is being used by a particular user as the connection is encrypted.
That means that if a country wanted to sensor a unique service, like Signal videos, then they&#8217;d have to block the whole Google server, knocking out all those others running on the same machine. Even for China that&#8217;d be a risky move, causing all kinds of international outrage, beyond that already felt over its latest censorship broadside.
WhatsApp declined to comment for this article. &#8211; Written by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Thomas Fox-Brewster</a>, FORBES STAFF

Why It’s Really Easy For Anyone To Censor WhatsApp

The inauguration of a $3.2-billion Chinese-funded railway, linking the port of Mombasa to the Kenyan capital Nairobi with future extension to the border with Uganda, promises to be a game changer. But only if sticky issues, such as harmonization of procedures and charges, in East Africa are sorted out.
Being part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative that targets to upgrade maritime and land trade routes between China and Europe, Asia and Africa, the potential benefits of the railway are huge – not just for businesses in Kenya but the region as a whole.
With offers of haulage charges of $0.08 per ton per kilometer on Kenya’s new standard gauge railway (SGR), there is hope for bigger returns for businesses. For years they have had to endure the pain of costly road transport and equally expensive and unreliable service on a dilapidated railway system built by British colonialists more than a century ago.
“Today, the cost of transport along the northern corridor accounts for up to 45 percent of the goods and services in the region. The high costs make it hard for businesses to compete effectively on both the global and the local markets. We expect these costs to reduce significantly with the SGR,” the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) says.
Industry estimates show that hauling a 40-foot container from the port of Mombasa to the Ugandan capital, Kampala, by truck costs about $3,030 exclusive of handling and clearing fees – which captures why businesses long for cheaper options, such as an efficient railway.
Neighboring landlocked Uganda and Rwanda also plan similar SGR projects that would boost efficient haulage of cargo to the various sea ports in Mombasa or Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam and Tanga.
Nonetheless, authorities in East Africa must address all bottlenecks being experienced at the various gateway ports to the region if the SGR projects are to succeed. The challenges due to bureaucratic port procedures and conflicting charges have been a thorny issue for businesses and investors in the region.
Kenya and Tanzania that host the gateway ports have been under the spotlight for dragging their feet in the harmonization of their port procedures and charges to ease flow of shipment to landlocked states in East Africa.
A recent audit of operations at the Mombasa and Dar es Salaam ports confirmed hitches for
traders from Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, which affected the overall performance of trade in the region. The matter was in fact formally tabled to the East Africa Community (EAC) leadership in 2015.
“The two ports could consider harmonizing their port charges, grace period and penalties, in view of the implementation of the EAC single customs territory,” Burundi said in a report to the bloc’s secretariat.
“The two countries should consider allowing clearing and forwarding agencies to go to work at Dar es Salaam and Mombasa ports.”
The two ports are the main gateways to East Africa and also service markets in South Sudan and the Great Lakes Region, handling key items including fuel, consumer goods and other imports as well as exports of tea and coffee from the region.
“Dar es Salaam and Mombasa ports, should establish one terminal for all transit containers for EAC countries. For example, you will see at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi that there is a window for EAC citizens only,” Burundi further said in its submission.
The effects of these bottlenecks have stirred other challenges for businesses in these landlocked countries in that they often resulted in accruement in storage charges by port authorities.
Uganda traders have particularly expressed their disappointment with the cargo clearance procedures at the port of Mombasa and accused Kenyan authorities of imposing a harmful non-tariff barrier by “selectively auctioning” Ugandan goods held at the key port.
Uganda also raised concern over increased impounding of suspected counterfeit goods, meant for its market, at the port of Mombasa.
“Lengthy, restrictive and unclear administrative procedures of licensing Uganda-owned container freight stations and warehouses in Kenya are non-tariff barriers (NTBs),” Uganda said in a recent audit report to the EAC secretariat.
The availability of key inland infrastructure along the SGR, such as cargo collection and drop-off points will also determine the success of the whole project. The container drop-off or collection points should be located strategically to make the railway competitive. &#8211; Written by Allan Akombo

Rapid Railway Yet Slow Ports

Whilst Africa is embracing all things Chinese – trade, infrastructure and ideas, here is a guaranteed conversation-starter for Africans visiting China.
Just ask about Liu Bolin, the ‘invisible’ Chinese artist whose exhibitions are touring the world – and wowing it.
Bolin has perfected the art of urban camouflage, painting himself from head to toe, blending himself into the background he is in so seamlessly that you will not notice him until he moves. The idea is to make a silent statement and prompt the question: what lies beneath our public realms?
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-30208 alignleft" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Graffiti-in-Beijing-No.2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Graffiti-in-Beijing-No.2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Graffiti-in-Beijing-No.2-600x450.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Graffiti-in-Beijing-No.2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Graffiti-in-Beijing-No.2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Graffiti-in-Beijing-No.2.jpg 1023w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Bolin has exhibited his work in some of the world’s biggest galleries, triggering intrigue and introspection.
Born in China’s Shandong province, before becoming an artist, Bolin did the odd job as art teacher and assistant. It was not ideal.
“I lived at the bottom of society,” he says. “Those years, I felt redundant.”
That is when he often receded to the background, hiding. In October 2005, the Suojia Village International Art Camp in Beijing was demolished, “forcefully”, he tells us.
That was the starting point of Bolin’s celebrated Hiding In The City series, which began as a brand of ‘performance art’ that he is best known for.
“[The demolition] was a shock for me. I created the Hiding In The City series to express my protest. I try to use the series to express my inner world and my understanding of the world around me,” says Bolin.
The artistic process he uses is trompel’oeil (translated from French as ‘trick the eye’). In his work, there is no touching-up by a computer.
Every effect is painted on to his body, slowly, step by step, using it as a canvas to deliver a social message.
That is why his works are moving; he is the front and center of his art.
The Mandarin-speaking artist shares more details about his fascinating work in this interview:
Why do you do what you do?
Many people understand the meaning of my work and the power it has. My work spreads widely on the internet which indicates people know what I want to express. I think the most important thing [about] art is it [can] connect to people’s inner worlds.
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What statement are you making?
When I started the Hiding In The City series, I hid myself in the studio [that had] been demolished. That work represents my protest [against] urban demolition.
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Describe the work you have done around the world…
In the beginning, I had done work in France and Italy. I was disappearing in front of graffiti, bookshelves etc. I hid myself in various time [zones], languages, backgrounds and events. I thought different things happening at different times [can influence] the way humans think. At the same time, social problems such as the strikes in Paris, [poverty] in India, the financial crises and crash of the World Trade Center in New York, have all influenced my work.
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Which is your most recent work?
I had my solo show in Paris in March, and another solo show at a museum in Argentina in April. I recently did new work in Paris, influenced by the Charlie Hebdo shooting. I found 17 local people in Paris and made them disappear in order to question the problems in society. I thought this the modern version of religious war. I will participate in the Biennale of Performance Art in Argentina in June and also work on a new [art] influenced by transgenic food in Argentina.
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How does the government in China view your work?
To be frank, the government has never censored my work so far. My work has never gotten any support from anyone but no one has been against it [either]. I have been doing my work quite freely…A lot of people from around the world like what I do and have resonance with my work. This is what I cherish the most.
How much time does it take to prepare for each work and how much does each ‘performance’ cost?
The time [taken to] paint the body depends on the complexity of the background. Like the Supermarket, Magazine…such work needs a lot of time to grasp details. The longest I have taken is almost four days. Actually, it is really hard work. Generally speaking, for a simple background, a day is enough, especially outdoor scenes.
Actually, standing there, being painted on, is a painful process. For several hours, you cannot move, the body aches all over. However, I enjoy such a process which is a sacrifice to the art and a striving for my [artistic] dream. I have never calculated how much it costs for finishing each performance.
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What materials do you work with?
I’ve been using cloth designed for Chinese military men. Because in the beginning, I wanted to imitate how a sniper is hidden from his environment, by painting on his face, hands and body. For the paint, we usually use acrylic as it is simple.
How do you fund your work?
I have galleries who are in charge of the commercial part of my work.
What have you planned for the year ahead?
I will work on a new Target series in Italy and an art performance from the series Security Check. I plan [similar] performances next year in both Paris and New York. I would like to find famous buildings and invite people to be a part of it. Last year, there were many plane accidents. I would like people to pay more attention to matters of flight security.
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Do you have any plans to visit Africa?
African culture has always been my fascination. When I was in college, I specifically researched Africa’s traditional art. Unfortunately, I have never been to Africa, but I believe I will have a chance to visit it someday in the future. I really look forward to it.

Tag: China

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