The 2024 elections in Africa are pivotal. And as countries like South Africa and Rwanda navigate their elections, the future of their relationships with China—marked by substantial investments and strategic partnerships—will play a key role in shaping their economic trajectories and governance models.

The multilateral trading system faces an existential challenge as the United States and European Union seek to continue — or even expand — trade protectionism. If Donald Trump returns to the White House, there are good reasons to believe that he will try again to hijack the World Trade Organization. Meanwhile, protectionism by Europe only makes things worse.

The implications of recent stock market volatility in the United States, combined with slowing job growth and rising unemployment, are causing a panic and triggering discussions about an inflection point. The signs of a recession are rattling the market’s shared hope for a soft landing.

Only through steadfast multilateral policy coordination and flexible, effective measures can global financial markets weather the storm safely and achieve stability and development.

American trade policy is no substitute for domestic structural rebalancing. Imbalances are driving foreign policies and trade policies that appeal during electoral cycles but which mask the root causes of American malaise and its spillover effects on global stability and prosperity.

Decentralization of decision-making from the central government to local authorities is widely regarded as one of China’s most effective policy reforms of the past four decades. As the Communist Party’s priorities shifted from class struggle to economic development, decentralization turned out to be a tremendous catalyst for growth.

The current state of bilateral relations in agriculture, services and NEVs underscores the fact that engagement and cooperation underpinned by self-confidence and mutual trust are essential prerequisites for a more promising future in China-U.S. relations.

In recent months, Chinese overcapacity has been a major topic of discussion – and a source of controversy – among economists and policymakers around the world. While these concerns are not entirely off base, they are excessive and resolvable.

By imposing provisional duties on Chinese EV imports, the EU seeks to protect its automotive industry while navigating complex internal and external pressures, with the potential for significant economic and geopolitical fallout if a full-scale trade war ensues.

Even amid frictions, empirical data show that trade between China and the United States is an objective economic law, based on complementary economies. Political tensions and other restrictions could distort or delay the growth but will be unable to kill it.