Last week Youth@SAIIA learners Morategi Kale and Thokozani Nhlapo were given the chance to interview delegates of the BRICS Summit for a special segment on CCTV. CCTV's Guy Henderson produced this story for the Africa Live current affairs show. Watch the creation of the SAIIA BRICS Youth Communiqué in the CCTV clip above. 

In a move that has generated much excitement, South Africa has invited representatives from various African continental institutions, including regional economic blocs to the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Summit (26-27 March 2013). BRICS leaders will meet  them to discuss Africa’s infrastructure development priorities under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) framework. This is in line with the Summit theme, “BRICS and Africa - partnership for development, integration and industrialisation”.

by EDIP Research Team
SAIIA Policy Briefing 63, March 2013

In the lead-up to the Fifth Summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) grouping, the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) invited high-school learners to debate the key issues surrounding the BRICS and develop a Youth BRICS Communique containing their recommendations.

As South Africa gears up to host the Fifth Annual BRICS Summit next month, SAIIA has released a comprehensive new BRICS Guide to help observers understand the dynamics at play. This resource was created by the Global Economic Governance - Africa (GEGAfrica) project, an initiative of the South African Institute of International Affairs and the University of Pretoria, in association with CUTS International in India. Called "The BRICS and the New World Order: A Beginner's Guide", it is an electronic resource on the BRICS grouping (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). It covers: The origin of BRICS The evolution…

SAIIA Occasional Paper No 134, January 2013

SAIIA Occasional Paper No 131, January 2013

SAIIA Occasional Paper No 125, December 2012

(Portuguese) China’s rising position in African affairs, from that of quiescence to open activism at the centre stage of events, is changing the dynamics of the international system.  Since the onset of the domestic reform process starting in 1978, Maoist faith and revolutionary altruism have given way to the consciously self-interested commercial entrepreneurs and advocates of forms of market capitalism. The emergence of China as Africa’s top trading partner and leading source of foreign direct investment in 2009, surpassing the United States and key European Union states still struggling in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, has sharpened the focus on Chinese aspiration and conduct in Africa.  Two-way trade is surging, from just over $1 billion in 2000 to US$155 billion in 2010.  African leaders have recognized, perhaps belatedly in some cases, the necessity of closer ties with the rising economic giant, calling for a concerted effort to better understand and utilize the opportunities presented by China.

South Africa will host the fifth Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in March next year. What should the government's priorities be? This is a subject of earnest discussion in government, business and civil society circles.

21 September 2012: There have been mounting concern about the state of relations between superpowers China and Japan, particularly in light of the latest spat which centres around small islands off the coast of Japan. Joining News Leader to talk about the situation and its broader implications, particularly the potential impact upon South African trade, is Tom Wheeler, Research Associate with SAIIA.  [Duration: 8min 09sec] Watch the video

20 September 2012: Earlier this year, CCTV built its first international broadcast hub in Nairobi. China’s state-run news media are growing at a fast pace around the world — particularly in Africa — at a time when broadcasting and newspaper companies based in America and Europe are scaling back their international operations. The expansions are part of a campaign to improve China’s image around the world, and bolster its influence in areas where Beijing is economically and politically active. Global Journalist was joined by two experts to discuss this: Yu-Shan Wu, a researcher at SAIIA, and award-winning journalist Ayo Johnson. [Duration:…

The outcome of the Busan High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness was significant because it sought to bridge the divide between North-South and South-South cooperation, notwithstanding the existing divergent views each side held on the issue. Busan responded to the changing development landscape, in which South-South cooperation was becoming increasingly important, by agreeing to establish a new Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation that would also see the phasing out of the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness. A new book called "Development Cooperation and Emerging Powers: New Partners or Old Patterns" explores the development policies of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. The volume positions the case studies in the context of the way in which South-South cooperation has evolved and the lessons learnt from traditional forms of aid. Against the background of the changes in the international system of development cooperation, the book also discusses the possibility for convergence or conflict in this transitional phase of the architecture of development cooperation.

There has been an explosion of attention given to China's interests and activities in Africa and on the wide spectrum of Chinese actors involved in countries across the continent, but the terms and implications of the China-Angola partnership remain unclear.

The South African Institute of International Affairs and The Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria cordially invite you to a Breakfast Panel Discussion with BRICS experts on New insights on 'South Africa, the BRICS and the G20' 6 August 2012Venue: Centurion Lake Hotel Since South Africa's accession to the BRICS group of emerging powers in 2011, there has been sustained interest in South Africa's role in the shifting dynamics of global economic governance. Given that South Africa will be hosting the BRICS Summit in 2013, this attention will only increase throughout in the coming year. The South African Institute of International Affairs and the…

A new report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) finds that global trade rules are outdated, in light of changing realities.

The study, called The Shifting Geography of Global Value Chains: Implications for Developing Countries and Trade Policy was conducted by the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on the Global Trade System. It examines how shifts in global value chains are likely to impact on developing countries and international trade policy.

China's unique economic growth story has attracted significant international and African media attention. With news that China has surpassed the US as Africa's largest trading partner in 2010, the focus has shifted on how this development might affect Africa's independence, growth and competitiveness.

South African Institute of International Affairs Invites you to a Speaker's Meeting to be addressed by the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of South Africa H.E. Mr TIAN Xuejun on FOCAC V and China-Africa RelationsVenue: Jan Smuts House

China's economic slow-down has been somewhat overshadowed recently by the Eurozone crisis and the threat of a 'Grexit'. The 'Chindown' remains a concern however with fear and apprehension continuing to grow over the exact implications of this decline for the rest of the world, fresh out of one global economic crisis, and with Europe seemingly teetering on the brink of a full blown meltdown. International financial institutions are reducing their growth estimates for China. This week there were further weaknesses highlighted by the slow-down in China's manufacturing sector. While the timely implementation of stimulus measures managed to tide China through…