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Coming up.
Spain's foreign minister has made a two-day trip to China, so we're gonna explore what's at stake in his trip.
The IMF has raised its global growth forecast, saying the global economy has shown resilience despite US tariff turmoil.
Apple vows to further increase investment in China.
Madagascar's military says it has seized power and suspended institutions.
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Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Alvarez Bueno has concluded a two-day official visit to China.
He has visited this country at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
His agenda included a meeting with Spanish business representatives in this country, the inauguration of a new center belonging to a Spanish university in the city of Hangzhou, among others.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Spain.
China represents Spain's largest trading partner outside the European Union, with bilateral trade volumes surging to more than US48 billion in recent years.
So joining us now on the line is Dr George Zagopoulos, director of the EU-China program with CIFE, a European research organization.
Thank you very much for joining us.
Thank you for having me.
So what do you think the Spanish foreign minister's visit signify with regard to Madrid's policy towards China?
To start with, there is continuity in the evolution of relations between China and Spain.
That is to say, the two sides have agreed to elevate ties in previous meetings between Prime Minister Sanchez and President Xi Jinping.
So I see the recent visit to be placed in this context.
It is a very good development, taking into account that both sides are prepared to foster collaboration in all fronts.
And the more politicians at the highest level are meeting each other, the better it is in terms of achieving this goal of elevating ties in all levels.
In a recent trade and investment matching conference held in the city of Madrid, China and Spain called for stronger bilateral economic and trade cooperation trade ties and have reaffirmed their mutual support for the spirit of free trade.
So, in your observation, how has the steady development of the economic cooperation between China and Spain contributed to Spain's on economic growth?
Well, China's role in terms of contributing to growth and trade, not only vis-a-vis Spain, but at the world level, is massive.
And, within this context, it is understandable that an EU member state like Spain is interested in doing more business with China.
And business is concerned with Chinese investments in Spain, Spanish investments in China and obviously, the rise of bilateral trade.
So the more the two sides are talking to each other, the higher the possibility becomes for additional economic synergies to be reached.
And it is in the interest of both sides to look for more in terms of boosting economic ties.
Obviously, the success of Chinese technological companies is an issue which is under the radar of Spanish economic interests, but other themes are also on the agenda.
Now, according to a piece of media reports recently I have seen, Chinese EV giant BYD is reportedly considering Spain to be the top candidate for a third car factory to serve the European market of this company, in addition to other plant factories in Hungary and Turkey.
Why do you think BYD is making this particular consideration?
If such a factory really materializes in the future in Spain, what do you make of the momentum that could be generated for bilateral China-Spain economic cooperation?
The most important thing to mention is that the success of Chinese companies producing electrical vehicles is clear and evident.
And this can explain the interest of Spain in hosting one of the biggest Chinese companies producing electric vehicles, like BID, to build a factory in the country itself.
So it is a decision which is aligned with the general progress of the Chinese company, but also highlights the interest of Spain to catch up as far as the production of electric vehicles are concerned.
So I would say that without collaboration with China, it is difficult, not only for Spain, but also for other EU member states, to meet important green energy and climate change objectives.
So through that type of synergies, it is possible, as far as electric vehicles are concerned, for EU member states like Spain to catch up.
In the meantime, in a separate yet somewhat related development of international affairs, we know US President Donald Trump is now threatening to impose tariffs against Spain over Madrid's refusal to boost NATO defense spending.
So for Madrid, what's the significance of maintaining close communication with Beijing at a time when Spain is facing disagreements with the United States and a few other European countries, for that matter, over security issues or over international policy?
I would start by saying that there is continuity in the Spanish foreign and economic policy.
That is to say that Spain values its partnership with China, irrespective of U.S. development.
That's because the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, also visited Spain.
China in times before the election of President Trump.
But obviously, under the current circumstances, the main signal that Spain is demonstrating is that it is valuing the multilateral world order and it is prepared to improve ties with other countries of the world, including China.
But China anyway is a major actor, irrespective of the policies of Donald Trump.
And this is a Clearly this is demonstrating why Spain is very much interested in doing business with China and in improving ties with China.
Now actually speaking.
At an event held in New York City sometime last month, the Spanish foreign minister warned against sidelining the United Nations.
I guess that was an event held on the sidelines of last month.
UN General Assembly.
That's the diplomatic occasion.
That's the bigger context.
So, with that in mind, Dr George Zagopoulos, do you see room for China and Spain to work together with one another to somehow strive to safeguard this UN-centered international system or the international governance system?
This is a very important question, and I would answer positively by saying that yes indeed, I see some room for collaboration not only between China and Spain, but also between China and the European Union, because every time the EU leadership meets the Chinese leadership, there are references to the importance of multilateralism.
So what is the best body to guarantee multilateralism in an changing world?
It's certainly the United Nations.
But the more countries like China and Spain are making references to the important role that the UN plays, the better it is.
So again, it is very important, especially in today's world, to make that type of references and to join hands in order to safeguard the role of the United Nations in a changing world where unilateralism tends to prevail.
Oh, by the way, how do you think Spain has benefited from a UN-centered international system?
Out of curiosity.
Well, it is critical to mention that multilateralism is in the interest of all EU member states, including Spain.
To start with, to guarantee peace and safeguard peace, which is anchored to the general UN role, is at the epicenter of attention.
But at the same time, other multilateral aspects, like free trade, for example, are certainly in the interest of both Spain and the European Union.
And, generally speaking, it is international collaboration that matters for Spain and the European Union.
And what's the best forum for leaders of world countries to discuss world affairs?
Certainly it is the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly.
So all these reasons are explaining why a typical EU member state like Spain are valuing the role of the UN in the world.
The Spanish foreign minister's visit to China is one of the many high-level exchanges taking place recently between China and Europe.
We know, the diplomatic advisor to the French President, Emmanuel Macron, is in China from Wednesday to Thursday this week.
Sweden's foreign minister will also pay an official visit to China from Thursday to Friday.
And of course we know, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi just made a trip to Italy and Switzerland earlier this month.
Can these recent high-level exchange or diplomacy work chart a clearer path for China-Europe relations?
I'm asking this question because some people, some observers, say China-EU ties.
The path forward remains a little bit unclear at this point.
Well, stability in relations between China and Europe is important not only for both sides, but also for the world and for world trade and world growth.
And again, that type of meetings are placed in the context of the interest of both sides the European Union and China to chart a stable way forward.
I would say that in the past, relations between China and the European Union suffered by some setbacks.
But I see that in recent months, perhaps in the last year or two years, there are efforts made by both sides to bring some stability in the relationship.
And this stability can be anchored to the improvement of relations between China and the European Union, on the one hand, and the improvement of relations between China and member states of the European Union, on the other hand.
So all the recent important diplomatic meetings that you mentioned are placed in the second category, and it is highly significant for EU member states and for China also, to look beyond disagreements into a policy that can serve the interests of both, because disagreements can certainly exist but, at the same time, collaboration between China and the European Union and EU member states is critical in order to guarantee world prosperity and peace.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Dr George Zagopoulos, Director of EU-China Program at CIFE, a France-based European research organization.
Coming up.
The IMF has raised its global growth forecast, saying that the world economy has shown resilience despite US tariff turmoil.
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The International Monetary Fund or the IMF has released its latest economic outlook report.
It says the global economy has shown resilience amid US tariff turmoil, but the outlook remains dim.
The IMF is now projecting that the world economic growth will hit 32 over the course of this year, up from 3 in its last estimate back in July this year.
The growth outlook for next year, though, remains unchanged at 3.1%.
The report has also highlighted threats to the world economy namely, a possible bubble in terms of AI stocks, unresolved trade tensions and supply chain disruptions arising from tariffs.
In the meantime, the IMF remains upbeat on China's growth, despite US trade tensions, keeping estimates for Chinese growth at 48 for 2025.
So for more.
My colleague Zhao Yang spoke with Dr Zhou Mi, Senior Research Fellow with Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
So Dr. Jomi, the IMF says the world economy has shown resilience, but the outlook remains dim.
So how should we read that?
And is this really good news or more of a warning sign?
I think that it's very difficult for IMF to give a precise prediction about the global economy growth.
I think that this year, especially when they are facing many challenges, from April the United States has put in some kind of new measurements on the tariffs to the the July to October.
I think that IMF is trying to say that when they are starting to evaluate the performance at April, maybe they cannot just predict what is going on.
But now it's seemingly like the world is not just trying to face so many unacceptable interruptions, but it's still having so many uncertainties.
So, according to my understanding, that IMF is trying to give us some warning, that we are still not so certain about what is going on for the future because, although these measurements are not so powerful as perceived at the beginning, but they are still very impactful.
So, according to the world, we see that the world economy has a very strong basis for development in the past several years, but now they are facing some challenges, man-made challenges.
So IMF is trying to give us the opinions and trying to warn us.
We have to be careful about the attitudes and also what we are going to do.
And that is very important for the global economy to follow and develop.
And the fund also highlighted that the world avoided the worst of the US tariffs so far, but a renewed US-China trade tensions remain a significant risk.
So how do you view that, and how much damage have Washington's tariff policies already done to the global economy?
Well, I think IMF is trying to tell us that the world, mainly the major two economies, China and the United States, they are facing a lot of uncertainties.
So we know that the global trade is one of the key issues for development and the trade between the major economies are really impacting the global, the baseline for development.
I think that when we discuss about the tariffs, the United States has collected so much money from the world, from the different countries I mean the import from these countries but this additional cost has caused a lot of uncertainty and unstable of the global trade and the supply chains.
So I think that is not just based on this money, because this money is a huge one, but it's not just the most important one.
The most important risk is that the uncertainties.
So the people who are doing the business with original partners, but now they are facing some uncertainties.
Maybe in the future they will decide trying to find alternative partners, but that will also cause a lot of troubles.
And sometimes it will add additional risk for the transportation, for the logistics, for the financial resources flowing.
There are so many uncertainties.
So the tariffs are really a big issue.
It's not only about the money itself.
And if Washington moves ahead to impose this 100 tariff on Chinese goods, how big an impact could that have on the global growth?
And what will be the impact on China's export sector?
Will it hurt China's export sector?
Or has Beijing already built enough buffers through the market diversification?
Yeah i, i think that the bilateral trades between our two countries are important for us and for them.
But uh i, if you are looking at the data of the, you know the first three uh quarters.
These years, china has continuously growing our export to the uh almost of these trading partners, except for united states, i think that the market has already anticipated that the trade relation between china united states is not as well as before.
So they are trying to do some changes, do some alternative choices.
I think that the additional 100% tariff is really a big rate.
I think, if it's becoming the truth, it will actually interrupt the trade between China and the United States on a very large scale.
And you know, the additional 100 tariffs will totally change the world trade patterns, in my understanding.
I don't think that you know the market can absorb such a big amount of products.
Like you know when they have to be transferred.
So there will be a lot of chain reactions according to the global trade.
And I think that's really a disaster for the trade, for the global economy.
And the IMF stays upbeat on China's growth despite the U.S. trade tensions.
So how has China's steady economic growth and domestic demand contributed to the resilience of the global economy?
Well, we know that, among the four pillars of the GDP, the consumption is one of the priorities for Chinese government.
So, according to the data that you know, for the previous one more year, China's consumption has been steadily.
I think that is based on, you know, the offers by the Chinese government.
The Chinese government, both the central government and the local governments, are trying to give more support for the consumption promotion.
And the investors are trying to change their supplies based on, you know tech, new products, AI or different kind of technology.
They are providing the consumers with more choices.
So, based on that, I think that the consumption is becoming one of the most important factors for China's GDP.
Well, another one is about the investment and also about China's government procurement.
We're seeing that China is starting to do more infrastructure buildings, like in Tibet, like in Xinjiang.
I think this kind of investment will still increase better abilities for the consumption based on this kind of projects.
Well, we are doing more businesses with our trading partners.
So, among all these factors, i think chinese government are really active in doing to support the chinese gdp growth and i believe, based on these practices, the gdp can be sustainable and continue to have a good performance in the coming future.
And tariffs obviously is one big issue raised by the IMF.
The fund also warns of a possible AI-driven asset bubble.
So do you think we can see a big correction over there?
Yeah, sometimes correction is a good word, but in this scenario I would say it's not a good word, because the correction means that the bubble will burst.
I would say I don't think that the AI is still very, you know, like what we are saying in the year of 2000 about the internet, some bubbles like that, the AI is actually changing the way of doing the analysis, from the conception to the investment, to the manufacturing.
They are providing us more abilities.
So among them, I think the Chinese government are really trying to do more to encourage the companies to introduce more technology of AI and also trying to help these companies to have a better effect of the scale economy.
So I think that we are doing more.
Maybe not just everything will be changed overnight, but I think that there are a big enough market to the different enterprises.
They can come here to share China's opportunities and also to use AI and other technology here in Chinese domestic markets.
And for the global economic scenario.
Do you think a greater policy coordination among major economies could help ease some of the global uncertainties?
Definitely, I would say that is critical for the world to believe that what we can do in the future.
Because you know the multilateral system as a basis for the collaboration are what we believe we can follow.
But now we are saying there are some fluctuations, some kind of economies are not trying to fulfill their commitments and obligations.
So the major economies are the main factors and a lot of other smaller economies are connecting with us.
They count on us on the trend and the direction for the development.
So the major economies should try to be more responsible and try to follow some kind of criteria and try to give the market more understanding about the directions and also the practices.
I think that is very critical for the other economies to work on and try to fulfil their practices.
Dr Zhou Mi, Senior Research Fellow with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Talking with my colleague Zhao Yang.
More to come.
Apple has vowed to further increase the company's investment in China.
In Madagascar, the country's military says it has seized power in a military coup.
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We'll be back after a very short break.
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Apple has pledged to continue to increase investment in China and enhance cooperation to achieve mutually beneficial development.
Apple CEO, Tim Cook, made the remark in a meeting with Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Li Lecheng, here in Beijing.
Li Lecheng vowed that China will vigorously promote the application of smart technologies in industrialization and foster a favorable business environment for foreign enterprises.
He also called on Apple to join hands with Chinese corporations across the industrial chain to pursue innovation-driven development.
So joining us now on the line is Dr Yao Shujie Chang Kong, Professor of Economics with Chongqing University.
Thank you very much for joining us, Professor.
Hi.
So the industrialization in China.
Nowadays we know they are featuring all those projects, are featuring application of smart technologies.
We are talking about building smart regions, smart city, etc.
So what roles do you think Apple can play when we talk about China's new era industrialization?
Apple's major capital value in the stock market and also the impact of Apple in the digital technology smartphone industrialization.
It is the biggest and the most powerful multinational company, penetrating in every corner of the world.
I mean, we have been dominated by Apple for our daily life, including many Chinese affluent populations who are still using Apple for communications.
So Apple's impact, not only in technological innovation but also the application to the smartphone industries, is the most impressive company so far.
So on Monday, we know here in China, we have three major telecom operators.
So on Monday, these three operators in China.
They have confirmed that Chinese authorities had approved the trial of eSIM cards.
Well, we know that's a very cutting-edge, top-notch, new generation of technology.
So what opportunities is China's regulatory support for eSIM cards creating for Apple?
Yeah, eSIM cards have been applied to the Apple 14 Plus and the newer generation of the Apple smartphone.
Now this application in the Chinese market, especially accepted by the key operators of the mobile companies industry in China, is a very important step forward.
Because with the eSIM card there are lots of new functions, particularly the change from one mobile phone to another, especially for those people who are very internationalized including, for example, like myself.
We travel from China to other countries to have meetings or to spend some time overseas.
With the eSIM card, it could be fairly easy that we can switch from one system to another with the minimum cost and maximum efficiency.
So personally I'm very pleased that the three operators in China is now supporting the eSIM card.
Another importance of the application of the eSIM card is going to have a very powerful impact on the global integration of smart communications.
And this would enable consumers and mobile users to have a much better experience and also create more information traffic between the operators and numerous mobile phone users.
So I think the future and also the industrial policy supporting this would lift the smartphone communication to a much higher level.
Mr Tim Cook's meeting with the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology here in Beijing actually came against the backdrop of this renewed trade tension between Washington and Beijing.
These two days, with President Donald Trump on the Washington side threatening to slap additional tariff of up to 100 on China, etc.
So, by having this meeting in Beijing, what do you think are the key messages that the Chinese government is hoping to send to the American business community?
Yeah, it's very interesting.
I think Tim Cook has been a very pragmatic person and the CEO of one of the largest technology companies in the globe.
And the relationship between China and the US, as we see it, started from Donald Trump 10, when he took over the presidency the first time in the US, and then, later on, followed by Joe Biden, and now the Trump 20 version is getting more and more aggressive.
So the condition the relationship between the United States and China seems to getting worse and worse.
But it also has some bright light, especially the multinational companies such as Apple, led by Tim Cook.
They see the market opportunity of China.
Because China has a big population and also there are over 400 million or 500 million people who could potentially afford to buy a rather expensive Apple device.
This is something that Apple and also Tim Cook could not ignore.
And paying a good relationship with the Chinese authority.
It would guarantee that Apple could continue to have a strong foothold in the Chinese gigantic market.
On the Chinese side, I think the Chinese always try to keep the door wide open to welcome multinational companies such as Apple, not only for their cutting-edge technology, but also for their financial muscles to create jobs in technology, research and also industrial production.
Now, it's a mutual benefit between an individual company and a big country like China.
So they also provide some opportunity to mitigate the fairly tense relationship between the two governments.
So I think Tim Cook, in this case, is continuing to play a very positive and encouraging role in maintaining a certain good relationship between China and the US business.
The final question before we let you go.
In July this year, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro.
He criticized Tim Cook, saying that Apple is not moving its production or its supply chain out of China fast enough.
How would you respond to Mr. Navarro's rhetoric here?
Well, Mr. Navarro is more or less a politician.
He's not a business person.
You put him in Tim Cook's position, he probably couldn't dare to say that, because Apple has a very comprehensive international supply chain and also production chain.
There are lots of components, including the raw material, the little chips and components, and also assembly.
It depends largely on overseas factories, including factories created in China.
My moving this factory back to the United States will quickly double or even triple the cost of production.
That would make Apple a fairly expensive device that less people would wish to buy.
So I think Noralo's view is understandable from a political point of view, but it's totally unreasonable for a business consideration.
Thank you very much for joining us.
Your points well taken.
Dr. Yao Shujie, Chang Kong Professor of Economics with Chongqing University.
Coming up, the leader or the president of a professional robotics organization says China is driving the automation of the manufacturing sector globally.
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China has pledged to continue to implement this innovation-driven development strategy and to share the fruits of China's Scientech progress with the world.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson made a remark on Tuesday in response to recent comments by the president of the International Federation of Robotics, or IFR.
Takayuki Ito, who is the head of the IFR, this professional organization, said that China's robotics industry is developing at an unprecedented pace, driving the automation of the manufacturing sector globally.
The foreign ministry spokesperson emphasized that China will embrace the global market with greater openness.
According to a recent report released by the IFR, the operational stock of industrial robots here in China exceeded 2 million units in 2024, topping the world.
So for more.
Joining us now on the line is Andy Mock, professor with Beijing Foreign Studies University and a senior research fellow with the Center for China and Globalization.
So thank you very much for joining us today, Andy.
Figures compiled by the IFR shows that the number of the industrial robots installed in China last year far exceeded that of the United States, Japan and South Korea.
Why do you think China is leading in this regard?
Well, that's a great question, Ding Hong.
And I think there's a couple of reasons.
So we all know that China is a global leader at manufacturing and we have to understand is that industrial robots today and future ai powered robots tomorrow, are really the product of a manufacturing process.
So, more specifically, china excels at precision machinery, so motors actuators bearings, these sort of things electronics, as well as supply chain coordination.
So you know, one way we could talk about this is almost it's a kind of recursive manufacturing innovation and that China's really good at manufacturing industrial robots that are really good at improving manufacturing processes that can then produce even more cost-effective, higher quality, more advanced industrial robots.
So I think this is one big reason.
The other reason, of course, is China just has an enormous market for everything.
And then finally, government policy.
So I think these are the three main reasons why we're seeing this today.
So if China's robotics industry, as the IFR president says, is the leading force that is driving the automation of the manufacturing sector globally, what does this entail for the global manufacturing sector, as well as our global supply chains?
Well, you know, I can see a couple of things happening, Ding Hong.
So what widespread adoption of advanced industrial robots and ultimately, AI powered robots does is, of course, it can raise productivity, reduce costs.
This is pretty obvious.
But something else it can do that's very powerful is it can make manufacturing much more flexible.
So that means you could have shorter production runs, change things more quickly.
So therefore, companies can be more responsive to market changes, market demands.
I think that's one very important thing.
The other thing that maybe is not again as obvious is that this then, will allow a much greater population of businesses, and perhaps even individuals one day enter the manufacturing sector.
And I think this can be very empowering, especially for the global south, because these industrial robots are not only becoming more advanced, more flexible, but also less expensive as well.
And we know that when something becomes cheaper, more people can use them and more people can find other ways of using them.
So I think these are some of the things that are very exciting and worth paying attention to.
In a bigger picture sense, Andy?
What does the development of China's robotics industry, including this very fact that robots in China are increasingly moving from labs to factory production lines, our warehouses as well as our average households?
What do you think?
Everything regarding this industry in China tells us about China's innovation-driven development strategy.
Well, Ding Hong, I think two things.
So here we have to distinguish between two very similar words.
So China, right now, of course, is already a leader in industrial robotics, and we can think of this as automation.
So it has a certain – these are smart machines that can do things, but they ultimately need someone to control them.
But China also has invested enormous RD and is in fact rolling out autonomous machines, so machines with autonomy that can act on their own, make their own decisions.
And these are largely humanoid form factor robots that, as you mentioned, we might see in a factory, in a warehouse doing logistics, maybe in a hospital helping patients and it's very, very early days there.
But what I want to mention that's very, very important is what connects these two data.
Because when you have such a large industrial base, when you have so many applications to apply, both automated solutions and autonomous solutions, you're going to generate a lot of data.
What the data does is it turns experience into memory, and then memory into foresight.
So China again very deliberately through government policy, and I think many companies also realize this that actually data is an incredibly important part of this robotics revolution.
So, when we talk about automation of manufacturing sector, a concern that many people tend to have is the possible resulting job losses in factories and assembly lines, etc.
So how can China cooperate with other economies to create new job opportunities so as to mitigate the negative impact of manufacturing automation?
Well, that's an important question, and I think this is broader than just manufacturing Ding Hong, because we already are seeing, in places like the United States, disembodied AI, so chatbots that can't move or do things in the real world, replacing white-collar workers.
I think this is a much broader challenge that has to be addressed across society, across countries, globally.
And I think China of course, has such a large population, so much economic activity, that it is going to be in the forefront of addressing these problems.
But the other thing I want to add though, is that, as I mentioned, with embodied intelligence, so robots whether these are industrial type robots or humanoid robots are becoming much less expensive.
And when they become less expensive, they become more accessible.
So, while we may see employment loss, we might see an explosion in entrepreneurs who are taking an industrial robot, or maybe several humanoid robots, to make things that they can sell, probably online.
And so this is, I think, something also to look at.
So not to only focus on the disruption to traditional employment, but I think it's also very important to acknowledge and recognize that this will also create many new opportunities that didn't exist before.
The final question before we let you go, Andy.
China is somehow using its robots and the robotics industry to boost manufacturing automation digitalization, etc.
But in certain countries, for example in the United States, Some people and even some politicians are still obsessed with this kind of old-fashioned manufacturing sector like steelmaking shipbuilding.
What is your take on this kind of contrast?
Well, they're all important, Ding Hong.
And I think it's natural that different countries will have different priorities and emphasize different things.
But I think to maybe point out that China, I think, is the only country in the world that has the capacity to manufacture every product category.
So I think again many, many opportunities to apply advances in robotics and then ultimately, AI-powered robots as well.
Thank you very much for joining us.
Andy Mauck, professor with Beijing Foreign Studies University and a senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization.
Coming up, Madagascar's military says it has seized the power and suspended institutions.
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I'm Ding Hen in Beijing.
In Madagascar, an army colonel says the military has taken charge of this African country.
The announcement came after the parliament of the country voted to impeach President Andrei Rogelina.
Rogelina has already fled the country, after soldiers joined massive anti-government protests that have been going on in this country for weeks.
The demonstrations were first of all triggered by frustration from people over chronic water and electricity shortages.
And this army colonel says that a committee led by the military will rule this country for a period of up to two years alongside a transitional government, before organizing new elections.
So joining us now on the line is Dr He Wenping, Africa expert and a senior research fellow with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Thank you very much for joining us.
Thank you for having me.
So, Dr. He, what could happen next now that a military coup appears to have happened in Madagascar?
Well, I follow the story in Madagascar.
Now, since the situation already calmed down, the shops reopened and the people marching, you know, walking on the street, even lots of people celebrating with enthusiasm and happiness to see the situation, that his president run away and the military took over already the power.
So they feel happy because at the end of the day, the military joined those protesters that eventually make this president run away, which proves the president Rajalina had no you know supporting rate at all and losing his this image totally in the country.
So this outstate president, Mr Andrew Rajalina.
He was actually first brought to power following a military coup back in the year 2009.
We know an elite army unit played a key role back then, I mean, in the 2009 military coup.
So in your observation, Dr He, why has this same elite army unit joined the mass anti-government protests and turned against the president this time around?
Yes, this time around we see the army make this final decision to cut off their relation with the president is because they follow the parliament, because the parliament already made this impeachment to the president Rajonina, because Rajonina has been regarded as a corruption and hasn't done a good job for serving as a president, because the Madagascar's economy It's getting down down, down.
That is why triggered by those short of power and the water.
Those are basic social service now is missing.
That's why the people are marching on the street.
So the parliament already gave the, you know, not supporting. to the president.
And then another trigger thing make the army eventually make the decision, say goodbye to the president is because at the beginning the government led by the president, even with responses to the protesting people, with a very strong those response, and even killed as many as 20 of those protesters.
So that triggered more resentment from people.
That eventually also pushed the army now go to another opposite, this side with the president.
So what do you make of the fundamental factors behind the chronic shortages in water and electricity supplies in this country, and putting away the immediate trigger of the past few weeks of protests and demonstrations?
Do you see deeper level issues behind the protests?
Well, of course, without water and then without even power, which means this is just a one iceberg from all those ice mountain down the sea level, because Madagascar is the poorest country in the world among all those poorest countries.
So it's economically.
They have some resources, agricultural resources but all those resources hasn't been fully play its role, always potential, and hasn't come out with the real benefit for the people.
So economically go down and the plus.
Maybe I also should mention the Donald Trump, because Donald Trump, since he took the power And then since the Apple, the earlier of Apple this year, becoming this, you know put forward this so-called tariff war, trade war.
Those tariffs even goes to Madagascar.
Can you imagine?
When China say offer all those like duty-free, quota-free to all those African countries.
And then Donald Trump administration, tariff to all those least developed countries, no message.
So a basic nine is 10%.
So this make this poor country, like including Madagascar in Africa, they are facing more challenge.
So that is why economically speaking, now the situation getting worse.
I think this triggered because even goes to like before.
We heard, like Sudan, those country, the revolution people saying the street revolution is because the bread, the price is rising.
So now in Madagascar is water and the power even being cut.
This triggered all these people's anger.
Yeah.
So it seems Gen Z has been at the forefront of the protests this time around in Madagascar.
And elsewhere.
We have also seen similar demonstrations in Kenya, in Indonesia Peru, Bangladesh and Nepal, etc.
And it seems, those protests, Young protesters are even learning from one another through the Internet.
They draw inspiration from each other.
So are we basically seeing a wave of political movement across the world today that is somewhat reminiscent of the Arab Spring?
Why or why not?
Yes, by looking at this, all those you know the way of the protesters and then the way of the regime change seems very similarity with the 2011.
That year and the Arabic Spring started from Tunisia and then quickly moving to Egypt and Libya.
So quite similar in the way the reason because economically also down.
And then the new generation, the Gen Z.
Now they are linked by social media so can quickly organize and then make things happen.
So by this thing, you see similarity.
But other points seem not that same.
For example, the regional Arabic spring is located in the North Africa.
So those countries have a lot of things in similarity, like religion.
All the you know Arabic countries speak Arabic.
And then the political structure also has a lot of similarity from Tunisia Argentina, Libya and even Egypt.
So they have those kind of quote, you know.
Yeah, your points well taken, but our time is limited.
But thank you very much for joining us.
That was Dr. He Wenping joining us from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
You're listening to World Today.
I'm Dinghan in Beijing.
Bye for now.
