Investing in Africa’s tech infrastructure. Has China won already?

Indian and Chinese troops have clashed on their disputed Himalayan border, the first known incident between the two nuclear-armed Asian powers in nearly two years.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is particularly rich in mineral resources such as coltan. China operates some of the gold mines there, but the locals complain about poor working conditions.

Many people in China are excited about traveling abroad as COVID restrictions are eased and borders are set to reopen on January 8. Others remain cautious, with more countries imposing restrictions for Chinese visitors.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of travelers flew in and out of China without having to submit to stringent centralised quarantine requirements. The change in policy is raising hope in neighboring countries that this will signal the return of Chinese tourists. Holiday bookings have already increased and markets are trading higher on the news, but as we explain, it will take some time for travel to return to what it was before the pandemic.

The second "surveillance balloon" announcement comes after the first sighting prompted the top US diplomat to postpone a trip to Beijing. China claims the balloons are used for scientific purposes.

China said the device deviated from its route, and "accidentally strayed over Latin America and the Caribbean." This comes even as the US is seaching for the remains of the suspected surveillence balloon it shot down.

The US has shot down a Chinese balloon that had been floating over the mainland for days. China has claimed the US overreacted by downing what it said was a civilian aircraft and threatened repercussions.

After a Chinese "spy balloon" was sighted over the United States, another was spotted over Latin America. DW sums up what know about them so far.

The operation to gather pieces of the balloon comes as US officials reportedly said the device was part of a vast spy program. The incident has brought increased strain on US-China ties.

A series of raids have resulted in the arrest of 25 alleged members of a trafficking ring that forced Chinese women into sex work in Europe.

Canberra has made it clear that it is not concerned about how China might react. Last year, both the UK and the US banned several similar Chinese tech products.

The US State Department said the balloon that had flown over the US for days was part of a bigger surveillance program targeting 40 countries.