Cocoa prices are hitting historic highs, as Western commodities markets are registering deficits of 478,000 tons of cocoa beans.

This is the result of a strategy by West African countries Ghana and Ivory Coast, the two biggest suppliers of cocoa to global markets. Beginning in 2019, they partnered with Chinese firms to process their cocoa in-country, and to sell their product directly to Chinese companies.

By cutting out speculators and traders in Western brokerages, and going around marketing and branding companies in the US and Switzerland, producers in Africa and their buyers in China keep far larger profits for themselves. West African suppliers more than double their exports by grinding their cocoa beans in-country, and Chinese firms realize far higher margins and a guaranteed supply of the world's high-quality processed cocoas.

Resources and links:

Substack, for video transcript and direct links
https://kdwalmsley.substack.co....m/p/now-its-chocolat

Swiss Info, Can China help African cocoa producers outmanoeuvre Big Chocolate?
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/b....usiness/can-china-he

China’s Chocolate Market – Trends and Industry Overview
https://www.china-briefing.com..../news/chinas-chocola

CNBC, Cocoa prices climb to new record high, prompting fresh warnings about extreme volatility
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/1....7/cocoa-prices-rally

Chart, 2024 coco prices
https://www.instagram.com/navi....amarkets/p/DECxW-OhJ

The chocolate price spike: what’s happening to global cocoa production?
https://www.sustainabilitybynu....mbers.com/p/cocoa-pr

ING, Tightness lingers in the cocoa and coffee market
https://think.ing.com/articles..../tightness-lingers-i


Closing scene, Mount Wuyi River, Fujian province

American officials are passing new regulations intended to drive Chinese companies out of our pharmaceutical supply chains. And drug companies seem to concur, as they say publicly that they, too, need to diversify away from China.

The reality is the opposite. US and European drugmakers make giant profits from the drugs that are manufactured in China, then licensed for sale in the American market. Their motivation is the enormous price difference, between what patients pay in the United States, compared to the rest of the world.


Resources and links:

Substack, for video transcript and direct links
https://open.substack.com/pub/....kdwalmsley/p/trumps-

Novo’s Wegovy Launched in China at a Fraction of US Price
https://www.biospace.com/drug-....delivery/novos-wegov

Bloomberg, Novo Nordisk Launches Wegovy in China With Prices Below US
https://www.bloomberg.com/news..../articles/2024-11-18

Fortune, Novo Nordisk launches Wegovy in China with prices well below U.S.
https://fortune.com/2024/11/18..../novo-nordisk-launch

China's Rising Role On The Global Stage In The Oncology Market
https://www.outsourcedpharma.c....om/doc/china-s-risin

Toripalimab Becomes First Immunotherapy Drug Approved for Nasopharyngeal Cancer
https://www.cancer.gov/news-ev....ents/cancer-currents

The US is relying more on China for pharmaceuticals — and vice versa
https://www.atlanticcouncil.or....g/blogs/econographic

Major Life Sciences Licensing Deal Trends in China in 2023
https://www.goodwinlaw.com/en/....insights/publication

Wall Street Journal, U.S. Drugmakers Are Breaking Up With Their Chinese Supply-Chain Partners
https://www.wsj.com/health/pha....rma/china-manufactur

Reuters, Merck signs up to $3.3 billion cancer drug deal with China-based LaNova
https://www.reuters.com/busine....ss/healthcare-pharma

Merck licenses Chinese cancer drug, searching for next Keytruda blockbuster
https://www.statnews.com/2024/....11/14/merck-keytruda

PBS, How Russian oil is reaching the U.S. market through a loophole in the embargo
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/s....how/how-russian-oil-

CBS News/60 Minutes, Russia works around international sanctions designed to cripple the economy amid war with Ukraine
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/r....ussia-works-around-i

Politico, Grappling with supply chain crunch
https://www.politico.com/newsl....etters/politico-puls

A Bilateral Approach to Address Vulnerability in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain
https://www.csis.org/analysis/....bilateral-approach-a

Closing scene, Blue Moon Valley, Lijiang, Yunnan

⁣Welcome back to ABIBITUMI TV, your trusted source for unfiltered news and analysis on African affairs.
I'm your host, and today we are discussing the powerful movement that is rising in Africa’s Sahel region. Young leaders like Captain Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, Colonel Assimi Goïta of Mali, and General Omar Tchiani of Niger are leading an economic revolution to reclaim their countries’ natural resources from decades of foreign exploitation. These leaders are challenging multinational corporations, revoking mining rights, and forming new alliances to benefit their people.In this video, we dive into the bold steps being taken to end neocolonial exploitation, from arresting corporate executives to renegotiating mining royalties and creating a united front against foreign interference. This is a story of resilience, unity, and the fight for true African sovereignty.Do you believe this is the beginning of an African economic revolution? Watch now to explore this historic transformation and join the conversation. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more insights on Africa’s journey to independence.

Huawei is China's largest electronics company, and is specifically targeted by Western sanctions. The sanctions are intended to both deny Huawei access to the fastest semiconductors, and to prevent Huawei from selling products in American and European markets.

While most of the recent headlines involving Huawei relate to their introduction of smartphones that were thought to be impossible for them, Huawei is first and foremost a telecommunications hardware company. And recent developments in those market segments have only strengthened Huawei across the world.

Perhaps most ironically of all, Huawei has benefited from being locked out of the North American telecommunications market, as the United States has seen major declines in investment and upgrades.

Huawei is far ahead of global rivals in the telecom space, and is doubling down on its efforts to roll out 5.5G technology across the Global South countries. As the company does so, it is a boon to thousands of other Chinese manufacturers, and producers of electronics and other gear that runs on Huawei networks.

Resources and links:

China’s Huawei pushes network gear upgrades in friendly nations, touting AI boost
https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-....tech/article/3285281

Huawei is back – net profits more than doubled in 2023
https://techblog.comsoc.org/20....24/03/30/huawei-is-b

Dell’Oro: 2023 global telecom equipment revenues declined 5% YoY; Huawei increases its #1 position
https://techblog.comsoc.org/20....24/03/13/delloro-202

Bloomberg, US Efforts to Contain Xi’s Push for Tech Supremacy Are Faltering
https://www.bloomberg.com/grap....hics/2024-us-china-c

Huawei Announces 2024 H1 Business Results
https://www.huawei.com/en/news..../2024/8/h1-business-

Reuters, U.S. bans new Huawei, ZTE equipment sales, citing national security risk
https://www.reuters.com/busine....ss/media-telecom/us-

How economic statecraft shaped Huawei’s global FDI footprint
https://www.hinrichfoundation.....com/research/wp/trad

Closing scene, Karst Limestone Formations, Guilin, Guangxi

⁣Welcome back to ABIBITUMI TV, your trusted source for unfiltered news and analysis on African affairs.
I'm your host, and today we are exploring the incredible story of Ibrahim Traore, the leader who saved 3,000 jobs by reviving the sugar industry! From the brink of collapse to a beacon of hope, discover how Traore's vision and determination brought new life to this critical sector. Get ready to be inspired by this remarkable tale of leadership and economic revival!

China runs large trade surpluses with the United States. Typically these funds would be returned to the US as capital investments, either through buys of fixed assets, securities, or lending.

China, however, is liquidating stakes in companies in the United States, and is selling off its portfolio of Treasury bonds.

These two trends are resulting in enormous imbalances in Balance of Payments, which much be re-balanced via China's central banking activities. China is clearly recycling giant capital pools from the United States for investment purposes inside China, and among China's top trading partners.

And because the US dollars are never returned to the capital markets, it is also clear that China and the BRICS countries are setting up their own trading and economic bloc, funded largely with US debt instruments.

(Editor note: At about the 2:00 mark, I misspoke. The US ran a trade deficit of approximately $800 billion, not surplus. Apologies.)

Resources and links:

Bloomberg, US Trade Deficit Widens to $78.8 Billion, Largest in Two Years
https://www.bloomberg.com/news..../articles/2024-09-04

Why is China dumping US Treasuries for gold?
https://x.com/SputnikInt/statu....s/178313812393054619

Vanishing Act: The Shrinking Footprint of Chinese Companies in the US
https://rhg.com/research/vanis....hing-act-the-shrinki

China Should Explain ‘Enormous’ Data Gaps, US Ex-Official Says
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/in....vesting/2024/09/06/c

Bloomberg, China Plans to Sell Dollar Bonds in Saudi Arabia as Ties Deepen
https://www.bloomberg.com/news..../articles/2024-11-05

The Economist, Chinese firms are growing rapidly in the global south
https://www.economist.com/brie....fing/2024/08/01/chin

Closing scene, Yangzhou Gardens, Jiangsu

⁣Welcome back to ABIBITUMI TV, your trusted source for unfiltered news and analysis on African affairs.
I'm your host, and today we're diving into the shocking news is spreading like wildfire! The CEO of a billion-dollar gold mining company has been arrested in Mali, leaving the entire world stunned. What led to this unexpected move? Was it a result of corruption, embezzlement, or something even more sinister? In this video, we dive into the details of this unprecedented event and explore the implications it may have on the global gold mining industry. Stay tuned for more!

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⁣Welcome back to ABIBITUMI TV, your trusted source for unfiltered news and analysis on African affairs.
I'm your host, and today we're reporting on what Mali has done what many thought was impossible – it’s officially the first African country to pay off all its debt! 🇲🇱 But how did they manage to clear $332 million and break free from the chains of foreign and domestic debt? In this video, we take a deep dive into the bold leadership of Asimi Goïta and Mali's journey to financial freedom.This groundbreaking move has sent shockwaves through the continent and put Africa’s corrupt leaders on notice. Could this be the start of a new wave of economic independence across Africa? Join us as we explore Mali’s powerful strategy, the rise of the Sahel Alliance, and what this could mean for Africa’s future.👉 Watch to find out:How Mali overcame crushing debt and sanctionsThe impact of the Sahel Alliance with Niger and Burkina FasoThe shift away from France and the rise of new global partnershipsThe big question: Is this a sustainable model for other African nations?Like, share, and comment below with your thoughts! Can more African countries follow in Mali's footsteps? Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell for more deep dives on Africa’s political and economic revolution! 🔔