Heidi Østbø Haugen

Dagbladet har tidligere omtalt hvordan president Vladimir Putin og Russland kan stå igjen som en vinner i Iran-krigen ettersom de opplever  en plutselig gjenoppblomstring som global energileverandør etter at konflikten har sendt olje- og gassprisene til værs. En kronikk i The Washington Post tok til orde for at også Kina har noe å hente på det som utspiller seg i Midtøsten. Eksperter Dagbladet har snakket med, er tydelig på at USAs krig mot Iran ikke er i Kinas interesse.

As China has developed into a global power, it has also increasingly become a nation of people on the move. In 2019, the 350 million border crossings by mainland citizens and 98 million by foreign nationals again reached record highs, continuing a decades-long upward climb interrupted only by China’s strict border-control measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in migration to and from the country is deeply intertwined with its history of socioeconomic reforms.

Abstract Grounded in ethnographic observations, this article offers a commentary on the visible and invisible dynamics of mobility between China and West and Central Africa. It follows the transnational trajectories of African trader women and takes stock of some of the weight that these women shoulder during trips where goods and money are set in motion. The materiality of the transported consumer items shapes traders’ experiences of mobility and immobility.