Dr. Philani Mthembu is Executive Director at the Institute for Global Dialogue, an independent foreign policy think tank based in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa. Prior to joining the IGD, he pursued a joint doctoral programme (Dr. rer. pol.) with the Graduate School of Global Politics, Freie Universität Berlin (Germany), and the School of International Studies at Renmin University, Beijing (China). He co-founded the Berlin Forum on Global Politics (BFoGP), a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of academic, expert and public understanding of global politics. His recent publications include a single authored book titled ‘China and India's Development Cooperation in Africa: The Rise of Southern Powers’, a co-edited book titled ‘From MDGs to Sustainable Development Goals: The Travails of International Development’, a co-edited book titled ‘Africa and the World: Navigating Shifting Geopolitics’, and a co-edited book titled ‘Africa-China Cooperation: Towards an African Policy on China?’