Part of China’s “stadium diplomacy”, the country’s national arena was financed by Beijing and built by a Chinese contractor.

On Monday, thousands of Cabo Verdeans poured out onto the streets of their capital, Praia, beating drums, blowing horns and dancing to celebrate the national football team’s shock draw against Spain at the World Cup. For Cabo Verde, an archipelago of 500,000 people off the coast of West Africa, a stalemate with former World Cup champions is as good as a win. President Jose Maria Neves described it as a defining moment for the country, which became independent from Portugal in 1975. “If today, 50…

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