The China in Africa Podcast on Steno.fm

The China in Africa Podcast

Twice-weekly discussion about China's engagement across Africa and the Global South hosted by journalist Eric Olander and Asia-Africa scholar Cobus van Staden in Johannesburg.

S16 E28 · Thu, April 03, 2025
In China’s Wake, India Tries a Cleaner, Fairer Mineral Path in Africa
In January, the Indian government published a new critical minerals strategy that details how the country aims to bolster supply chains necessary for its green energy transition. While the report underscores the importance of developing domestic supplies of lithium and other transition resources, it also calls for closer international partnerships, particularly with mineral-rich African nations. India has deep ties in Africa, particularly in eastern and southern countries on the continent, but it is a newcomer to the critical resources sector that is largely dominated by Chinese and European companies. Veda Vaidyanathan, an accomplished China-Africa scholar and an associate fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress in New Delhi, joins Eric & Géraud to explain how India's approach to critical resource mining in Africa is going to look very different from what China is doing. Show Notes: Centre for Social and Economic Progress : India, Africa and Critical Minerals: Towards a Green Energy Partnership by Veda Vaidyanathan Reuters: India exploring critical minerals in Zambia, Congo and Australia, official says by Neha Arora JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E27 · Wed, April 02, 2025
Lessons From Southeast Asia on How to Manage Great Power Rivalries
China and Vietnam have taken two distinctly different approaches in how they manage their territorial disputes with China. The Philippines is leaning into its alliance with the United States along with new security pacts with more than half a dozen other countries. Vietnam, in contrast, is going it alone. Ironically, Vietnam is expanding its territorial presence in the disputed South China Sea through island reclamation, while the Philippines is merely trying to hold on to the territory it already claims. Yet, the face-off between Beijing and Manila is far more aggressive. Khang Vu, a visiting scholar at Boston College and a leading Vietnam analyst, said the key difference between the two is the Philippines' decision to bring an outside power (the U.S.) into the dispute. Khang joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what lessons the South China Sea confrontation offers other countries trying to manage equally contentious great power rivalries. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E26 · Fri, March 28, 2025
South Africa's Active Yet Unequal Trade With China
From afar, the China-South Africa trade relationship looks amazing. Last year, the two countries sold more than $52 billion worth of goods to one another — mostly raw materials from South Africa and finished goods from China. But when you look at the figures more closely, some real problems become evident. While trade volumes between the two countries have grown exponentially over the past 20 years, so has South Africa's trade deficit with China, which reached almost $10 billion last year. Marvellous Ngundu, a research consultant at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, explored the problem in a recently published paper and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what can be done to balance out this "active, yet highly unequal" trading relationship. Show Notes: Institute for Security Studies: South Africa’s trade deficit dilemma with China by Marvellous Ngundu Bloomberg : A New ‘China Shock’ Is Destroying Jobs Around the World by Katia Dmitrieva, Philip Heijmans, and Prima Wirayani X: @christiangeraud I @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patre
S16 E25 · Fri, March 21, 2025
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Mining Disaster in Zambia
Millions of Zambians along the Kafue River are coming to grips with the devastating environmental impact brought about by a massive acid spill from a Chinese-run copper mine. A tailings dam broke on February 18th, sending 50 million liters of toxic water into the Kafue River, killing fish, wildlife and endangering public health. Sino-Metals, the Chinese mining company, apologized for the accident and said that it is “doing its best” to clean up the mess. Eric, Cobus, and Geraud discuss the political implications of the spill and what’s at stake for the Chinese government if the company fails to take care of this environmental tragedy. Plus, the guys also break down a new $1.4 billion Chinese deal to refurbish the TAZARA railway and the prospects of a U.S. critical resource mining deal in the DRC. Show Notes: Associated Press: A river ‘died’ overnight in Zambia after an acidic waste spill at a Chinese-owned mine by Richard Kille and Jacob Zimba Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Can the DRC Leverage U.S.-China Competition Over Critical Minerals for Peace? by Christian-Géraud Neema Bloomberg: China to Invest $1.4 Billion to Upgrade Tanzana-Zambia Rail Line by Matthew Hill X: @christiangeraud I <a hre
S16 E24 · Tue, March 18, 2025
China, Africa, and the Post-American World
During his Senate confirmation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the so-called "liberal international order" that he said was obsolete and no longer working for the United States. Since he and his boss, President Donald Trump, took office eight weeks ago, they have thoroughly upended the post-WWII global order that the U.S. itself established and led for the past 75 years. The changes in Washington are happening so fast that it's impossible to keep up. Every day, institutions many assumed were invincible have either been closed or censured. Now, the challenges facing policymakers around the world is how to adapt to this emerging international system that is no longer anchored in Washington, D.C. Gyude Moore, an inaugural visiting fellow at Global Neighbours and Liberia's former minister of public works, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what he thinks African countries should do to thrive in a new post-American international order. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E23 · Thu, March 13, 2025
China, the U.S., and the Competition for Africa’s Strategic Resources
Southern Africa has become a focal point of geopolitical competition, with the U.S., China, and other global powers maneuvering for influence over key infrastructure projects and critical resources. The Lobito Corridor Project, a railway and logistics initiative spanning Angola, Zambia, and the DRC, is at the center of this contest. Questions around financing, U.S. aid freezes, and China’s long-term economic strategy highlight the broader struggle for dominance in the region’s transportation and trade networks. But where do African countries fit into this dynamic? Political analyst Marisa Lourenço joins Géraud and Cobus from Johannesburg to discuss the critical choices facing policymakers in the region that will shape Southern Africa's economic and security landscape. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E22 · Sat, March 08, 2025
Zimbabwe’s Fight for Responsible Mining: Lessons for Africa & China
In recent years, the relationship between Chinese mining companies and local communities in many African countries has been very contentious over allegations of environmental damage, a lack of transparency, and tensions with local civil society groups. In Zimbabwe, a new initiative— the China-Africa Dialogue on Green Minerals for Responsible Investment (CADRI) —is taking a different approach. Rather than relying on confrontation, CADRI brings together civil society organizations, policymakers, and Chinese companies to push for greater accountability, transparency, and sustainable mining practices. This week, CGSP Africa Editor Géraud Neema speaks with Obert Bore, business and human rights program lead at the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), to discuss why this initiative appears to be working and what other African countries can learn from Zimbabwe's experience. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E21 · Tue, March 04, 2025
The End of the West and the Future of China
U.S. President Donald Trump's decision this week to pause military funding for Ukraine and to align his government with Russia further widens the cleavage between the United States and Europe — effectively breaking what has long been known as "the West." At first glance, many of China's Western critics will see this as welcome news, but it also means that Beijing must navigate in a much more fragmented and turbulent geopolitical environment. The Paris-based global affairs think tank Institut Montaigne recently published a detailed forecast of the challenges that lie ahead for China over the coming decade. The report's authors, François Godement and Pierre Pinhas, join Eric & Cobus to discuss four scenarios they mapped out that could shape China's trajectory in this new era. SHOW NOTES: Read the Institut Montaigne Report: China 2035: The Chances of Success JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E20 · Thu, February 27, 2025
Tracking China's Dominance of the Transition Minerals Trade
U.S. and European leaders often talk about the importance of building China-free supply chains for transition minerals and other critical resources. While, for a lot of people, that may resonate among their constituents at home, the reality is that it's not even remotely possible — at least for the foreseeable future. China has spent the better part of two decades building an insurmountable lead in financing, extracting, and processing these resources. Using a combination of state-backed companies and foreign financial institutions, the Chinese are the pacesetters in this industry, with their rivals left far behind. A first-of-its-kind report from the development research lab AidData at William & Mary College in the United States reveals the stunning breadth of China's global mining strategy that spans 19 countries around the world. Two of the report's authors, Brooke Escobar and Katherine Walsh, both from AidData's Chinese Development Finance Program, join Eric & Cobus to explain why China is now so far ahead of its competitors in this critical competition. SHOW NOTES: AidData : Power Playbook: Beijing’s Bid to Secure Overseas Transition Minerals JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E18 · Tue, February 25, 2025
Chinese AI, Automotive Tech Poised to Sweep Across Global South
When the Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer launched DeepSeek on January 20th, the global AI market for large language model (LLM) systems was turned upside down. Investors dumped nearly a trillion dollars of tech stocks in the U.S., panicked by the prospect that a cheaper, more nimbler alternative would undermine the massive investments that companies like Microsoft, Google, and Apple were making in AI. A month later, those stocks have all largely recovered. Now, as investors have had time to use DeepSeek and better understand what it can do, there's less concern that it'll displace U.S. tech giants. The focus now is on its impact on the rest of the world. Asia Society Switzerland Fellow John Lee, a veteran Chinese technology analyst, joins Eric to explain why Chinese AI initiatives like DeepSeek along with new innovations in automotive tech are poised to take off in lower-income developing countries. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S10 E17 · Fri, February 21, 2025
Navigating U.S.-China Rivalry: Africa’s Strategic Response in the Trump Era
The U.S.-China relationship is at a critical inflection point as Donald Trump tries to reset ties with his counterpart Xi Jinping. The U.S. President has repeatedly said he wants to negotiate a comprehensive trade agreement that would, in his view, lead to a dramatic de-escalation of tensions. Unsurprisingly, China Hawks, many in his own government, are skeptical that Trump will get what he wants from Xi. Regardless, reverberations from the U.S.-China conflict are felt far beyond the borders of these two countries, particularly in Africa, Asia, and across the Global South. Veteran journalist Jane Perlez joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the new season of her popular podcast, "Faceoff: The U.S. vs. China" and the key trends policymakers everywhere should focus on. SHOW NOTES: Listen to Faceoff: U.S. vs. China on Spotify or Apple Podcasts . JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E10 · Wed, February 19, 2025
Debate: Is China a Helpful or Horrible Trade Partner for Global South Countries?
At last week's Munich Security Conference, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi touted his country's 5% economic growth last year as a "benefit to the world" thanks to all of the trade it does with countries around the world. While countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, among other regions, are no doubt selling more raw materials to China, critics contend, though, that this trade pattern isn't healthy and mostly in China's favor. This week, Eric, Cobus, and Géraud debate whether Chinese trade is helping or hurting developing countries and whether China's role as the world's manufacturer is also the primary reason why poor countries remain stuck at the bottom of the industrial value chain. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E9 · Thu, February 13, 2025
The U.S. or China: South Africa May Soon Have to Choose
There is mounting evidence that indicates the United States government may force South Africa to make a once-unthinkable choice: it's either the U.S. or China, but it can't be both. The president addressed the issue this week and said, "the South Africa situation is very dangerous and very bad for a lot of people." The president and his supporters are angry over South Africa's opposition to Israel in the Gaza War, Pretoria's close ties with Washington's rivals in Tehran and Moscow, and the country's multifaceted relationship with China — including its longstanding memberships in the BRICS and the Belt and Road Initiative. Johannesburg-based political analyst Nkateko Mabasa joins Eric & Cobus to discuss how South Africans, namely President Cyril Ramaphosa, are responding to the intense pressure from the United States and what it means for the Rainbow nation's ties with China. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E8 · Thu, February 06, 2025
[WEEK IN REVIEW] Who Gets to Tell the China-Africa Story?
Chinese engagement in Africa is seen by many people as a classic example of neo-colonial exploitation. China, according to the narrative, is merely the latest in a long line of predatory foreigners seeking to drain the continent's vast reserves of oil, minerals, and timber. The narrative that frames the Chinese as the aggressors and Africans as the victims has largely been defined by U.S., European, and Indian entities over the past several decades and fits neatly into African historical traumas that help explain why so many people feel this way even though it doesn't comport with the evidence. This week, Eric, Géraud, and Cobus discuss why these narratives are so durable and then explore the sensitive issue of who should be empowered to tell the China-Africa story. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E7 · Fri, January 31, 2025
U.S. Aid Freeze Creates New Opening for China in Africa
The Trump administration's decision to issue a 90-day freeze on most foreign assistance around the world will have a disproportionate impact on a number of African countries that rely heavily on U.S. aid. The State Department's "stop work" order has led to the immediate termination of hundreds of aid programs across the continent, notably the hugely successful AIDS mitigation initiative known as PEPFAR. Governments are now scrambling to try and find other sources of funding in a bid to salvage some of these programs. Now, with the U.S. pulling back from its decades-old humanitarian assistance programs in Africa, China may be among the few beneficiaries. Paul Nantulya, a senior research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, and Paa-Kwesi Heto, a policy analyst at the University of California, Irvine, join Eric & Cobus to discuss how the Trump administration's strategy may be good politics at home but potentially counterproductive in countering China abroad. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E6 · Tue, January 28, 2025
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Role in the Panama Canal Controversy
When Donald Trump criticized Panama for its management of the canal that he claimed had fallen under Chinese control, many people at first thought this was just another round of Trump's usual bluster. But since his election last November, the President has been relentless in pressuring the government in Panama City and shows no signs of backing down until all Chinese entities have been expelled from the canal zone. Alonso Illueca, an associate law professor at the Universidad Santa María La Antigua and a specialist in China-Panama relations, joins Eric & Cobus from Panama City to discuss the escalating crisis and why the government doesn't have a lot of options to push back against the U.S. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E5 · Fri, January 24, 2025
Does Trump Help or Hurt China's Diplomacy in Africa?
Donald Trump roared back into power this week, signing dozens of executive orders on his first day that upended large parts of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. The president withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization, the Paris Climate Accords and froze all new foreign aid initiatives. Ronak Gopaldas, a director at the African risk intelligence service Signal Risk and a fellow at the London School of Economics, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss how the dramatic changes that took place in Washington this week impact African countries and China's diplomacy on the continent. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E4 · Fri, January 17, 2025
The World According to Marco Rubio
Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the State Department, Marco Rubio, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week as part of the confirmation process. Rubio testified for more than three hours and made it very clear that confronting China is going to be his top priority when he moves into his 7th-floor office at the State Department. Africa, too, emerged as a key theme throughout Rubio's confirmation hearing, notably as a theater of competition with the Chinese. Fonteh Akum, executive director of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, joins Eric & Cobus to reflect on Rubio's confirmation hearing and what his remarks say about the new Trump foreign policy outlook for China, Africa, and the world. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E3 · Thu, January 16, 2025
China and the Global South in the Trump 2.0 Era
On Monday, January 20th, Donald Trump will take the oath of office and return to power as president of the United States. Trump is promising to overhaul U.S. foreign and commercial policy in what many experts believe will mark the start of a very tumultuous period — not just for the United States but also for countries around the world. Sarah Shidore, director of the Global South program at the Quincy Institute in Washington, D.C. joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the impact of the coming Trump presidency on developing countries and how he expects China to respond. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E2 · Fri, January 10, 2025
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Wraps Up Low Key Africa Tour
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ended a four-nation Africa tour on Thursday that included stops in Namibia, the Republic of Congo, Chad, and Nigeria. Other than a $255 million railway loan deal for Nigeria, there were very few other major announcements made during the week-long trip. But that's not a bad thing, according to Ovigwe Eguegu, a policy analyst at Development Reimagined. Ovigwe joins Eric, Cobus, & Géraud to explain why the consistency of the Chinese Foreign Minister's annual visit to Africa, a tradition that now dates back 35 years, is what's important. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S16 E1 · Wed, January 08, 2025
Why Views About China Are So Different in the Global North and South
China is deeply unpopular in the U.S., UK, Japan, and most other wealthy countries, and given the politics in those regions, there's no indication that's going to change anytime soon. It's a very different story, though, in large parts of developing Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East where public opinion surveys reveal generally favorable views of the Chinese. A new "poll of polls" by the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) on global public opinion about China reveals a lot more nuance about how people in the Global South feel about their countries' ties with China than what is framed in the mainstream media narratives. Andrew Chubb, a senior fellow at ASPI, led the project and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what the data tells us about the diversity of views on China across the Global South. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E80 · Wed, December 25, 2024
[DOUBLE EPISODE] 2024 China-Africa Year in Review
2024 will be remembered as a seminal year in China-Africa relations with a rebound of Chinese lending to the continent and renewed diplomatic engagement in the run-up to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit that took place in Beijing. Africa also emerged again as a centerpiece in the U.S.-China duel as leaders from both major powers visited the continent in 2024. And while stakeholders in the U.S. and Europe struggle to get their businesses to see the opportunities available in Africa, Chinese firms have no such concerns as they expanded their presence this year in the mining, telecom, and automotive sectors. In this year-end double episode, Eric, Cobus, & Géraud share their top three China-Africa stories of 2024 and provide a forecast for what to expect in the year ahead. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E79 · Fri, December 20, 2024
Morocco is Now a Major Hub for Chinese Investment in Africa
Chinese President Xi Jinping surprised a lot of people last month when he made an unannounced stopover in Morocco on his way home from the G20 summit in Brazil. The North African country doesn't often come to mind when considering China's key geopolitical partners in the MENA region... which is a mistake. Morocco is now a major manufacturing hub for Chinese automakers whose vehicles and parts flow directly into the European market thanks, in part, to a free trade agreement. The Kingdom is also one of the few countries in the world to have a free trade pact with both the EU and the U.S., making it especially attractive for Chinese firms who may be looking to shift production out of China to avoid the anticipated tariffs that will be imposed by the incoming Trump administration. François Conradie, lead political economist at Oxford Economics Africa, joins Eric and Géraud from Casablanca to discuss why the combination of Morocco's strategic location and abundant resources is luring more Chinese engagement in the country. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E78 · Mon, December 16, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Don't Expect a Resolution to the South China Sea Crisis in 2025
Tensions between China and the Philippines over territorial disputes in the South China Sea flared anew in December after another confrontation at sea. Soon after two vessels collided near the contested Scarborough Shoal, representatives from both sides took to the airwaves to blame the other for the latest incident. Both Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippines counterpart Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. have made it clear they will not concede even a single inch of territory they claim rightfully belongs to their countries. Don McLain Gill, a Manila-based lecturer at De La Salle University, joins Eric to discuss why the situation going into the new year will remain very tense. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E77 · Fri, December 13, 2024
Why Some African Countries Welcome Trump's Return to Power
Donald Trump will be back in the Oval Office in just over a month after he is inaugurated for his second term as U.S. president on January 20th. While there's concern in some African capitals that Trump may scale back U.S. engagement, there's also a sense of optimism in some countries that he will shake up the system in ways that will give African leaders more access to U.S. policymakers. What is certain, though, is the incoming president's national security team is very hawkish on China, and that will no doubt find its way back to the center of U.S. foreign policy towards the continent. Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and one of Washington's most well-known Africa watchers, joins Géraud and Cobus to share his forecast for what the U.S. strategy towards Africa will look like in the next Trump administration. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @cgneema | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E76 · Wed, December 11, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] "Some Improvement" But Still a Long Way to Go to Resolve China-India Border Tensions
India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the lower house of parliament last week that "some improvement" had been made in resolving the ongoing border dispute with China. But he also cautioned that a lot more work has to be done and that it will take years to "reset" relations with Beijing. The two sides have pulled back their military forces from seven points along their contested boundary in the Himalayas, so they're no longer in close proximity to one another, but those troops are nonetheless still stationed there and haven't yet been redeployed. Daniel Balazs, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, is a specialist in Sino-Indian relations and joins Eric to discuss what's motivating the two countries to negotiate a border settlement. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @cgneema | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E75 · Fri, December 06, 2024
Fact-Checking International Media Coverage of Biden's Africa Tour
Joe Biden wrapped up a three-day trip to Cabo Verde and Angola this week, marking the first visit by a sitting U.S. President to Africa in almost ten years. Although Biden sought to lay out an expansive vision for U.S. foreign policy towards Africa, including increased U.S. funding for climate change mitigation, more humanitarian assistance, and new infrastructure development, very little of that message got through the media coverage. Instead, U.S., European, and Indian media outlets framed the visit as part of a larger great power struggle with China and Washington's effort to curtail Beijing's surging influence on the continent. Meantime, Chinese and African media channels largely ignored the story. Eric and Cobus review the different narratives that shaped the coverage of Biden's visit and fact-check a number of the misleading storylines that emerged in the reporting. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @cgneema | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E74 · Fri, November 29, 2024
[WEEK IN REVIEW] China's Role in Africa's Energy Transition and Biden's Angola Trip
The Sirexe “Salon International des Ressources Extractives et Energetiques” conference took place this week in the Ivory Coast and brought together ministers, policymakers and corporate leaders from across the continent to discuss Africa's energy transition. Géraud led the discussion about China's role in that process, both as a key supplier of new energy technologies like photovoltaic power supplies and electrified mobility and, of course, as a major actor in the critical resources extractive sector in Africa. Also this week, senior U.S. officials briefed the media on President Joe Biden's upcoming trip to Angola. Eric, Cobus, and Géraud discuss the awkward timing of the visit that comes less than two months before Donald Trump returns to the White House and how Angola is now in the middle of the U.S.-China duel in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @cgneema | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E73 · Tue, November 26, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China, Indonesia and the Great Power Competition for Transition Minerals
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is not a fan of the Biden administration's climate legislation known as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), describing it as a "green scam." Trump has promised to repeal it, which will undoubtedly be welcome news in Indonesia. Indonesia is home to the world's largest nickel reserves, a critical ingredient for manufacturing EV batteries. But the IRA aims to limit China's role in the battery supply chain, presenting a huge headache for Indonesian nickel suppliers given the outsized role that Chinese smelters play in the country's mining sector. Putra Adhiguna, managing director at the Energy Shift Institute, an independent non-profit energy finance think tank in Jakarta, joins Eric to discuss Indonesia's uncomfortable position squeezed between China and the U.S. in the race to dominate transition mineral supply chains. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @cgneema | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E72 · Thu, November 21, 2024
Xi Took Center Stage at G20 While African Union Kept a Low Profile
This week's G20 summit wrapped up much the same way previous G20 gatherings have in recent years, with a weak final communiqué and lots of discord among the group's members. But this year's summit in Rio de Janeiro was nonetheless notable as it marked the African Union's debut as an official member of the body. Chinese President Xi Jinping was also a stand-out at the summit, where he took a number of veiled shots at the United States in his keynote address as he sought to bolster China's self-appointed role as spokesperson for the Global South. This week, Eric, Géraud, and Cobus discuss Xi's speech and whether African representatives should have been more outspoken now that they have a seat at the G20 table. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E71 · Mon, November 18, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Is China Building a New Military Base in Cambodia? Maybe. Probably.
Chinese contractors have been renovating the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia for the past two years, leading to widespread suspicion that the upgraded facility could eventually serve as a future outpost for the PLA Navy in Southeast Asia. Despite compelling evidence that Chinese naval forces have been stationed at the base for much of the year, both the Chinese and Cambodian governments deny these claims. Christopher Woody, an independent defense journalist based in Bangkok, argues that while it seems the Chinese military is set to maintain a presence at the base, it may not resemble a traditional military installation. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E70 · Thu, November 14, 2024
Chinese Lending to Africa is Way More Complicated Than You Think
It's widely believed that Chinese lending to African countries is predominantly done by a few state policy banks, such as the China Exim Bank and the China Development Bank. While that was true in the past, today the situation is far more complicated. New research found that a diverse array of Chinese creditors are now active in Africa, including commercial banks, state banks, and corporate actors, among many others. And contrary to the popular perception that Chinese lenders are monolithic, the reality is that each of these creditors has very different agendas. Tianyi Wu, a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, and Yunnan Chen, a research fellow at ODI Global, join Eric & Cobus to discuss the diversity within the Chinese creditor market and why there are important pros and cons for African governments to consider when they borrow from these commercial banks. SHOW NOTES: ODI Global: China’s creditor diversification in Africa: impacts and challenges of infrastructure debt-financing by Chinese commercial creditors by Tianyi Wu & Yunnan Chen: https://tinyurl.com/yc4v2nec Development and Change : The Political Economy of Variations in Energy Debt Financing by Two Chinese Policy Banks in Africa by Tianyi Wu: https://tinyurl.com/3wvnex6e Boston University Global Development Policy Center : Back in Action: The Ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Sees Renewed Relations and Development Prospects by Tianyi Wu: https://tinyurl.com/yeyufn5j JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E69 · Fri, November 08, 2024
How Will Trump's Return to Power Impact China-Africa Ties?
The re-election of former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to significantly alter U.S. foreign policy, including its approach to Africa. As seen during Trump’s first term, U.S. engagement with the continent is likely to decrease, with a stronger emphasis on countering China's expanding influence in the region. The future of the U.S.-Africa free trade agreement, known as AGOA, is now uncertain, as the incoming administration has signaled plans to introduce protectionist policies. This week, Eric and Cobus are joined by Stewart Paterson, a senior fellow at the Hinrich Foundation, to explore how Trump's return to power could impact Africa and discuss Stewart's recent article on Chinese investments across the continent. SHOW NOTES: The China-Global South Project : Trump, China, and the Rest of Us by Cobus van Staden: https://tinyurl.com/23wh5pxq Hinrich Foundation : How much of China’s investment into Africa is real? by Stewart Patterson: https://tinyurl.com/26adq3pp JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E68 · Tue, November 05, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Update on the State of the BRI in the New "Small and Beautiful" Era
There's been a lot of talk in recent years about the new "small and beautiful" doctrine that now guides China's Belt and Road Initiative. The problem is that a lot of people still do not understand what it actually means in practice. President Xi Jinping first unveiled the concept at the Third Belt-and-Road Symposium in 2021 when he said that China's overseas development finance would focus more attention on "better connectivity" for telecommunications, energy, and financial services. China has also had to scale down its financing of large-scale infrastructure projects because of economic challenges at home and debt sustainability issues among borrowing countries. Lui Kanyi, a Beijing-based project finance lawyer and head of China at a large international law firm, has been closely following the transformation of the BRI for many of his Chinese clients. Kanyi joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the "small and beautiful" trend and what people should know about the future direction of the BRI. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E67 · Fri, November 01, 2024
Chinese Companies Engage in Massive "Forest Looting" in the DR Congo
Two Chinese logging companies are now the largest timber harvesters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with concessions sized at more than 3 million hectares. The firms, Wan Peng and Booming Green, are engaged in industrial-scale logging to export raw timber mostly back to China. But researchers at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) also discovered that both companies are engaged in a wide range of illegal activities, everything from illegal timber smuggling to bribery. Luke Allen, a campaign and advocacy officer at EIA, joins Géraud and Cobus to discuss the new report that details the various forestry crimes committed by the two Chinese companies and how the Chinese and DRC governments should respond. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @christiangeraud | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E66 · Tue, October 29, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Power Shift: China’s Role in Central Asia’s Renewable Energy Transformation
Even though the five countries in Central Asia are among the world's largest fossil fuel producers, the region faces chronic electricity shortages due to a lack of refining capacity. The energy crunch is further compounded by a reluctance to become overly dependent on Russian fuel. To solve both problems, several Central Asian governments are looking to source renewable energy technology from China. While wind and solar still account for a small share of Central Asia's total energy production, that may soon change as more affordable Chinese green tech enters the market. Yunis Sharifli, an independent Eurasia foreign policy analyst, recently explored this trend in an article published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . Yunis joins Eric & Cobus to explain the geopolitics powering the green energy transition in Central Asia. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E65 · Thu, October 24, 2024
Stymied in the West, Chinese EV Brands Look to Expand in Africa
Just over a million new vehicles were sold in Africa last year, a relatively small number given the continent's enormous population, estimated at 1.5 billion. Chinese auto brands are looking at that discrepancy and think it provides a unique opportunity for rapid expansion, particularly in the budding electric vehicle market. BAIC Motors, BYD, Xpeng, and Neta are among a growing number of Chinese auto majors that have scaled up sales and manufacturing in Africa. But selling EVs in Africa is not going to be easy. In many countries, access to reliable electricity is a problem. Then there's the issue of charging stations and the high import taxes many governments impose on foreign-made cars. Even amid those challenges, Alex Mwanzo, general manager of Equator Mobile — a unit of the investment holding company Maris Africa — is optimistic about the prospects for Chinese EVs. Alex joins Eric & Njenga from Nairobi to explain why Chinese auto brands are well-positioned in the African market. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @hakeenah Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E64 · Tue, October 22, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] India Claims Major Breakthrough in Border Stand-off With China
India and China have reached a deal to de-escalate tensions along their bitterly disputed border in the Himalayas, potentially ending a contentious four-year stand-off between the two Asian powers. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday that the two countries agreed to conduct joint military patrols along the border known as the Line of Actual Control. No details of the pact have been released and the Chinese government has yet to comment on the arrangement. If the two countries have, in fact, agreed to pull back their forces and disengage, it would have wide-ranging geopolitical consequences throughout Asia. Sushant Singh, a lecturer in South Asian studies at Yale University and contributing editor of The Caravan magazine in New Delhi, joined Eric & Cobus to discuss the ramifications of de-escalation along the Sino-Indian border. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E63 · Thu, October 17, 2024
Global Gateway in Africa: Europe's Answer to China's Belt and Road
The European Commission's Global Gateway initiative will turn three years old in December. The $300 billion infrastructure initiative was launched with great fanfare to provide developing countries in Africa and elsewhere with an alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative. Many European stakeholders also hoped that Global Gateway would catalyze a new EU foreign policy agenda for Africa, which many critics contend is now unmoored. Ahead of the upcoming anniversary, the European Centre for Development Policy Management, an independent think tank in Brussels, published a new report exploring African responses to Global Gateway . Mariella Di Ciommo and Pauline Veron, two of the report's authors, join Eric & Géraud to discuss the current state of Global Gateway and how it measures up against the BRI in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E62 · Mon, October 14, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Paying a High Cost for Its "All-Weather" Relationship With Pakistan
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is in Pakistan this week to get ties with its South Asian neighbor back on track after a series of terrorist attacks this year. The latest incident occurred earlier this month near the airport in the southern port city of Karachi when separatist militants with the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) killed two Chinese nationals in a suicide bombing. Pakistan has vowed to crack down on the militants but, so far, to little avail. In turn, Beijing has become increasingly frustrated with Islamabad's inability to better protect Chinese interests in the country. Eram Ashraf, a China-Pakistan relations scholar, explained in a column published in The Diplomat how the violence is taking a toll on this vital Chinese diplomatic relationship. She joins Eric & Cobus to explain what's at stake for both sides if the Pakistani government can't contain the BLA. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E61 · Fri, October 11, 2024
Judd Devermont on the State of U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa
U.S. President Joe Biden was supposed to be in Angola this week, fulfilling a pledge to visit the continent he made back at the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. But with massive hurricanes pounding the southern United States, the president was forced to postpone the visit. The trip to Angola would have marked a major milestone for Biden. The southwestern African country is the showcase for the president's global infrastructure investment program, which is widely seen as Washington's effort to rival China's Belt and Road Initiative. What does the president's cancellation of his trip this week say about Washington's larger Africa policy? Not a whole lot, according to Judd Devermont, the former senior director of African Affairs at the National Security Council and now an operating partner at Kupanda Capital in Washington, D.C. Judd joins Eric to discuss the latest trends in U.S. foreign policy in Africa and what role China now plays in the White House's strategy. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E60 · Tue, October 08, 2024
Beyond Railways and Ports: China's Evolving Lending Strategy in Africa
Chinese lending to African countries rebounded in a big way in 2023 after seven consecutive years of decline. Last year, Chinese lenders approved loans totaling $4.61 billion to African borrowers, a dramatic increase over the $922 million lent in 2022, according to Boston University's Global Development Policy Center (GDPC). In the past, China lent billions to countries like Kenya and Nigeria to build massive infrastructure projects like ports and railways. That is no longer the case today as Chinese lending focuses on smaller, more sustainable initiatives, mainly in the energy, telecom, and logistics sectors. Kevin Gallagher, director of the GDPC, and Diego Morro, a data analyst at GDPC, join Eric & Cobus to discuss the latest trends in Chinese development finance in Africa and a few of the surprises their research uncovered about which countries are getting the most financing. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E59 · Fri, October 04, 2024
Negotiating Chinese Infrastructure Deals: Lessons From Two African Countries
Africa is the only region in the world where access to electricity is actually shrinking. Prolonged drought across large swathes of the continent has severely impacted hydropower production, triggering large-scale electricity outages — most notably in Zambia. China plays a critical role in this crisis, both as a major financier of African power infrastructure development and as one of the largest contractors that builds new facilities like the Karuma Power Station in Uganda, which came online last month. But how these infrastructure projects unfold in different African countries depends a lot on the competence of the negotiators who sit across from the various Chinese stakeholders. Adjekai Adjei, a PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss her research that compared the outcomes for the Bui Hydropower Plant in Ghana and the Karuma facility in Uganda. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E58 · Fri, September 27, 2024
Railroads and Rivalries in Southern Africa
The U.S. and China plan to spend billions of dollars refurbishing key railway lines in southern Africa that link critical resource mining hubs in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with ports on both sides of the continent. For the U.S., it's the Lobito Atlantic Railway that goes from the copper belt in Zambia 1,300km west across Angola to the Atlantic Ocean. However, China is looking in the other direction: proposing to spend upwards of a billion dollars to refurbish the TAZARA railway, which also begins in Zambia and heads almost 1,900km West to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salam on the Indian Ocean. But building and managing these railways isn't going to be easy given the complex politics in the region. Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika, a former managing director of the TAZARA railway, and Solange Chatelard, a prominent China-Zambia scholar at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, join Eric & Géraud to discuss why Beijing and Washington face such formidable challenges in this new logistics competition. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E57 · Wed, September 25, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Response to the Wars in the Middle East
The rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon prompted a strong reaction from the Chinese government this week. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib on Monday at the UN in New York and condemned Israel's actions as “indiscriminate attacks against civilians." It's notable, though, that neither Wang nor other Chinese officials made any mention of Hezbollah's missile strikes on targets in Israel, including those that hit civilian areas. The deteriorating security environment in the Middle East is a critical time for China, which is transitioning from a strategy of "hedging" to one that is increasingly focused on "wedging." Jonathan Fulton and Michael Schuman, senior nonresident scholars at The Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., join Eric & Cobus to discuss their new report on China's Mideast strategy and Beijing's new regional priorities. SHOW NOTES: The Atlantic Council : China’s Middle East policy shift from “hedging” to “wedging” by Jonathan Fulton and Michael Schulman: https://tinyurl.com/286pyh3o Subscribe to The China-MENA Newsletter by Jonathan Fulton: https://chinamenanewsletter.substack.com/ Subscribe to The China-MENA Podcast on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/256tdywu JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E56 · Thu, September 19, 2024
[WEEK IN REVIEW] Illegal Chinese Miners in Ghana Have Been Warned
China's new ambassador to Ghana, Tong Defa, spoke out forcefully this week to condemn the ongoing problem of illegal mining in the country and issued a fresh warning to his compatriots that if they are caught breaking the law, the embassy will not be there to bail them out. Also, Kenyan President William Ruto traveled to Germany where he was once again pressed by the media to answer the ridiculous question of whether he prefers Western or Chinese investment. Eric & Géraud also discuss a recent Congressional hearing in the United States about China's role in Africa and why the proceedings desperately needed a fact checker. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E55 · Mon, September 16, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] How Persian Gulf Countries Are Responding to the U.S.-China Rivalry
For much of the past thirty years, since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been largely unrivaled in its power in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. Today, that is no longer the case as the U.S. faces new challenges both from regional powers like Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as international competitors, including China and Russia. This transition to multipolarity is transforming the region and served as the thesis of a special edition of the academic journal Middle East Policy that came out earlier this year. Three of the journal's editors on this project, Andrea Ghiselli from Fudan University in Shanghai, University of Naples China scholar Enrico Fardella, and Durham University international relations professor Anoushiravan Ehteshami, join Eric to discuss how the different countries in the region are adapting to the Sino-U.S. rivalry. SHOW NOTES: Download the Spring 2024 edition of Middle East Policy (you'll need institutional access or have to pay a small fee): https://bit.ly/3XvvLUm JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E54 · Fri, September 13, 2024
Can China Help Africa Become the Next Factory of the World?
For decades, African governments have tried to lure Chinese manufacturing companies to set up factories in their countries with the promise of an abundant supply of low-cost labor. Other than a few high-profile companies, Chinese companies, for the most part, have balked — preferring instead to offshore production closer to home in Southeast Asia. But now that may be starting to change. With the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement now up and running, Chinese firms see an opportunity to manufacture goods for local and continental markets. Three scholars recently surveyed Chinese manufacturing trends in 34 countries between 2003 and 2014 and published their findings in a new Boston University Global Development Policy Center working paper. Keyi Tang, an assistant professor at the ESADE Business School in Barcelona and one of the report's authors, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss their findings and what it says about the future prospects for Chinese manufacturing on the continent. SHOW NOTES: Download the BU Global Development Policy Center Report : Chinese Economic Ties and Low-carbon Industrialization in Africa: https://tinyurl.com/26affcwq JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E53 · Fri, September 06, 2024
[DOUBLE EPISODE] The China-Africa Summit Debrief
The three-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit wrapped up in Beijing on Friday. The big headline from this year's gathering was the announcement that China will provide $50.7 billion in financing to African countries over the next three years. Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled the customary mega pledge as part of a ten-point action plan that will guide China's relationship with the continent through 2027. In this special double episode of the show, Eric, Géraud, and Cobus discuss key events from this year's FOCAC summit and why it's best not to focus too much on that big financial package. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E52 · Tue, September 03, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Why the U.S. is Struggling to Compete in the Global Competition for Critical Resources
U.S. officials have spoken at length about the urgent need to end their country's dependency on China for the critical resources needed to power next-generation mobility and technology. Part of the solution, they say, is to compete directly with the Chinese for lithium, cobalt, and other critical mineral mining rights around the world. The problem is few U.S. mining companies today do that kind of work in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia where these resources are found. But the U.S. is geologically endowed, prompting loud calls to mine these resources at home — which raises another problem. In his new book " The War Below ," Reuters correspondent Ernest Scheyder explains how powerful stakeholders have made it very difficult for U.S. mining companies to operate domestically. Ernest joins Eric & Géraud to explain why the politics of mining make it nearly impossible for the U.S. to compete with China for critical resources. PURCHASE THE WAR BELOW ON AMAZON : https://tinyurl.com/24ng24tm JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @ernestschyeder Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
Bonus · Tue, September 03, 2024
[BONUS EPISODE] Chinese, African Perspectives on the FOCAC Summit
This year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit comes at a critical time for governments in both regions. While China is embroiled in an increasingly contentious great power duel with the United States, African governments are under mounting economic and social pressures. These challenges are prompting Chinese and African scholars to wonder aloud whether it's time to introduce new reforms into the FOCAC process, particularly more transparency and accountability. Last month, University of California at Irvince scholar Paa-Kwesi Heto and Paul Nantulya, a researcher at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C., convened an independent working group of some of the world's foremost Africa-China scholars to discuss this week's FOCAC summit. Normally, these gatherings are conducted off the record, but this time, the participants agreed to allow CGSP to record the discussion and share some of the highlights for the podcast. In this special bonus edition, you'll hear insights from: Li Hangwei, Senior Researcher, German Institute of Development and Sustainability Pamela Carslake, Executive Director, Sin-Africa Centre of International Relations Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Global Dialogue Cliff Mboya, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Johannesburg Centre for Africa-China Studies Frangton Chiyemura , Lecturer in International Development Education, The Open University JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E50 · Thu, August 29, 2024
David Monyae on the Politics of FOCAC
Final preparations are underway for the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, which begins on September 4th in Beijing. This year's event comes at a particularly fraught time amid wars in Europe, the Middle East and the simmering Great Power rivalry between the United States and China. David Monyae, director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the politics that will frame the summit and why a growing number of African leaders increasingly see their interests aligned with China rather than the West. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E49 · Mon, August 26, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] View From Israel: China's Growing Influence in the Middle East
In September 2023, just weeks before Hamas' devastating terrorist attack on October 7th, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his foreign policy advisors were preparing for a summit meeting in China with President Xi Jinping. There were even whispers Beijing would help facilitate a rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia much as it did between Riyadh and Tehran. Now, almost a year later, everything has changed. Sino-Israeli political ties have soured as China aligned with the Arab world and the rest of the Global South in opposition to Israel's war on Gaza. However, while China's standing in Israel has fallen since October 7th, it surged across the rest of the Middle East as more countries in the region regard Beijing as an emerging alternative to the United States. Gedaliah Afterman, head of the Asia Policy Program at the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy and Foreign Relations at Reichman University, and Research Analyst Allie Weinberger tracked China's Mideast power trajectory in a new article published by the Australian Security Policy Institute . Gedaliah and Allie join Eric to discuss what's behind China's growing influence in the Mideast. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @gafterman Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E48 · Thu, August 22, 2024
Energy is Going to be the Hot Topic at Upcoming China-Africa Summit
African leaders will soon travel to Beijing to participate in the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, which will begin on September 4th. Many of those heads of state will arrive in the Chinese capital with a rather long wish list of infrastructure development projects they're hoping to pitch to Chinese financiers. Many of those initiatives will be focused on energy generation and distribution, particularly renewable solutions that are more affordable and easier to deploy. Shuang Liu, China finance director at the World Resource Institute's Climate Economics and Finance Program, and Li Shuo, director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, are among the world's foremost experts on Chinese energy finance. They join Eric & Cobus to discuss what African leaders must do to align with China's new overseas development finance priorities. SHOW NOTES: China's Agenda at FOCAC 2024: h ttps://bit.ly/focac9_china Africa's Priorities at FOCAC 2024: https:// bit.ly/focac9_africa JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @sanushanaidu Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week i
S15 E47 · Thu, August 15, 2024
African Priorities at the Upcoming China Summit
African leaders and their delegations are making final preparations to travel to Beijing soon for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit that will begin on September 4th. This year's gathering comes at a critical time in the relationship between these two regions. African leaders are looking for ways to move their economies up the value chain in a bid to capture more revenue and generate higher rates of employment, particularly among young people. But to do that requires infrastructure, especially energy. So, they'll be looking to China for financial and technical assistance. But those requests will come at a sensitive time for the Chinese whose economy has slowed considerably over the past 10 years. Beijing is no longer writing those big checks to pay for large-scale infrastructure projects in Africa. So, it will be critical for African countries to have robust strategic plans going into this year's FOCAC summit, according to Sanusha Naidu, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue in Cape Town. Sanusha joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the need for African strategic thinking towards China and why it's so important. SHOW NOTES: China's Agenda at FOCAC 2024: h ttps://bit.ly/focac9_china Africa's Priorities at FOCAC 2024: https:// bit.ly/focac9_africa JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @sanushanaidu Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine <br
S15 E46 · Mon, August 12, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Westlessness: A New Era Where the West Still Matters, Just Not as Much
Chinese President Xi Jinping has long touted the East's rise and the West's decline , the kind of thinking that's triggered his supporters to fantasize about a post-Western geopolitical order. While it's indisputable that U.S. and European countries, which represent the foundational pillars of the Western system, have seen their power diminish in the post-Cold War era, there's little credible evidence of a full-blown collapse of Western influence. Instead, King's College scholar Samir Puri argues in his new book "Westlessness," that the role of the West in the international system is changing and not going away . Samir joins Eric & Cobus from London to discuss the emergence of a new, less Western global order. Show Notes: Order "Westlessness" on Amazon.co.uk JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @purisamir1 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E45 · Fri, August 09, 2024
China-Africa Summit Preview: What’s on the Agenda for FOCAC 9?
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit is now less than a month away. Chinese President Xi Jinping will host dozens of African leaders in Beijing in the first week of September for the triennial gathering that comes at a critical time for African countries and China. Africa needs China's support for continued infrastructure financing and to buy more of its goods, while China is looking to Africa as a vital supplier of critical resources and to develop new markets for its cars, solar panels, and other products that are increasingly shut out from G7 countries. But with very little visibility into the negotiating positions of the various stakeholders, it's difficult to tell what will emerge from this year's summit. Development Reimagined Policy Analyst Ovigwe Eguegu is closely following African preparations for FOCAC and joins Eric & Cobus to share some of his insights on what to expect. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @ovigweeguegu | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E44 · Thu, August 01, 2024
Jendayi Frazer on U.S.-China Geopolitical Competition in Africa
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week on what the U.S. needs to do to better compete with China in Africa and other developing regions. Campbell bluntly told senators Washington "has to do better" to match Chinese finance, trade, and military engagement around the world. But the problem for Campbell and other U.S. stakeholders is that it's been difficult to define what success looks like in their bid to out-compete China. Jendayi Frazer, a distinguished visiting fellow at Hoover Institution and adjunct senior fellow for Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, is one of Washington's foremost experts on U.S. foreign policy towards Africa. She speaks from firsthand experience as a former assistant secretary of state and joins CGSP Africa Editor Géraud Neema to explain why it's critical for the U.S. to devote more attention to Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E43 · Sun, July 28, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] The ASEAN Wonk on Great Power Politics in Southeast Asia
The foreign ministers from China, the U.S., Japan, and Russia, among others, all passed through the Laotian capital, Vientiane, over the past several days, ostensibly for an ASEAN gathering. But the real action took place on the sidelines of the meeting, where the ministers held a series of bilaterals that revealed the hardening battle lines among the major powers. The tense discussions highlight the frontline role that Southeast Asia now plays in this burgeoning geopolitical competition that appears to be intensifying over disputes related to Taiwan, the South China Sea, and surging Chinese influence in the region. Prashanth Paramaswaran, writer and creator of the popular ASEAN Wonk Substack newsletter , joins Eric to discuss what happened in Vientiane and the latest on the stand-off between Beijing and Manila over territorial rights in the South China Sea. SHOW NOTES: ASEAN Wonk: Why New Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement Matters ASEAN Wonk : China Crisis Rocks Philippines Second Thomas Shoal Strategy ASEAN Wonk : Vietnam Foreign Policy Futures After Nguyen Phu Trong Passing JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E42 · Thu, July 25, 2024
A New Vision for European Engagement in Africa (Beyond Confronting China)
Europe is Africa's largest trading partner and its largest source of foreign direct investment. But a lot of that economic engagement is powered by inertia, left over from Europe's long, painful history of colonial exploitation in Africa. Just as in the United States, Europe's politics are decidedly inward-looking where Africa, if it's on the agenda at all, is still largely seen as a "problem to be fixed." When policymakers do raise the issue of heightened engagement with the continent, it's often in the context of what the EU can do to counter China's influence in Africa. A new report published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace aims to change that by outlining a more proactive, positive vision for why Europe should focus more attention on Africa in pursuit of a more balanced relationship. The report's editor, David McNair, an executive director at the anti-poverty NGO ONE.org, and contributor Saliem Fakir, executive director of the African Climate Foundation, join Eric & Cobus to discuss why Europe needs Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E41 · Thu, July 18, 2024
China-Africa Relations as Seen From the United States
As Chinese engagement in Africa steadily increased over the past twenty-five years, the U.S. has struggled to respond. Africa has consistently been a low priority in U.S. foreign policy, even with China's growing presence on the continent, and that's especially true today as events in the Middle East, Russia, and the South China Sea dominate the agenda. For the past two weeks, Eric, Cobus & Géraud crisscrossed the U.S. capital to meet with scholars, analysts, diplomats, and policymakers to get firsthand perspectives on how the China-Africa relationship in 2024 is seen from Washington. These discussions took place at a critical time when the political momentum shifted in Donald Trump's favor and one month before Chinese President Xi Jinping will host an African leaders summit in Beijing. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E40 · Thu, July 11, 2024
Who Gets to Tell the Africa-China Story?
So much of the framing of Chinese engagement in Africa is done through the prism of Western media, academia, government, and civil society. Stories about debt traps, malign influence, and exploitation are all firmly embedded in the larger discourse about Africa's relations with China. Conversely, the relationship is also framed in equally binary terms by Chinese media and government narratives. But there's growing demand from African stakeholders to tell a radically different story about this relationship, one that is far more nuanced and puts African interests at the center. A new collection of papers published by the Africa Policy Research Institute explores the emergence of non-Western-centric narratives. Eric & Cobus spoke with Lina Benabdalla from Wake Forest Univeristy, Yu-Shan Wu from the University of Pretoria, Yunnan Chen from ODI, and Folashadé Soulé from Oxford University, four of the world's leading scholars in this field who contributed to this collection for their perspectives about what a new Africa-China story looks like. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E39 · Thu, July 04, 2024
The Impact of Chinese Overcapacity on Developing Countries
South Africa this week joined a growing list of developing countries around the world to introduce tariffs on certain Chinese imports in a bid to protect local producers. Indonesia, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil, among others, also introduced similar duties on Chinese steel and other products. While low-cost Chinese goods are a boon for Global South consumers, they're extremely problematic for manufacturers in these countries because it's almost impossible to match the "China Price." Chinese factories can produce goods at a scale and cost that remains unrivaled, and now, according to a new report by the consultancy Rhodium Group, they're flooding markets in Africa and other developing regions. Camille Boullenois, a director of Rhodium Group's China projects team, and Austin Jordan, a senior analyst at Rhodium Group, join Eric & Cobus to discuss their new report and why this trend is potentially debilitating for many of the world's least developed countries. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @christiangeraud | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E38 · Thu, June 27, 2024
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Debt and the Anti-Government Revolt in Kenya
Protestors in Kenya this week expressed fury against the government and the IMF but interestingly made no mention of China during an unprecedented uprising in Nairobi. It's notable because the Kenyan Treasury spends more money to service its Chinese loans than any other single creditor. For years, across two administrations, the Kenyan government has pleaded with China to reschedule nearly $6 billion of outstanding loans, all to no avail. And the cost of servicing that dollar-denominated debt has skyrocketed due to the depreciation of the shilling. This week, Eric, Cobus & Geraud discuss the role that Chinese debt plays in Kenya's current economic distress and provide updates on the fate of a Chinese oil pipeline caught in the middle of a simmering conflict in West Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @christiangeraud | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E37 · Thu, June 27, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] The Crisis in the South China Sea Enters a Dangerous New Phase
The violent confrontation between China and the Philippines on June 17th near the Second Thomas Shoal marked a sharp escalation in tensions between the two countries over their rival territorial claims in the South China Sea. After the melee that severely injured one Filipino sailor, the two countries engaged in a second battle, this time in the media, to shape the narrative of what happened and where this burgeoning crisis goes from here. Alex Vuving, a professor at the Pentagon-backed think tank Asia-Pacific Security Studies Center in Honolulu, joins Eric to discuss why the events of June 17th have prompted Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to recalibrate his strategy. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E36 · Fri, June 21, 2024
How China's Changing Economy is Impacting Africa?
Back in the early 2000s, when Chinese engagement in Africa started to ramp up, China was enjoying double-digit growth and devoured vast quantities of African oil, minerals, and timber to feed its surging manufacturing sector. Fast-forward to the present, and China no longer relies on African resources as it once did. The Chinese economy has matured, and those heady growth days are long past. And now, with the BRI in place, China doesn't rely on Africa for resources anywhere near as much as it did 20 years ago. A new paper published by two of the world's leading scholars on China-Africa ties, Zainab Usman from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Professor Tang Xiaoyang from Tsinghua University in Beijing, details five key economic trends re-shaping the relationship between these two regions. Zainab joins CGSP Africa Editor Géraud Neema to discuss how this evolving economic relationship will impact African countries, in particular. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @christiangeraud | @mszeeusman Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E35 · Fri, June 14, 2024
It's Time to Take the BRICS More Seriously
The BRICS group has existed since 2009 and has done little to distinguish itself in 15 years. They created a mid-sized development bank, but other than that, the bloc's accomplishments have been rather modest. That's now starting to change as the BRICS doubled in size to ten members, with around thirty other countries now on the waiting list. At the latest BRICS Foreign Ministers gathering in western Russia last week, new initiatives harmonizing AI standards, currency transfers, and developing new business parks were among the issues on the agenda. While these may seem trivial in this era of war and Great Power rivalry, getting lots of small things done is actually a big deal. Gustavo de Carvalho, a senior researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs, is among the world's foremost scholars on the BRICS and joins Eric & Cobus from Johannesburg to discuss why it's time to start paying closer attention to this group. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @decarvalho Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E34 · Thu, June 06, 2024
The Future of Chinese Development Finance in Africa
Chinese development finance in Africa today is a small fraction of what it was a decade ago when Beijing's policy banks provided billions of dollars in loans to countries across the continent. But while those heady days of easily accessible finance will likely never return, there are indications major Chinese lenders are once again gearing up to extend new financing for badly needed infrastructure projects in Africa. Tarela Moses and Tim Hirschel-Burns from Boston University's Global Development Center closely follow the latest Chinese financing trends and join Eric & Cobus to discuss why there's reason for modest optimism. SHOW NOTES: CGSP: The African Development Bank and the Role of China in Africa’s Call for Changes in the Global Financial Architecture by Tim Hirschel-Burns and Oyintarelado Moses: https://bit.ly/3V85E4R JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @tarelamoses | @timh_b Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E33 · Tue, June 04, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Jane Perlez on the Global South's Role in the U.S.-China Strategic Rivalry
With memories still fresh from the first Cold War, leaders in Africa, Asia, and across the Global South have repeatedly said they do not want any part of a second Great Power rivalry. But as tensions between the U.S. and China steadily deteriorate, the pressure on these smaller, non-aligned countries is going to surge. The geopolitical dynamics are changing very fast. Jane Perlez, a renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who spent more than thirty years reporting for The New York Times as a foreign correspondent, laid out the challenges in a new eight-part podcast series on the burgeoning U.S.-China strategic competition. Jane joins Eric & Cobus from Sydney to share her insights on where this competition is going and what impact she thinks it will have on developing countries. SHOW NOTES: Listen to Face-Off: The U.S. vs. China hosted by Jane Perlez: https://tinyurl.com/22kkfpu8 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @janeperlez Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E32 · Fri, May 31, 2024
The Hidden World of Chinese Manufacturing in Ethiopia
Ethiopia's long-held ambition is to one day emerge as a major global manufacturing hub, benefiting from a wave of Chinese offshoring. The East African country's strategic location, abundant labor supply, and welcoming government are all very enticing for cost-conscious Chinese manufacturers. And while Ethiopia has been more successful than many African countries in attracting Chinese investors, the number of factories that have been established there is still relatively small. A new documentary that's making the rounds on the international film festival circuit provides fascinating insights into why that’s the case. The film, “Made in Ethiopia,” tells the story of a Chinese-backed industrial park outside of Addis Ababa that’s struggled mightily through the pandemic and later a civil war. Co-directors/producers Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan, both experienced journalists, join Eric & Cobus to discuss their new film and what it took to produce such a textured, complex story. SHOW NOTES: Official website : www.madeinethiopiafilm.com Screening dates and locations : www.madeinethiopiafilm.com/screenings JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E31 · Tue, May 28, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] What's Driving the Surge in Brazil's Business Ties With China
BYD announced that it opened its 100th dealership in Brazil, highlighting the South American country's growing importance to the Chinese electric vehicle giant. It's a similar story across the board in tech, agriculture, and natural resources, among other sectors. Trade and investment between China and Brazil is booming and is unlikely to slow anytime soon. Tulio Cariello, director of content and research at the Brazil-China Business Council, joins Eric & Cobus from Rio de Janeiro to explain how Brazil is benefitting greatly from Beijing's souring ties with Washington. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E30 · Fri, May 24, 2024
Illegal Chinese Timber Trade Fuels Insurgency in Mozambique
Officially, Mozambique bans the export of raw timber in an effort to protect what's left of the country's rapidly shrinking forests. But whatever laws are in place are largely disregarded as more than 500,000 tons of timber leave the country each year — 90% of which goes to China, according to a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency . This illicit timber trade is also very lucrative, generating more than a billion dollars that helps to fund a deadly insurgency ravaging northern Mozambique. Alexandra Bloom, a senior trade and policy analyst at EIA, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss EIA's multi-year investigation that uncovered widespread corruption and negligence at every level of the timber supply chain. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadeneques Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E29 · Fri, May 17, 2024
WEEK IN REVIEW: China in the Sahel | ChatGPT's take on China-Africa
China somehow managed to get the oil flowing between Niger and Benin this week amid a bitter dispute between the two West African countries that had briefly shut down the pipeline. Eric, Cobus, and Geraud discuss how the Chinese seem to be navigating the Sahel's contentious politics with some finesse. Plus, ChatGPT launched a major new upgrade this week that they'll put to the test to hear how the AI frames the accusation that China engages in debt trap diplomacy in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadeneques | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E28 · Mon, May 13, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Indonesia's Role in the South China Sea Crisis
Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto will take office later this year at a critical time when regional tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea are surging. And this won't be just a foreign policy challenge for the new president. Chinese ships have crossed into Indonesia's exclusive economic zone near the Nantuna Islands at the bottom tip of Beijing's controversial ten-dash line. Managing the escalating crisis in the South China Sea is going to be a "pivotal" challenge for Prabowo, according to Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, director of the China-Indonesia desk at the Center of Economic and Law Studies. Zulfikar joins Eric from Jakarta to discuss how he thinks Prabowo is going to handle what's becoming a very volatile situation. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E27 · Fri, May 10, 2024
China-Africa Relations in the Era of Great Power Competition
A prominent French TV journalist was visibly surprised when DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi bluntly told him that he prefers to work with Chinese and Russian partners rather than those from the West. The exchange was posted this week on X and reveals the increasingly stark gap between African and Western perceptions over the major geopolitical changes that are taking place today as part of the Great Power rivalry and the various wars going on in Europe and the Middle East. International relations analyst Ovigwe Eguegu joins Géraud from the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to discuss how powerful geopolitical forces are impacting China's ties in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @OvigweEguegu Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E26 · Fri, May 03, 2024
Insights From Hannah Ryder on This Year's China-Africa Summit
Chinese and African governments are beginning to negotiate the agenda for the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit that will take place in Beijing later this fall. Development finance, infrastructure, and green technology are all expected to be prominent themes, but this year’s event will be considerably different than previous summits, given that it comes at a time of considerable economic uncertainty for both China and African countries. Hannah Ryder, CEO of the international development consultancy Development Reimagined, recently co-hosted an African ambassadors retreat in China that brought together senior officials from both sides. Hannah joins Eric, Cobus, and Géraud to share a few insights from that retreat and what to expect in the run-up to the FOCAC summit. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @hmryder Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E25 · Fri, April 26, 2024
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Chinese Supermarket Scandal in Nigeria
Nigerian consumer protection authorities shut a Chinese supermarket in the capital, Abuja after a video went viral showing the store refusing entry to local residents. The scandal sparked outrage online and was among the top stories of the week on national TV channels. Eric, Cobus, and Geraud discuss why this particular instance of alleged discrimination triggered such an emotional reaction. Plus, African Union officials met with Chinese diplomats in Addis Ababa this week as part of a regular human rights dialogue and conveyed a very gentle critique of Chinese labor practices in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E24 · Mon, April 22, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Should China Use Its Influence With Iran to Help the U.S. and Israel?
Senior U.S. leaders have once again called on China to use its considerable economic leverage to persuade Iran to change its behavior in the escalating conflict with Israel. Various U.S. have made this same request on several occasions already, going back all the way to the day after Hamas launched its assault on southern Israel on October 7th. Each time, though, those U.S. appeals have largely been ignored by the Chinese. That raises two important questions: why does the U.S. keep asking if nothing happens? And, even if Beijing was willing to do act, would the leadership in Tehran even listen? For some perspective on these two questions, Eric spoke with Iran-China scholar Bill Figueroa, an assistant professor at the University of Groningen, who explained why so many in Washington are misreading just how much influence China actually has in Iran. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @iranchinaguy Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E23 · Fri, April 19, 2024
U.S.-China Competition for Africa's Critical Resources
China maintains a massive lead over the U.S. and other G7 countries in both mining and refining capacity in Africa, a key vulnerability that policymakers in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere say they're determined to rectify. A new report from the United States Institute of Peace lays out a roadmap for how the U.S. can close that gap with China to achieve mineral security while protecting local labor and environmental standards. Terence McCulley, a senior visiting expert for West Africa at USIP and a former U.S. ambassador to several African countries, joins Eric, Cobus & Geraud to discuss the new report and whether he thinks it's even possible for the U.S. to rival China's critical mineral supply chain. SHOW NOTES: USIP Senior Study Group Final Report: Critical Minerals in Africa: Strengthening Security, Supporting Development, and Reducing Conflict amid Geopolitical Competition: https://tinyurl.com/2yop8jcf JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E22 · Fri, April 12, 2024
The State of Chinese Tech in Africa With Benjamin Dada
For much of the past ten years, Chinese technology in Africa focused largely on devices and infrastructure. But today, the conversations also include issues related to governance, online services, and the emergence of artificial intelligence. Benjamin Dada, founder of the popular African tech news site BenDada.com , joins Eric to discuss the latest Chinese tech trends on the continent and why Chinese firms are still outpacing their competitors. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @bendada_ Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E21 · Fri, April 05, 2024
Labor Relations at Chinese Construction Sites in Africa
Few topics have shaped perceptions about China's engagement in Africa more than the presence of Chinese construction sites across the continent. Chinese contractors have built countless ports, roads, railways, and more, but how that work was done has been very controversial over the years. There've been widespread complaints about mismanagement, abuse, and discrimination at Chinese-run construction sites across the continent. While there's no doubt some veracity to those claims, many of the allegations are also rooted in vastly different expectations between Chinese managers and local workers. For some perspective on this complex dynamic, Eric & Cobus spoke with two longtime Africa-China scholars, Mandira Bagwandeen, a political science lecturer at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, and Elisa Gambino, a Hallsworth Research Fellow in political economy at the University of Manchester, to discuss their latest research on Chinese-African labor relations in the construction sector. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E20 · Wed, April 03, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Why a Chinese-backed Canal Project in Cambodia is Making Vietnam Very Nervous
Former Cambodian strongman Hun Sen was in Beijing last week lobbying the Chinese government to move forward with the $1.7 billion Funan Techo Canal project which his son, President Hun Manet, has made the centerpiece of his new administration. The new canal would connect Phnom Penh's inland port to Kep province on the Gulf of Thailand, creating a new transport link for Cambodia's garment and agricultural exporters, among others. However, the project is also raising concerns in neighboring Vietnam. Officials there are worried the new canal will divert water from the fragile lower Mekong Delta ecosystem, which provides a vital lifeline for millions of farmers. The Vietnamese also stand to lose a lot of business and are concerned about the potential security implications of the new canal. Jack Brook, an independent journalist based in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, recently wrote about the canal for a story published in Nikkei Asia and joins Eric to explain why this project is generating so much controversy. SHOW NOTES: Nikkei Asia : Cambodia to divert Mekong trade via China-built canal, vexing Vietnam by Jack Brook: https://tinyurl.com/25j2fv3t The China-Global South Project : Q&A: How Cambodia’s Chinese-backed Funan Techo Canal Risks Destabilizing the Lower Mekong Delta: https://tinyurl.com/2adfcr3w JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @leixing77 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E19 · Thu, March 28, 2024
Tang Xiaoyang on Why the U.S., Not China is to Blame for Africa’s Debt Problems
While many in the West still contend Africa's worsening debt crisis is largely due to excessive Chinese lending, Tsinghua University Professor Tang Xiaoyang argues that accusation just isn't true. Instead, the well-known China-Africa scholar contends the main problems facing African borrowers today are anchored in the United States. Most of Africa's debt is priced in U.S. dollars, which is now much more expensive than it was just a few years ago due to higher interest rates set by the Federal Reserve in Washington. Professor Tang joins Eric & Cobus from Beijing to discuss the current debt situation and what preparations are being made ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit that will take place later this year in Beijing. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E18 · Tue, March 26, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Chinese EV Brands Want to Dominate Global South Auto Markets
Enthusiasm for electric vehicles is waning in both the U.S. and China, but that is definitely not the case in other parts of the world where EV adoption rates are steadily rising. In fact, at the Bangkok Motor Show this week, Chinese EV brands are grabbing all of the attention. Throughout the Global South, Chinese EV brands are expanding their presence in both manufacturing and sales. And unlike U.S.-made EVs that are largely expensive luxury vehicles, the Chinese brands are focusing on small, affordable cars that are within the price range of consumers in Asia, Africa and Latin America, among other places. Lei Xing, a longtime China automotive journalist and host of the China EVs & More Podcast, joins Eric to discuss why Chinese automakers are looking to developing countries to drive EV sales. SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to the China EVs & More Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/27enl2qb JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @leixing77 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E17 · Fri, March 22, 2024
WEEK IN REVIEW: Why Angola is the "Vietnam of Africa"
Angolan President João Lourenço returned from a three-day visit to China loaded with goodies. He secured an upgrade in diplomatic ties, promises of new investment and, most importantly, a major reduction in monthly debt payments. Lourenço's success in China comes as Luanda is also luring massive engagement from the U.S., prompting some observers to suggest that Angola now joins a select group of middle-power states like Vietnam that are strategically benefitting from the rivalry between Washington and Beijing. Also, Eric, Cobus & Geraud discuss Chinese infrastructure spending in the DRC and whether China will benefit after the U.S. was expelled from Niger this week. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E16 · Wed, March 20, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Author Jeremy Garlick on China's Strategic Advantage in the Global South
U.S. and European officials often lament that they've fallen behind China when it comes to engaging Africa, Asia, the Americas, and other developing regions. Western governments aren't set up to rapidly deploy the kind of money and resources that Beijing's done with its Belt and Road Initiative over the past ten years. While the U.S. and Europe are now trying to catch up, author Jeremy Garlick writes in his new book Advantage China: Agent of Change in an Era of Global Disruption that their efforts are hamstrung not only by money but also by history. Jeremy joins Eric & Cobus to explain why he thinks China's political system provides key systemic advantages over its Western rivals when it comes to engaging the Global South. Show Notes: Amazon : Advantage China: Agent of Change in an Era of Global Disruption by Jeremy Garlick: https://bit.ly/4cj2Nh7 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @jeremy_garlick Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E15 · Thu, March 14, 2024
China's Slowing Economy Could be a Catalyst for Change in Africa
Angolan President João Lourenço kicked off a three-day visit to China this week that will take him to Beijing and Shandong Province. The timing of Lourenço's trip comes as the Chinese economy is facing enormous challenges amid a plunge in FDI, surging youth unemployment, and much slower growth. The easy Chinese money for African leaders is no longer there and that may not be a bad thing, says Gyude Moore from the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C. Gyude wrote a column this month that said a slowing Chinese economy could force a lot of African governments to initiate badly needed reforms. Gyude joins Eric & Geraud to discuss his somewhat contrarian view on the rapidly changing China-Africa relationship. SHOW NOTES: Center for Global Development : Is There a Silver Lining for Africa in China’s Slowdown? by W. Gyude Moore: https://tinyurl.com/2yu4vka8 The CGD Podcast : Lagos to Mombasa: https://tinyurl.com/2c8oxz82 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @christiangeraud | @eric_olander | @gyude_moore Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E14 · Fri, March 08, 2024
A Call for African & Latin American Countries to Share Notes on Dealings With China
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed this week the triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) conference that will take place later this year in Beijing will, in fact, be a leaders summit. Before the FOCAC summit, Latin American and Caribbean leaders will take part in a similar gathering known as the China-CELAC forum. It's rather unusual that both are taking place in the same year and that's got some analysts suggesting representatives from African and Latin American countries would benefit a lot if they got together to compare notes on their deals with China. Leland Lazarus, associate director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute of Public Policy at Florida University in Miami, and Paul Nantulya, research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., recently co-wrote an article that explains why this kind of South-South dialogue is so important. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @pnantulya I @LelandLazarus Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E13 · Tue, March 05, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Surveying the Geopolitical Landscape in SE Asia With ASEAN Wonk Prasanth Parmeswaran
The escalating tensions between China, the Philippines and the United States in the South China Sea highlight how Southeast Asia is now the most dangerous frontline in the burgeoning Great Power competition between Beijing and Washington. But as this week's ASEAN summit in Australia highlights, there is no consensus in the region over how the Southeast Asian bloc's 11 member states are responding to the rapidly changing geopolitical environment. This week, Eric spoke with Prasanth Parmeswaran, a highly regarded analyst on Southeast Asian affairs and founder of the widely-read ASEAN Wonk newsletter, for some perspective on how different countries across the region are positioning themselves in this new era. Show Notes: Subscribe to the ASEAN Wonk newsletter on Substack : https://www.aseanwonk.com Subscribe to the Sinica Podcast newsletter on Substack : https://sinica.substack.com JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @aseanwonk Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E12 · Thu, February 29, 2024
Chinese Diplomacy in Sierra Leone and Nigeria With Tobi Oshodi
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio is in the midst of a five-day visit to China that included talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, among other high-level officials. While Bio is getting a lot of face-time with China’s political elites, the more pressing question is what he is actually getting out of the visit. Tobi Oshodi, a political science lecturer at Lagos State University and a long-time Africa-China scholar, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the visit and the current state of Chinese engagement in Nigeria. Tobi also shares his outlook on how Nigeria is preparing for this year’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation gathering that will take place later this year in Beijing. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @tobioshodi Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E11 · Wed, February 28, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China and the Indonesia Nickel Trade: Measuring the True Labor and Environmental Cost
A lot of EV consumers bought new battery-powered cars in the hope it would be better for the environment than a vehicle with a conventional internal combustion engine that runs on fossil fuels. By some measures, that's no doubt true. But many of these early adopters are also unaware their supposedly "green" cars aren't quite as carbon neutral as promised and that there are serious labor and human rights problems related to the metals used to manufacture the batteries that power those EVs. Krista Shennum, a climate and human rights researcher at Climate Rights International, joins Cobus & Antonia to discuss the situation in Indonesia where Chinese mining companies dominate the all-important nickel sector that's rife with labor and environmental abuses. SHOW NOTES: Climate Rights International: Nickel Unearthed -- The Human and Climate Costs of Indonesia's Nickel Industry: https://cri.org/reports/nickel-unearthed/ JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E10 · Fri, February 23, 2024
What Exactly is the "Global South"?
Academics and think tank analysts, predominantly in the U.S. and Europe, spend a lot of time debating whether it's appropriate to use the nomenclature "Global South" to describe developing countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, among other regions. In those regions, it's actually less of an issue where framings like "South-South" are commonplace. The use of the word "South" doesn't seem to be as sensitive an issue as it is for those observers in the "Global North." This week, Jorge Heine, a research professor at Boston University and former Chilean ambassador to South Africa, India and China, joins Eric & Cobus to give a passionate defense of the "Global South" and why he feels it's more important than ever now to embrace the concept. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E9 · Wed, February 21, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China-Indonesia Ties in the New Prabowo Subianto Era
They're still counting the votes in Indonesia after last week's election but it's all but certain that Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto will become the country's next president. While some of the world's major powers like the U.S. and India are holding back their official congratulations, the Chinese weren't so reserved. Ambassador Lu Kang went to Prabowo's private residence on Sunday and was photographed playing with the likely-president's cat Bobby -- a clear signal Beijing is keen to build a close relationship with the new administration in Jakarta. CGSP's Southeast Asia Editor Antonia Timmerman joins Eric to discuss the geopolitics now swirling over the archipelago and what's ahead for China-Indonesia ties in the Prabowo era. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @folasoule Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @ SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E8 · Fri, February 16, 2024
Africa's Digital Sovereignty in the Era of U.S.-China Great Power Competition
In the increasingly acrimonious competition between the U.S. and China over technology standards, it's often assumed that smaller countries in places like Africa lack the necessary agency to determine their digital destinies. In some instances, that is, in fact, true, given that technology is developing much faster than most governments, particularly those with weak state capacity, can regulate. But it's also starting to change as a new generation of young thought leaders is laying out a bold vision for how African countries can more effectively assert digital sovereignty. Folashadé Soulé, a senior researcher at the Global Economic Governance program at Oxford University and a leading Africa-China scholar, led a pioneering research project that explored Africa's digital partnerships in the context of the burgeoning U.S.-China rivalry . She joins Eric & Cobus from Accra to discuss the project's key findings. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @folasoule Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E7 · Fri, February 09, 2024
Africa's Debt Dilemma: The Urgent Need for More Equitable Borrowing
For the first time in years, a few African countries are venturing back into the bond market to raise funds for infrastructure and to pay down their debts. However, borrowing more from private creditors is a risky move given the difficulties that many African governments, namely Zambia, have encountered in restructuring their existing debt portfolios. And if Zambia's experience is anything to go by, it's taught us that whatever global financial safety net was in place to help countries in distress was wholly inadequate to meet the challenge. William Kring, executive director of Boston University's Global Development Policy Center, and Marina Zucker-Marques, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of London's Centre for Sustainable Finance, recently published a new article that explored the inability of the current financial system to protect the poorest, most vulnerable states. William and Marina join Eric & Cobus to discuss the situation in Africa and China's role, in particular, as one of the continent's largest and most important creditors. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E6 · Thu, February 01, 2024
WEEK IN REVIEW: Kenya to Overhaul China Policy & Chinese Infrastructure in the DRC
Kenya has a new envoy to China, Willy Bett, who formally presented his credentials to President Xi Jinping this week. Among Ambassador Bett's first tasks will be to follow up on Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi's promise to craft a new China policy. Mudavadi, who just returned from a three-day trip to Beijing, said a policy refresh is long overdue. Eric, Geraud and Cobus discuss the key issues that will influence that process. Plus, Geraud provides a detailed breakdown of DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi's recent announcement that he finalized a deal with a major Chinese mining joint venture to secure $7 billion of infrastructure financing. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E5 · Wed, January 31, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's New Investment Priorities In Latin America And The Caribbean
For much of the past year, there's been a lot of talk about China's new leaner, more focused Belt and Road Initiative that goes by the mantra "Smart and Beautiful." The problem is very few people actually know what it looks like in practice. But that's starting to change, particularly in regions like Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) where two seemingly contradictory investment trends are taking place: overall Chinese FDI in the region is down but in key areas, so-called "new infrastructure," Chinese investments in LAC countries have been going up. Margaret Myers, director of the Asia and Latin America Program at the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington co-authored a new report on China's evolving investment priorities in the Americas and joins Eric to discuss why Chinese FDI today looks very different than it even just a few years ago. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @myersmargaret Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E4 · Thu, January 25, 2024
Noo Saro-Wiwa on "Black Ghosts" in China and the Complex Lives of the African Diaspora
Author Noo Saro-Wiwa had not spent much time in China when she heard that cities like Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Yiwu, among others, were home to large, vibrant African migrant communities. But other than some of the headlines about the diaspora population that appeared during the COVID pandemic, she didn't know much about this faraway population. So, she set out on a three-month odyssey through China to meet the traders and other African merchants who make up the bulk of this community to find out more about their lives and what it's like for them to live in Chinese society. She tells the story in a fascinating new book " Black Ghosts: A Journey Into the Lives of Africans in China " and joins Eric & Geraud from London to discuss the adventure she had in writing the story. BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON : https://a.co/d/cemngH9 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @Eric Olander | @christiangeraud | @noosarowiwa Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @Akhbar
S15 E3 · Mon, January 22, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Why Vietnam is Not "In Play" in the U.S.-China Rivalry
There was a lot of speculation in the U.S. last year that an upgrade of diplomatic ties with Vietnam would prompt Hanoi to be more aligned with Washington in its rivalry with China. While Vietnam did embark on a flurry of diplomatic upgrades with China's rivals in Japan, South Korea and the United States, among others, China nonetheless remains the Southeast Asian country's primary foreign policy priority. And that's never going to change regardless of what the U.S. and others offer Hanoi, according to Khang Vu, a doctoral candidate in Vietnamese foreign policy at Boston College. Khang joins Eric to explain why a combination of geography and history requires the Vietnamese to always put China at the center of their international strategy. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @khangxvu Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E2 · Thu, January 18, 2024
Chinese Weapons Are Becoming Increasingly Popular in Africa
Militaries across Africa are increasingly turning to China to source advanced weapons systems that were long unavailable from Western suppliers. Sophisticated Chinese-made drones, missile systems, and cyber-warfare technologies, among others, are now commonplace on African battlefields. Ekene Lionel, director of the defense news website Military.Africa joins Eric, Cobus, and Geraud to explain why Chinese weapons have become so popular with African militaries. Plus, the guys also discuss Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s four-nation tour that wrapped up this week. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque| @Eric Olander | @christiangeraud | @militaryafrica Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalso
S15 E2 · Wed, January 17, 2024
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Guarding West Africa's Forests: Exploring Ways to Put an End to Illegal Chinese Timber Trade
Together, the United States and China import $40 billion worth of timber products each year, quite a bit of which is harvested illegally from West Africa's rapidly shrinking forests. But cracking down on this illicit trade is extremely difficult given that many of the region's governments are actively complicit. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), an NGO based in the U.S. and UK, recently traced how Chinese merchants trafficked rosewood timber from the forests Equatorial Guinea back to China and eventually all the way to store shelves at Home Depot in the United States. Last year, EIA published their findings in a damning investigative report. Ma Haibing, an Asia policy specialist at EIA, was part of the team that worked on that report. He joins Eric & Cobus from Washington, D.C. to discuss the key findings and what he recommends can be done to crack down on this destructive trade. SHOW NOTES: EIA : The Dictator’s Door -- From Crimes in Equatorial Guinea's Forests to Home Depot's Customers: https://bit.ly/3O4McDg The Hill : To halt global deforestation, start with the Home Depot by Raphael Edou: https://bit.ly/3HrCmYc JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque| @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
S15 E1 · Thu, January 11, 2024
China-Africa Relations in 2024: Insights From Six Experts
China's engagement in Africa is at a critical inflection point where many of the various stakeholders in this important relationship are re-evaluating what they want from the other. In this special episode, we speak with six prominent experts from Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States who provide their forecasts for how this vital geopolitical relationship is going to evolve in 2024: Tarela Moses , Data Analyst and Database Manager at the Global China Initiative at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center: @tarelamoses Amit Jain , Director NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies at Nanyang Business School in Singapore Lukas Fiala , Head of China Foresight at LSE IDEAS: @lukasdkfiala Emmanuel Matambo , Research Director at the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Africa-China Studies: @ekmatambo Tim Zajontz, Lecturer in international relations at the University of Freiburg in Germany and a research fellow at the Center for International and Comparative Politics at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town: @tzajontz Tobi Oshodi , political science instructor at Lagos State University in Nigeria: @tobioshodi JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque| @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
Thu, December 21, 2023
The Africa-China 2023 Year in Review
2023 was a transformative year for China’s ties with Africa. Chinese investment, trade, and diplomatic engagement were either flat or declined sharply over the past year, highlighting how this once-vibrant relationship is now entering a new, more austere period. In our annual year-in-review episode, Geraud, Cobus, and Eric look back at the stories and trends of the past 12 months and provide their forecast of what to expect in 2024. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth
Fri, December 15, 2023
WEEK IN REVIEW: Ethiopia Debt Update | China @COP28 | Chinese Energy Projects in Africa
Ethiopia is the latest African country that is now teetering on the verge of default after the government announced this week that it would not be able to make a $33 million bond payment. Eric speaks with Mark Bohlund, a senior research credit analyst at REDD Intelligence, for his take on the situation and the larger debt landscape across the continent. Plus, Cobus and Geraud break down China's position at the COP28 that wrapped up this week and what impact it will have on Beijing's engagement in the African energy sector. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud | @ markbohlund Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, December 08, 2023
Chinese 'Illegal Mining Queen' Jailed in Ghana
Aisha Huang -- a Chinese national with the notorious nickname "Galamsey Queen" -- is now sitting in a Ghanaian prison cell after she was sentenced this week by the High Court in Accra for running a massive illegal mining operation. The verdict dominated the media this week in Ghana but rather than focus on Huang and her offenses, commentators directed their ire towards wealthy landowners and the government who they feel enable people like Huang and other illegal miners to destroy the environment. Francis Xavier Tuokuu is a Ghanaian scholar who has done extensive research on illegal mining in West Afric and joins Eric & Cobus to explain why so many people in Ghana were disappointed in the court's verdict and why Huang should spend more time behind bars. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, December 01, 2023
A Primer on China's Role in the Worsening Zambian Debt Crisis
Zambia's debt restructuring deal that was hailed earlier this year as a "landmark" breakthrough for developing countries is now in shambles. Talks broke down a couple of weeks ago when bilateral creditors led by China and France objected to the terms that bondholders were negotiating with Lusaka on the grounds that private creditors were getting more out of the deal. Now, three years into this process, Zambia is once again stuck in limbo as rival creditors feud over who will get paid first and how much. Rachel Savage, Africa senior markets correspondent at Reuters, has been covering the story on a near-daily basis and joins Eric & Geraud to explain why the deal collapsed and what happens next. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @ christiangeraud | @eric_olander | @rachelmsavage Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, November 24, 2023
WEEK IN REVIEW: Zambia Debt | Lula's China Diss | China-Africa Journalism
Zambia suffered a major setback this week in its nearly three-year odyssey to restructure $32 billion of debt when the country's bilateral creditors led by China and France pushed back against bondholders. Plus, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a rare diss against China in a commencement speech for new diplomats when he said he tried to avoid Africa being "taken hostage" by China. Eric, Cobus, and Geraud discuss those issues and are also joined by Bongiwe Tutu, project coordinator at the Africa-China Reporting Project at Wits University, to discuss a series of fascinating journalism conferences that took place this week in Johannesburg. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud | @witschinaafrica Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, November 21, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Response to the Israel-Hamas War
Prior to the October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas in southern Israel, China had positioned itself as a new power broker in the Middle East. Chinese officials were brimming with confidence after they finalized a détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia earlier this year, hinting they could do the same in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But in the wake of a full-scale war that's now underway, those same Chinese officials are much more circumspect. In this week's episode, CGSP Middle East Editor Jony Essa and Eric speak with three of the world's leading China-Mideast scholars to discuss China's response to the war between Israel and Hamas. First, Gedaliah Afterman, head of the Asia Policy Program at the Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy at the Interdisciplinary Center in Israel, and Jonathan Fulton, associate professor of political science at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, discuss how the war has impacted China's foreign policy towards Israel and Persian Gulf countries. Then, Bill Figueroa, one of the world's foremost experts on China-Iran relations at the University of Groningen, joins the conversation to talk about whether Beijing can leverage its influence with Iran to sway Hamas. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy
Thu, November 16, 2023
Africa is at the Center of U.S.-China Competition for Critical Resources
U.S. lawmakers met this week to discuss how to combat the use of child labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's cobalt mining sector which they claim is largely controlled by Chinese mining companies. The issue is part of a larger debate over what the U.S. needs to do to better compete with the Chinese around the world to secure the critical resources that will power next-generation mobility and technology. The timing of this week's hearings on Capitol Hill coincides with the release of a new report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) about how African countries can become more engaged in the U.S. clean energy supply chain. The report's authors, Zainab Usman, director of the Africa program at CEIP, and Alex Csnadi, a research assistant in the Carnegie Africa program, join Eric & Geraud from Washington to discuss how they think the U.S. can close the gap with China for access to Africa's critical resources. SHOW NOTES: Read the Carnegie report: How Can African Countries Participate in U.S. Clean Energy Supply Chains?: https://bit.ly/46iXaLN JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @mszeeusman Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobal
Tue, November 14, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Chinese Overseas Investment: Which Countries Will Benefit Most?
Amid a slowing economy at home, more Chinese companies are now looking to invest abroad in search of higher returns. While there's been a lot of hope in recent years that some of that money would find its way to Africa and other less-developed regions, that's not happening. Instead, Chinese companies are investing in countries closer to home in Asia, according to Chim Lee, a China analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit. Chim joins Eric & Cobus from Beijing to discuss the latest trends in Chinese overseas FDI and why Chinese companies are focusing more attention on "de-risking" their investments. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @chimxlee Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, November 10, 2023
What the Past Tells Us About the Future of the BRI
There's a widely-held perception in many parts of the U.S., Europe, and India that debt and geopolitics have led to the demise of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). But a landmark new study from AidData proves otherwise, revealing not only that the BRI is still very much alive but it's also undergone major reforms to make it even more competitive. AidData pored through 21,000 Chinese-backed projects over the past twenty years in 165 countries valued at more than $1.3 trillion. Ammar Malik, a senior research scientist at AidData, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the new report and how China is moving to de-risk the BRI as part of a larger effort to outflank its competitors. SHOW NOTES: Download the full AidData report: Belt and Road Reboot: Beijing’s Bid to De-Risk Its Global Infrastructure Initiative -- https://bit.ly/47i0tUm JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @malikammar Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel= "noop
Tue, November 07, 2023
Chinese Infrastructure Projects in Africa Don't Meet ESG Standards
Two years ago, China introduced a series of new so-called " green guidelines " that it hoped would promote more sustainable development abroad. But in Africa, according to a new research report, it appears those higher environmental, social, and governance (ESG) have been difficult to meet. Researchers from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center, the Fudan University Green Finance and Development Center, the South African Institute of International Affairs, and LSE IDEAS teamed up to examine ESG standards at five Chinese-funded infrastructure projects in Egypt, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. Two of the scholars on that team, Cecilia Han Springer and Christoph Nedopil, join Cobus (who also contributed to the research) to discuss their findings and explain why Chinese companies continue to struggle to meet minimum ESG standards in Africa. SHOW NOTES: Read the full report: Elevating ESG: Empirical Lessons on Environmental, Social and Governance Implementation of Chinese Projects in Africa: https://bit.ly/46ZHL4d JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @nedopil | @han_cecilia Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to
Wed, November 01, 2023
New Documentary Humanizes the China-Africa Relationship
Eat Bitter is a new documentary making the rounds of the international film festival circuit that tells the story of two men, one from China and the other from the Central African Republic (CAR), who work on opposite ends of the construction business in the CAR. The film is generating considerable buzz for the way it humanizes the main characters, providing long-overdue relief from the caricatures that typically frame the China-Africa relationship. Ningyi Sun, one of Eat Bitter's co-directors, and producer Mathieu Faure join Eric & Geraud to provide a behind-the-scenes perspective on how they conceptualized the documentary and what they're going to do to get it seen by a large, global audience. SHOW NOTES: Find out if Eat Bitter is playing at a theater near you: https://www.eat-bitter.com/ JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target= "
Thu, October 26, 2023
Assessing the Impact of Chinese Media Influence in Africa
China's media presence in Africa is far more pervasive today than it was a decade ago, but not in the conventional way. Very few people consume China's traditional media offerings on the continent but millions, often unaware, engage with Chinese-produced messaging online on a near-daily basis. The Chinese government has become very sophisticated in distributing its content to African news outlets which is then published on websites and social media platforms. Beijing also does extensive media outreach across Africa, providing journalists with training, equipment, and complementary trips to China. Dani Madrid-Morales, a journalism lecturer at the University of Sheffield, has been tracking Chinese media engagement in Africa for more than ten years and joins Eric & Cobus to provide an update on the latest trends. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @dmadrid_m Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, October 20, 2023
Africa's Strong Presence at China's Belt & Road Forum
Five of the 24 heads of state who attended this week's Belt and Road Forum in Beijing were from African countries, highlighting the prominent role the continent played at the event. Many of the themes that emerged from the two-day forum align neatly with key African priorities related to new development finance and greater access to the Chinese market. Join Geraud, Cobus, and Eric for a lively discussion on the key takeaways from this year's forum and whether African countries really do stand to benefit from the next iteration of the Belt and Road Initiative. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, October 12, 2023
Zimbabwe's Elite Share Their Views on China: What a New Survey Reveals
Across Africa, public opinion about China has been quite positive overall with favorability ratings surpassing those of other major powers, including the United States. But not in Zimbabwe, at least among the country's elites, according to a new survey. Only 37% of urban, educated Zimbabweans felt positive about China's impact on their country, significantly lower than the 63% favorability score that Afrobarometer recorded just a couple of years ago. The new poll was conducted earlier this year by William Hautungimana and Haruka Nagao, both assistant professors at Oklahoma State University in the United States. William joins Eric & Cobus from Stillwater, Oklahoma to explain why China's approval rating is comparatively low and what's fueling the skepticism about the Chinese in Zimbabwe. SHOW NOTES: The Conversation: We asked 1,000 Zimbabweans what they think of China’s influence on their country − only 37% viewed it favorably: https://bit.ly/3rN8iCo JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @williamhautung1 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <
Tue, October 10, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Michael Pettis Explains How China's Changing Economy Will Impact the World
China's economy emerged from the pandemic much weaker than before. Unemployment is up, exports are down and a burgeoning property crisis is having a devastating impact on local government finances. These changes in the economy are happening very fast, so quickly that's it difficult for experts to keep pace with what's happening, much less among those who don't closely follow Chinese economic trends -- particularly in developing countries. Michael Pettis, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is one of the world's foremost scholars on the Chinese economy. He joins Eric this week to discuss how the dramatic changes that are now taking place in China will impact countries throughout the Global South. SHOW NOTES: Amazon : Trade Wars Are Class Wars: How Rising Inequality Distorts the Global Economy and Threatens International Peace: https://amzn.to/46Iiqel JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @michaelxpettis Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, October 06, 2023
What's It Like to Study China-Africa Relations at Harvard University?
Only a handful of universities around the world teach area studies courses in China-Africa relations. It's a field that was once quite popular but less so today as interest in studying Chinese affairs more broadly has fallen precipitously. Student enrollment, for example, in Chinese language classes in U.S. and European universities has plunged by at least 20% over the past ten years and is still largely non-existent in most higher education programs in the Global South. But if you're one of the fortunate few to attend Harvard University, you can still study Mandarin and sign up for the class "China and the African Continent." The course instructor, Daniel Koss, an associate senior lecturer and research scholar in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, joins Eric & Cobus from Cambridge to discuss the key themes that he's covering in this semester's class. SHOW NOTES: " EASTD 199: China and the African Continent " course cover art: https://bit.ly/46G4UrR Google Scholar : Daniel Koss: https://bit.ly/46zNgG3 Africans on China : africansonchina.com JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @kossdaniel Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of coo
Fri, September 29, 2023
Africa at the Intersection of Three Megatrends: China, Climate and Debt
Dramatic scenes this week in Italy where 7,000 people, mostly from Africa, came ashore after making the dangerous trek across the Mediterranean. It was a similar situation along the U.S.-Mexico border where 9,000 people crossed in a single day. Poverty, in many cases, is fueling this latest migration surge due in part to the worsening economic conditions in many of these countries, particularly in Africa which is now the epicenter of twin climate and debt crises. David McNair, executive director of Global Policy at the UK-based One Campaign, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss his latest research on African debt repayments and how stark inequities make it impossible for many of the world's poorest governments to do anything to mitigate the effects of climate change. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Sign up to receive the One.org Aftershocks weekly newsletter: data.one.org/aftershocks/ X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @david_mcnair Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-no
Tue, September 26, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] How China's Economic Slowdown Impacts Developing Countries
The Chinese economy is in trouble. Exports, manufacturing output, and investment are all down. Unemployment, particularly among young people is up. Provincial debt is now at a record $8 trillion while a burgeoning property crisis has eliminated a once reliable source of revenue for local governments. The financial difficulties that China is now experiencing have direct implications on dozens, if not hundreds of developing countries around the world that have come to rely on Chinese demand to bolster their own economies. Lizzi Li, an economist and reporter at the Chinese language television network Wall Street TV, joins Eric & Cobus from New York to discuss what's behind the economic slowdown in China and why it's critical that policymakers and other stakeholders in the Global South learn quickly how to adapt to the new economic realities that are taking shape. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @wstv_lizzi Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-inf
Thu, September 21, 2023
Chinese Lending to Africa Plunges to 20-Year Low
Chinese lending to African countries plunged to below a billion dollars in 2022, the lowest level in two decades, according to new data from the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University. The findings confirm that the era of Beijing financing large-scale infrastructure projects on the continent is now officially over. Instead, Chinese creditors are focusing on smaller, more sustainable initiatives in green energy and telecommunications, among others. But this new, austere engagement strategy is going to fundamentally change China's relationship with the continent that, in many ways, was buttressed by once-generous loans. Oyintarelado (Tarela) Moses, data analyst/database manager at the BU Global Development Policy Center, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the new lending figures and explain what's behind the downturn. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @tarelamoses LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oyintarelado-tarela-moses-05998968/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr
Mon, September 18, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] The Downward Spiral of China-India Relations
There was a glimmer of hope last month that China and India would pull back from their increasingly contentious standoff when military commanders concluded talks along their disputed border on a somewhat optimistic note. The hope was that these talks would pave the way for leaders from both countries to meet while they were together at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did meet briefly in South Africa but it did nothing to stall the downward spiral in relations between the two Asian powers. Ananth Krishnan, an associate editor at The Hindu newspaper in New Delhi and one of the foremost experts on Sino-Indian relations, joins Eric & Cobus to explain why ties have soured so badly and what to expect going forward. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @ananthkrishnan Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, September 15, 2023
WEEK IN REVIEW: AU in G20 and the New "Chinese Savior" Narrative in Africa
The Chinese Foreign Ministry was among the first major governments this week to welcome the African Union as the newest member of the G20. The big question now is what will the AU do now that it has a seat at the table? Plus, Kenya's already dire economic situation gets worse and a new big-budget Chinese medical drama set in a fictitious African country released this week on major Chinese streaming platforms, the latest installment in the burgeoning genre of "Chinese savior" narratives. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-jain-consultant Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new China-Africa Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, September 12, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] BRI @ 10: Lessons From Cambodia About Chinese Investment
China's Belt and Road Initiative marked its 10th anniversary this month, prompting a lot of discussion about what's next for Beijing's controversial development agenda. While BRI spending in Africa and the Americas has plummeted in recent years that is not the case closer to home in Southeast Asia. Cambodia, in particular, stands apart from other countries in terms of its growing dependence on Chinese economic engagement -- both from government-backed BRI projects and private investors who have transformed major cities like Sihanoukville (not always for the better). Wang Yuan, an assistant professor at Duke Kunshan University, and Linda Calabrese, a research fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, published a paper last month that examined China's hugely important economic presence in Cambodia and join Eric & Cobus to discuss what lessons other developing countries can learn from Phnom Penh's experience. SHOW NOTES: World Development : Chinese capital, regulatory strength and the BRI: A tale of ‘fractured development’ in Cambodia: https://bit.ly/3PlXqTU JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @lindacalab Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel= "noopener no
Thu, September 07, 2023
Why Boosting Africa-Southeast Asian Trade & Investment Makes So Much Sense
There's been a surge of activity in Africa-ASEAN relations in recent weeks highlighted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo's recent African tour and the Singapore-Africa Business Forum that took place earlier this month in the Lion City. Closer trade and investment ties make sense for both regions as the traditional engines of economic growth in China and Europe continue to slow. Amit Jain, director of the Centre for African Studies at Nanyang Technological University, joins Eric & Cobus from Singapore to discuss the growing interest in Africa among Southeast Asian investors and why they've been so reluctant until now to get more engaged. Plus, in their postscript, Eric & Cobus discuss this week's Africa Climate Summit and why it turned out to be yet another disappointing climate conference. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-jain-consultant Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new China-Africa Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-inf
Fri, September 01, 2023
China's Indispensable Role in Africa's Railway Renaissance
Over the past 20 years, tens of thousands of kilometers of new railway lines have been built across Africa - much of it constructed and financed by China. But the days when Beijing paid big bucks to build these kinds of large-scale infrastructure projects in Africa have come to an end. Today, China's development priorities on the continent are focused more on fostering industrialization and building smaller, greener projects mostly in the energy and telecommunications sectors. But even without the Chinese, a number of African governments are moving forward with ambitious plans to build vast regional rail networks. Tim Zajontz, a lecturer in international relations at the University of Dresden, and Mandira Bagwandeen, a senior researcher at the University of Cape Town, join Eric & Cobus to discuss their new book on Africa's railway renaissance and China's indispensable role. SHOW NOTES: Amazon: Africa’s Railway Renaissance: The Role and Impact of China by Tim Zajontz , Pádraig Carmody , Mandira Bagwandeen , Anthony Leysens : https://amzn.to/45z0McL The China-Global South Project: An Unforgettable Journey on East Africa’s Chinese-Built Railways, Old and New by Zhang Haotian: https://bit.ly/3YBRESd JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @ tzajontz LinkedIn: Tim Zajontz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-zajontz-phd-a27749121/ Mandira Bagwandeen:
Tue, August 29, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China and the Politics of Global Climate Diplomacy
The failure of G20 countries last month to agree on a plan to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 highlights a key problem in the ongoing debate over how to respond to climate change: the institutions that are designed to help solve this problem are failing. It's not clear what China's role was in that debate at the G20 but elsewhere Beijing's actions on combatting climate change are somewhat contradictory. While China is by far the world's leader in renewable energy and green transportation, it's also the world's largest polluter, thanks in part to its reliance on coal power. This week, Byron Tsang, a London-based senior policy advisor at the independent climate change think tank E3G, and Madhura Joshi, a senior research associate for E3G in Mumbai, join Eric & Cobus to discuss the current state of global climate diplomacy. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @madhurajoshi23 | @byfordt LinkedIn : Byford Tsang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byfordtsang Madhura Zoshi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhura-joshi-b1b9a622 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podc
Fri, August 25, 2023
Africa's Prominent Role in the New "BRICS6"
The once lifeless BRICS bloc got a big boost of energy this week with the addition of six new members including two additional African states from Egypt and Ethiopia. Together, African countries will now account for nearly a third of the 11-member group -- far more than any other international multilateral organization. The announcement to enlarge the bloc came at the end of a high-profile three-day leaders summit in Johannesburg. Adhere Cavince, a Nairobi-based China-Africa researcher, spent much of the week in Johannesburg attending events on the sidelines of the summit and joins Eric & Geraud to discuss what a new beefed-up BRICS means for Africa and the Global South more broadly. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @christiangeraud | @eric_olander | @cavinceworld LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/adhere-cavince-9039831a Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel= "
Tue, August 22, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's New, Slimmed-Down Belt & Road Initiative
China's critics contend the Belt and Road Initiative is dead or dying due to a mix of gross mismanagement and hubris. The data, however, reveals a very different story. While lending has definitely decreased considerably from its peak in 2016, the BRI is very much alive -- it just looks very different today than it did even a few years ago. Instead of expensive large-scale infrastructure projects in Africa, the Americas, and Asia, Chinese lenders are now focusing more on smaller initiatives related to technology, renewable energy, and connectivity. In fact, Chinese creditors lent more money to finance green energy initiatives in the first half of the year than in any other 6-month period since the BRI launched a decade ago. Christoph Nedopil, founding director of the Green Finance and Development Center at Fudan University has been closely tracking the evolution of the BRI and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what the latest data on BRI lending reveals about its future. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @nedopil LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/nedopil Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject</
Fri, August 18, 2023
BRICS Summit Preview
The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed President Xi Jinping will travel to South Africa to attend the upcoming BRICS summit, the first time he'll visit Africa since 2018. Xi will be joined by three other of the group's leaders along with Russian President Vladimir Putin who will attend remotely. The two main priorities at this year's gathering will be expanding the bloc's membership to include any of the two dozen countries that have applied to join and the creation of a new BRICS currency as an alternative to the U.S. dollar. Emmanuel Matambo, research director at the University of Johannesburg's Africa-China Studies Centre, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the upcoming summit and whether anything substantive will emerge from the discussions. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, August 15, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Pivot to Asia: Why the Near Abroad is Now China's Top Priority
For much of the past 20 years, China sought to radically expand its presence beyond its traditional spheres of influence to new regions in Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East. China lent billions to countries in these regions and devoted considerable diplomatic capital to building political influence there as well. But now, in this new era of Great Power competition with the United States and Europe, China is once again shifting its focus, this time closer to home in Asia. Its so-called "near abroad" is now by far the most consequential region for China both in terms of trade and, increasingly, new security challenges. Raffaello Pantucci, a senior associate fellow at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute and a visiting senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, is one of the world's leading experts on China's relations in Central Asia and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why this region, in particular, is now so important to Beijing. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @raffpantucci | @chinaeurasia Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy P
Fri, August 11, 2023
China's Low-Key Response to the Niger Coup
The Chinese government has been noticeably quiet in response to the turbulent events in Niger where President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed last month in a military coup. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued three pro-forma statements about what happened in Niamey that are very different in both tone and substance to Beijing's response to a similar uprising in Guinea in 2021. CGSP's Francophone Africa Editor Geraud Neema joins Eric to explain why Beijing's reaction to this latest is far more understated and what he thinks is at stake more broadly for Chinese interests in West Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, August 03, 2023
Nigerians' (Misplaced) Anxiety About Chinese Debt
For years, Nigerian politicians and media reports have issued breathless warnings about the dangers of becoming too indebted to China, fearing the dreaded "debt trap" and the risk of surrendering the country's strategic assets. While the economic risks associated with taking on too much debt are indeed relevant in Nigeria today where the government now owes creditors more than $100 billion, China, though, is not the problem. Chinese loans, in fact, account for just around 4% of total public debt. So what's behind the Nigerian anxiety over Chinese loans? Zuhumnan Dapel, an economist and non-resident senior fellow at the University of St. Andrews' Nigerian Economic Summit Group, joins Eric & Cobus to explain what's driving this narrative and how it fits within the larger Nigerian debt debate. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @dapelzg Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, August 01, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Is China Setting the Agenda for Global South Debt Restructuring?
In June, Zambia reached what's been described as a landmark debt restructuring deal that for the first time brought together the country's bilateral creditors including China, traditional Paris Club lenders and bondholders. While the deal is no doubt unprecedented, it also reveals that China was very effective in successful in getting the parties to agree to many of its demands. Matt Mingey, a senior analyst at the consultancy Rhodium Group, is among the world's foremost experts on Chinese lending and debt issues. He joins Eric & Cobus from Washington, D.C. to discuss whether China is, in fact, setting the agenda for debt restructurings in the Global South. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @mattmingey Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, July 27, 2023
What a Railway in Kenya Reveals About How China Builds Things in Africa
The Kenyan government's controversial decision to end certain subsidies and raise taxes sparked days of violent protests in Nairobi. While the move sparked a massive backlash, President William Ruto nonetheless clearly felt he had no other choice if he wanted to avoid defaulting on the country's ballooning national debt. A sizable portion of that debt, around 10%, is owed to Chinese creditors for the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), Kenya's largest-ever infrastructure project. Now, a series of documentaries and research initiatives are revealing the complex politics behind this massive infrastructure and that Kenyan stakeholders had much more agency in the negotiations with China than many presumed. Soundbites to African Uncensored - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8SSOIb3zzK8e9e9rLPEe-UQxv_IZep_K JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @huangzhengli | @gediminasle Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a
Thu, July 20, 2023
China's Tactics and Methods to Influence African Media
Confucius Institutes (CIs) were once known only for teaching Mandarin language and culture classes but the organization's mission has evolved recently to now include "training" sessions for African journalists on how to cover China. CIs are now part of a robust Chinese toolkit that Beijing uses to try and frame media narratives in Africa on certain international issues related to human rights, sovereignty, and its escalating feud with the United States among others. Emeka Umejei is a longtime scholar of Chinese media engagement in Africa who previously taught at Wits University in South Africa, the American University of Nigeria, and is now with the Centre for Analysis for Authoritarian Influence in Africa. He joins Eric & Cobus from Johannesburg to discuss the latest trends in China's efforts to influence African media. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @emekaumejei Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c
Thu, July 13, 2023
Mapping the Chinese Cobalt Supply Chain in the DR Congo
The China-Global South Project is proud to announce the first-ever mapping of the Chinese cobalt supply chain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. CGSP launched a new interactive map this week that includes a full breakdown of mining data by Chinese and other firms, an overview of the main logistics routes, and five years of export data that details precisely where the cobalt goes when it leaves Africa. CGSP Francophone Editor Geraud Neema led this pioneering research initiative that took nine months to compile. Geraud joins Eric & Cobus to share the key findings from the data that reveal China's vast and complicated role in the race to control what is now one of the world's most important resources. SHOW NOTES: User Guide : Interactive Map of Copper & Cobalt Production in the DR Congo: www.chinaglobalsouth.com/cobalt View the Data: www.chinaglobalsouth.com/cobaltmap JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchinaafricaproject&token=12aabd-1-1634272031172" rel="noopener
Tue, July 11, 2023
Bases, Training and Weapon Sales: Latest Trends in China-Africa Military Ties
Three Chinese warships made ports of call in Ghana and Nigeria this month, prompting a new wave of speculation about Beijing's military ambitions in Africa. The PLA Navy visit followed reports that Chinese miners in the Central African Republic were rescued by a group of Russian mercenaries which also triggered questions as to whether the controversial Wagner Group is now working more closely with Chinese entities on the continent. All of this is set against a backdrop of increasingly close military-to-military ties between the PLA and their counterparts in Africa. Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C., is among the foremost experts on Chinese military engagement on the continent. He joins Eric & Cobus to discuss his latest research on the increasingly close ties between Chinese and African militaries for training and education which are also closely linked to increased Chinese weapons sales. SHOW NOTES: U.S. Institute of Peace : Chinese Professional Military Education for Africa: Key Influence and Strategy by Paul Nantulya: https://bit.ly/44hIts7 Africa Center for Strategic Studies : China’s Policing Models Make Inroads in Africa by Paul Nantulya JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @pnantulya Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PA
Thu, June 29, 2023
WEEK IN REVIEW: China and Zambia's Landmark Debt Deal
After nearly two years of painful, drawn-out negotiations, Zambia finally closed a deal to restructure its bilateral external debt. The announcement was made last week at a global development finance summit in Paris and the new agreement is widely seen as a landmark deal since for the first time it brought together traditional lenders, private sector lenders along with new creditors like China, India, and Saudi Arabia. The terms of the deal though are also groundbreaking and, in many ways, look a lot like China's restructurings in other developing countries. Geraud, Cobus, and Eric this week dive into the details of the deal and discuss whether China did, in fact, set the agenda here or if Beijing was merely one among many actors that worked collaboratively to reach a consensus. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, June 27, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] A Primer on the Escalating Tensions in the South China Sea
The South China Sea is one of the world's most strategically vital maritime zones where more than $5 trillion of trade passes through each year -- a whopping 60% of the globe's total maritime commerce. It's also the epicenter of an increasingly contentious geopolitical dispute among more than half a dozen countries over territorial boundaries and who ultimately controls this enormous body of water. Chinese sovereignty claims over the whole of the South China Sea have provoked furious responses from its regional neighbors and sparked a dangerous duel with the U.S. and other major navies over continued freedom of navigation through the area. Ray Powell, a former U.S. Air Force colonel, tracks the maneuvers of ships and other vessels operating in the South China Sea on a daily basis as the team lead for Stanford University's Project Myoushu. Ray joins Eric & Cobus from Palo Alto to break down the different territorial claims and why this burgeoning maritime conflict is so incredibly important. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @gordianknotray Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel= "noopener noreferrer" tar
Sat, June 24, 2023
WEEK IN REVIEW: China's New Green Energy Diplomacy in Africa
Over the past six months, there's been a noticeable increase in the number of green energy deals announced by Chinese private and state-owned enterprises in Africa. But unlike the earlier era of Chinese-financed infrastructure development in Africa, this new push into renewable energy is much smaller in scale and far more targeted. This week, Geraud and Cobus join Eric to discuss what's behind the recent surge in green energy initiatives across the continent and how renewable power projects are emerging as a new form of Chinese soft power in Africa -- a new "green diplomacy" agenda. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, June 22, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Fanciful Dream to Play Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaker
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wrapped up a visit to Beijing last week where he heard lofty promises from Chinese officials about their desire to mediate a settlement with Israel. While the visit made for some good headlines, the chances of China jump-starting the stalled peace process are close to zero. Tuvia Gering, a leading China watcher in Israel and a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Jerusalem, and Jony Essa, CGSP's Arabic Editor, join Eric and Cobus to discuss the key takeaways from the Abbas visit and explain why China is not well-positioned to broker a settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. SHOW NOTES: Sign up for Tuvia Gering's Discourse Power newsletter: https://discoursepower.substack.com JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @geringtuvia Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-s
Bonus · Thu, June 15, 2023
A Conversation With Judd Devermont, One of the Chief Architects of U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa
Since the end of the Cold War in the early 90s, Africa has largely been an afterthought in Washington where it was never regarded as a top-tier priority. That changed last year when the Biden administration launched a new foreign policy for the continent and declared that it was "all in" in boosting ties with African countries. A key part of that strategy was also to reduce the intense focus on confronting China and instead focus more attention on bolstering U.S. economic engagement. Judd Devermont, a special assistant to the president and the senior director for African affairs on the National Security Council, was one of the chief architects of that new strategy and joins Eric & Cobus from Washington to discuss Africa, China, and of U.S. foreign policy in the region. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @jdevermont Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, June 01, 2023
African Demand for Chinese Surveillance Technology
While many countries around the world, particularly G7 states, have largely outlawed the use of Chinese surveillance technology made by companies like Huawei, ZTE, and Hikvision among others, that is not the case in Africa. Dozens of governments across the continent have installed so-called "Smart City" initiatives that use networked camera systems, including some powered by AI. While there are concerns among some civil society groups that Chinese-made surveillance technology will be misused by authoritarian governments, those concerns are often overshadowed by the need for improved security, traffic management, and other benefits promised by Smart City manufacturers. Bulelani Jili, a research fellow at Harvard University and one of the foremost scholars on the use of Chinese technology in Africa, contends that too often in the debate over the deployment of surveillance tech, in particular, outsiders tend to focus more on the supplier rather than the customer. Bulelani joins Eric and Cobus to discuss his latest research on the topic. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @jilibulelani | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patre
Fri, May 26, 2023
[WEEK IN REVIEW] Chinese Hacking in Kenya & DRC President Goes to Beijing
This week CGSP Francophone Editor Geraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus to discuss DR Congo President Félix Tshiskedi's state visit to China which comes at a critical time for the Congolese leader. Tshisekedi is going to pressure his Chinese hosts to renegotiate two massive mining deals but Geraud explains why time may be the president's biggest problem. Also, Eric & Cobus discuss the latest allegations of Chinese cyber espionage in Africa, this time in Kenya. Reuters reported this week that for the past three years, Chinese hackers penetrated networks in eight Kenyan ministries with the intent to monitor the East African country's debt situation. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @timmerman91 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, May 25, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Key Lessons From Indonesia's China-Backed Mining & Infrastructure Ventures
Indonesia is a pioneer among developing countries for its efforts in moving up the EV battery metal value chain. Whereas most other countries like the DR Congo and Chile export raw commodities that are processed elsewhere, Indonesia now requires all of the nickel mined in the country to be processed locally. But just as in the DRC where the Chinese dominate the cobalt mining sector, a similar dynamic is now playing out in Indonesia. CGSP's Southeast Asia Antonia Timmerman joins Eric & Cobus from Jakarta to talk about China's controversial role in the Indonesian mining business plus how a new Chinese-backed high-speed railway is generating more concern than excitement. SHOW NOTES: Rest of World : The dirty road to clean energy: How China’s electric vehicle boom is ravaging the environment by Antonia Timmerman: https://bit.ly/3OGPP3k The China-Global South Project : Why Many Indonesians Think Jokowi Fumbled Chinese High-Speed Rail Diplomacy, Even As It Nears Completion by Antonia Timmerman: https://bit.ly/45vx5K1 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @timmerman91 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://
Fri, May 19, 2023
South-South Cooperation in Economically Perilous Times
For 70+ years, development economists have been touting the idea that if lesser developed countries trade and invest collaboratively, it would serve as a pathway out of poverty. But today, the notion of so-called South-South cooperation is facing unprecedented challenges as developing countries confront a series of converging economic, health, and geopolitical crises. But two economists at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) contend that at the dawn of another Great Power rivalry and massive economic uncertainty, Global South countries working together is now more important than ever. Richard Kozul-Wright, director of UNCTAD's globalization and development strategies division, and Alex Izurieta, head of the South-South cooperation unit at UNCTAD, join Eric & Cobus intra-Global South trade provides a critical safety net for some of the world's poorest countries. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</
Fri, May 12, 2023
Chinese Merchants Are Disrupting Kenya's Business Cartels
In the old days, a small group of Kenyan elites dominated the business of importing low-cost products from China that they would then turn around and sell for two or three times the cost. But that once-lucrative business is now under threat from Chinese merchants who sell the same products at a lower price direct to consumers, cutting out those Kenyan middlemen. That tension boiled over earlier this year in Nairobi when Trade Minister Moses Kuria mobilized street protests against a Chinese merchant that ultimately backfired. But now, Chinese expatriates in the country are complaining they're the targets of a backlash. CGSP China Editor Han Zhen and Nairobi-based Climate Editor Njenga Hakeenah join Eric, Cobus, and Geraud to discuss how Chinese merchants are challenging deeply entrenched local business cartels in Kenya and other African countries. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @hakeenah Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target=
Fri, May 05, 2023
WEEK IN REVIEW: Life & Art Converge With China's Evacuations From Sudan
PLA Navy warships facilitated China's third major evacuation from a war-ravaged MENA country this week when two vessels ferried more than a thousand Chinese and Pakistani nationals to safety. Chinese state media glorified the evacuations using music and language that echoed recent blockbuster movies about the government's heroism in rescuing stranded Chinese nationals from fictional war-torn North African countries. Plus, Eric, Geraud, and Cobus discuss Kenyan President William Ruto's objection to Africa + 1 summits like FOCAC and how China has become a defining issue in the Senate confirmation battle for Stephanie Sullivan to become the next U.S. ambassador to the African Union. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, April 28, 2023
Understanding China's Role in the Developing World Debt Crisis (Part 2)
The widely debunked Chinese debt trap narrative re-surfaced again in Washington, D.C. when the top U.S. military commander for Africa General Michael Langley testified before Congress -- highlighting the urgent need for better information about Chinese lending practices in developing countries. In the second of our two-part series this week examining China's role in the burgeoning Global South debt crisis, Eric & Cobus are joined by Shang-Jin Wei, the N. T. Wang professor of Chinese business and economy at Columbia University, and Ishac Diwan, research director at the Finance Development Lab at the Paris School of Economics to discuss Beijing's position in the ongoing negotiations over debt relief for the world's poorest countries. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @ishacdiwan | @findevlab Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art1
Tue, April 25, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Update on China's Role in the Burgeoning Global South Debt Crisis
There was a lot of excitement earlier this month at the IMF and World Bank's annual gathering in Washington, D.C. about rumors that the impasse between China and multilateral development banks (MDBs) had been resolved. That stalemate between the Chinese and the MDBs, namely the World Bank, has impeded debt restructuring deals in Sri Lanka, Zambia, and now Ghana among other countries. But now, two weeks later, there's still no official confirmation from either China or the MDBs that they've settled their differences. Kevin Gallagher, director of the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University, attended the Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., and joins Eric & Cobus to give an update on the current state of debt relief for some of the world's poorest countries. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @kevinpgallagher | @gdp_center Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube : www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info
Fri, April 21, 2023
Bright Simons on Africa in the Era of Great Power Competition
Many African countries are confronting unprecedented challenges from a convergence of forces far beyond their control. Africans are suffering disproportionately from the effects of climate change, global economic disruption and are being pushed to the middle of yet another Great Power rivalry. The problems facing the continent are big and the solutions need to be even bigger. Ghanaian entrepreneur and public intellectual Bright Simons is applying his extensive background in social science, political economy, and technology to develop new pathways for African policymakers in this uncertain era. Bright joins Eric & Cobus from Accra to discuss his latest thinking on everything from the role of China to artificial intelligence in African development. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @bbsimons Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, April 18, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] U.S.-China Technology Competition in the Global South
The U.S. and China are waging a hard-fought battle today for dominance of global technology standards, particularly in emerging sectors like 5G mobile telecommunications. While China's access to markets in advanced economies is increasingly limited, tech companies like Huawei, ZTE, and Bytedance are rapidly expanding in the Global South. But the U.S. Congress is adamant to try and limit China's expansion in developing markets by effectively telling countries if you want to work with the U.S., then you can't use Chinese tech. John Lee is closely following this unfolding competition from Berlin where he's a director at the technology consulting firm East West Futures. John joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what developing countries need to do to avoid becoming collateral damage in the expanding U.S.-China tech duel. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @J_B_C16 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priv
Fri, April 14, 2023
The Far-Reaching Consequences of China's Demand for African Donkeys
Elephants, rhinos, and lions usually come to mind first in discussions about the China-Africa animal trade, not donkeys. But surging demand for donkey hides used to manufacture a Chinese traditional medicinal product is having a devastating impact on rural populations across Africa that depend on this essential farm animal. In countries like Kenya, illegal poaching and unregulated slaughterhouses have led to a near-50% plunge in the number of donkeys. Lauren Johnston, a consultant senior researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs, joins Cobus to discuss her latest research on the topic and why the illicit China-Africa donkey trade is having a disproportionate impact on women in rural African farming communities. SHOW NOTES: South African Institute of International Affairs : China, Africa, and the Market for Donkeys: Keeping the Cart Behind the Donkey by Lauren Johnston: https://bit.ly/3mykKTW Nikkei Asia : China must tame its donkey trade for Africa's sake by Lauren Johnston: https://s.nikkei.com/408AXg8 The Standard : Donkey population has gone down by 800,000 by Antony Kitonga: https://bit.ly/4162xMA JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @lajohnstondr YouTube: www.youtube.com/chinaafricaproject Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! <
Thu, April 13, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] The Risks and Rewards of China's New Mideast Diplomacy
When China announced in March that it had brokered a landmark agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties, it took a lot of people by surprise. They just didn't see it coming. But now, a month later, it appears that the deal is solid. Just last week, the foreign ministers from both countries reconvened in Beijing to finalize the pact and begin the process of reconciliation. While all of this is very encouraging, William Figueroa, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics and one of the world's foremost Sino-Iran scholars, joins Eric & Cobus to explain why it's still too early to tell if China's new role as the preferred Mideast mediator will succeed. SHOW NOTES: William Figueroa on Academia.edu: https://bit.ly/3odawsn The Diplomat: China and Iran Since the 25-Year Agreement: The Limits of Cooperation by William Figueroa: https://bit.ly/41mfOjN JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @iranchinaguy Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pri
Fri, April 07, 2023
African Leaders Push Back Against Western Media Narratives on China
While Vice President Kamala Harris worked hard to keep the focus on U.S.-Africa relations during her recent tour of the continent, reporters in the traveling press corps kept bringing up China -- much to the chagrin of her hosts in Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia. But unlike previous high-level U.S. visits where African leaders politely side-stepped questions about the U.S.-China rivalry on the continent, this time they went out of their way to challenge the Western narrative about the Chinese presence in their countries. Francophone Editor Geraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus this week to discuss an unprecedented response by senior African officials in Ghana, Nigeria, DR Congo, and Zambia over the Western "obsession" with China. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud YouTube: www.youtube.com/chinaafricaproject Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, April 04, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] What China's Past Tells Us About the Future of its Foreign Policy in Asia
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim both wrapped up state visits to China last week and their discussions with President Xi Jinping revealed some fascinating linkages between contemporary Chinese foreign policy objectives and Beijing's historical perception of its role as Asia's central power. Antoine Roth, an international relations scholar at Tohoku University in Japan explores those themes in his new book "A Hierarchical Vision of Order: Understanding Chinese Foreign Policy in Asia." He joins Eric & Cobus from Sendai to discuss what lessons can be drawn from China's diplomatic history in Asia that can inform a better understanding of contemporary trends in Chinese foreign policy in other parts of the world. SHOW NOTES: Amazon : A Hierarchical Vision of Order: Understanding Chinese Foreign Policy in Asia by Antoine Roth: https://amzn.to/3m532qN JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @antoineroth Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info"
Fri, March 31, 2023
China's Small but Important Role in Ghana's Debt Crisis
China's share of Ghana's $55 billion public debt is quite small at just $1.7 billion or 3% of the total, but Beijing nonetheless plays a critical role in Accra's efforts to revive its economy. The Ghanaian government needs China's support in order to secure an emergency financial package from the International Monetary Fund. While that may sound straightforward, it's not. Zambia is up against a similar challenge and its debt restructuring process has stalled, largely because of a stand-off between China and multilateral creditors over who should take losses on their loans. Isaac Kofi Agyei, a research and data analyst at Joy News -- one of Ghana's leading broadcasters and news outlets -- is closely following all of the developments in this story and joins Eric from Accra to discuss China's role in Ghana's unfolding economic crisis. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @isaackofiagyei Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, March 30, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Lending Money Again to Countries in the Americas
Chinese lending to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean is gaining momentum. For the second year in a row, China's two largest policy banks have increased lending to countries in the region, albeit in much smaller amounts than what they did a decade ago. At the same time, there's word that China has spent close to a quarter trillion dollars over the past twenty years to bail out dozens of countries struggling to stay afloat under the weight of such much debt. Margaret Myers, director of the Asia and Latin America program at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C., and Rebecca Ray, two of the world's leading experts in Chinese overseas development finance, join Eric to discuss how these two seemingly divergent trends actually align with one another and why the Americas is emerging as a key market for Chinese creditors. SHOW NOTES: Inter-American Dialogue: At a Crossroads: Chinese Development Finance to Latin America and the Caribbean, 2022 by Margaret Myers and Rebecca Ray: https://bit.ly/3LYKuTK Boston University Global Development Policy Center : “Small is Beautiful”: A New Era in China’s Overseas Development Finance?: https://bit.ly/3Hnm8iL JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @myersmargaret | @bubeckyray Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls w
Fri, March 24, 2023
CAR Attack Sparks New Concerns About Safety of Chinese People in Africa
One week after a brutal attack on a Chinese mining site in the Central African Republic (CAR) that killed nine people and injured two others, it's still not clear who is responsible and why they did it. All Chinese personnel in the country have been ordered to evacuate remote areas and those in the capital Bangui are sheltering in place. Meantime, Chinese embassies in both Nigeria and South Africa issued urgent security warnings to their citizens in those countries to take immediate precautions against the threat of kidnapping and assault. Alessandro Arduino, an affiliate lecturer at King's College London and one of the world's foremost experts on Chinese private security issues, joins Eric, Cobus and Geraud to discuss the recent spate of attacks and whether the uptick in violence against Chinese nationals in Africa and elsewhere is part of a larger trend. SHOW NOTES: The Conversation : Wagner Group in Africa: Russia’s presence on the continent increasingly relies on mercenaries by Alessandro Arduino: https://bit.ly/3z36SDW The Conversation : Chinese private security firms are growing their presence in Africa: why it matters by Alessandro Arduino: https://bit.ly/40nhqJA JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.
Wed, March 22, 2023
Reporting Tips for African Journalists Covering China
Reporting on China is difficult even for the most experienced journalist who's spent years living there and speaks the language. So, it's not surprising that reporters in Africa who've had limited exposure to the country often struggle to cover China-related news. In this special episode produced in conjunction with the Africa-China Reporting Project (ACRP) at Wits University in Johannesburg, Eric is joined by veteran China Watcher, Kaiser Kuo, founder and host of the popular Sinica podcast, to discuss how African journalists can improve their reporting on China. The interview with Kaiser was recorded during a live online workshop hosted by ACRP Project Coordinator Bongiwe Tutu that included questions from African journalists who participated in the event. SHOW NOTES: The China Project : Listen to the Sinica podcast: https://bit.ly/3lsspTl South China Morning Post : How Kaiser Kuo became a leading player in China podcasting and kept on rocking: https://bit.ly/3yXkUGU JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @ kaiserkuo | @sinicapodcast Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F
Thu, March 16, 2023
Africa's Role in China's Evolving Geopolitical Priorities
It's been a momentous past two weeks for Chinese foreign policy with major a breakthrough in the Sri Lanka debt impasse and the landmark announcement that Beijing helped to broker the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Meantime, China also reacted strongly to the announcement that Australia plans to purchase nearly $400 billion of nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S. and the UK. In this new, more contentious era of great power rivalries, the question of where Africa fits into China's political priorities is now more relevant than ever. Beijing-based corporate attorney Kai Xue is well-positioned to know. He's been advising Chinese clients for years on Belt & Road projects in Africa and he joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why he thinks the continent is no longer as important to Chinese policymakers as it once was. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Bonus · Thu, March 16, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] What Lessons Should the U.S. Take From China's Mideast Diplomatic Breakthrough?
This month's surprise announcement that China brokered the restoration of diplomatic relations between longtime rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia prompted widespread excitement in Beijing and considerable consternation among U.S. conservatives. The implication for both is that China's role in the process symbolized the decline of U.S. influence in the region. Not so says Mohammed Soliman, one of the leading Arab political analysts in Washington, D.C. based at the Middle East Institute and also a manager at McLarty Associates Middle East North Africa Program. Mohammed joins Eric to explain why he thinks the U.S. should not overreact and what lessons policymakers should take from what happened. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @thisissoliman Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, March 15, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] What to Make of China's Mideast Diplomatic Breakthrough?
New details are emerging about the landmark diplomatic deal brokered by China for Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic relations. The initial excitement about the prospects for peace between these two Persian Gulf rivals has given way to a more sober assessment that effectively says the agreement is a good first step but that's about it. The key test is going to be whether both sides are going to pull back from their proxy fights in places like Yemen. Until that's done, it's still too early to be overly optimistic. But what does this all say about China's emergence as a key diplomatic power broker? Tuvia Gehring, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, and Jacinto Scito, a policy fellow at the London-based Bourse & Bazaar Foundation, are two of the world's foremost scholars on China-Mideast relations and join Eric & Cobus to discuss their reactions to the deal and what it means for China and the wider Middle East. SHOW NOTES: The Atlantic Council: Full throttle in neutral: China’s new security architecture for the Middle East by Tuvia Gering: https://bit.ly/3mUNmGQ JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @geringtuvia | @jacoposcita Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchinaafricaproject&token=12aabd-1
Thu, March 09, 2023
China vs. the Multilateral Development Banks
There was a major breakthrough this week in China's months-long standoff with the World Bank, IMF, and other multilateral creditors when Beijing agreed to fully back Sri Lanka's debt restructuring. The move now clears the way for Colombo to secure $2.9 billion in emergency IMF funding and to put the South Asian country on the path toward recovery. Now, everyone wants to know whether China will extend a similar offer to Zambia, Ghana, and Ethiopia which are also in the midst of similar debt restructuring talks or will it stick to its hardline position that multilateral lenders must also agree to accept losses on their loans to these countries. Yunnan Chen, a research fellow at the Overseas Development Institute in London, and Gyude Moore, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington, two of the world's leading experts in this field, join Eric & Cobus to discuss China and the debt crisis in a number of African countries. SHOW NOTES: Overseas Development Institute: China in the multilateral development banks: evolving strategies of a new power by Yunnan Chen and Chris Humphrey: https://bit.ly/3CR6AiD Center for Global Development : Will China Play Its Part in Addressing African Debt Distress? by Gyude Moore: https://bit.ly/3ZHbI5u JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @gyude_moore | @yunnanchen Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts
Tue, March 07, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Latin America Was Once an Afterthought for China... Not Anymore
In just the past twenty years, China's trade with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean surged 26-fold to almost half-a-trillion dollars. The region is also now a major destination for Chinese foreign investment and becoming a critically important new front in China's geopolitical confrontation with the United States. While there's no dispute that China is now a major player in the region, knowledge about Chinese engagement in the Americas nonetheless remains surprisingly low, particularly among key stakeholders in Latin America. A new book, China and Latin America: Development, Agency and Geopolitics by two scholars at the London School of Economics (LSE) aims to change that. Álvaro Méndez, director of LSE's Global South Unit and International Relations Professor Chris Alden join Eric & Cobus to discuss why the Americas is now central to China's global strategy. SHOW NOTES: Amazon: China and Latin America: Development, Agency and Geopolitics by Álvaro Méndez and Chris Alden: https://bit.ly/3ZsO502 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @alvaroimendez Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.c
Thu, March 02, 2023
WEEK IN REVIEW: China-IMF Debt Standoff | France's "New" Africa Strategy | SA Naval Exercises
The G20 finance ministers meeting in India came and went without any progress on the debt standoff between China and the IMF/World Bank over who should take losses on loans to the world's poorest countries. Meantime, France announced another "new" strategy to revive its Africa strategy, partially in response to China's growing influence on the continent. CGSP Francophone Editor Geraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus to share his perspective on those stories plus an update on the controversial joint naval exercises that South Africa hosted with China and Russia. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, February 24, 2023
WEEK IN REVIEW: South Africa: Naval Drills | Ghana: Debt Crisis | DRC: Mining Contracts
Controversial joint naval exercises among South Africa, Russia, and China got underway this week off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, prompting a fierce backlash from critics who blasted Pretoria for legitimizing Russia on the first anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine. Also this week, Ghana's finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta traveled to Beijing hoping to restructure its debt and Chinese mining companies in the DR Congo negotiated a demand for $17 billion of new infrastructure down to just $500 million. Development Reimagined Policy Analyst Ovigwe Eguegu joins Eric, Cobus, and Geraud this week to discuss these stories and the rest of the week's top China-Africa headlines. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @ovigweeguegu | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, February 22, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Wang Huiyao on 'China's Misunderstood Foreign Policy'
Senior-level Chinese stakeholders often contend that one of the main reasons for today's heightened geopolitical tensions between China and the West is due to "misunderstandings" of its foreign policy objectives by outsiders. Chinese distrust is also fueled by a longstanding feeling of victimization by the West and a sense that they've lost the "narrative battle" in international media. Wang Huiyao, president and founder of the Beijing-based think tank Centre for China and Globalisation, wants to change that. In a recent column published in the South China Morning Post newspaper , Wang called on Chinese scholars, analysts, and others to "embrace the global internet if it wants to reclaim its narrative." Wang joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why he thinks China has such a difficult time in communicating its agenda with the rest of the world. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @huiyaowang Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel= "noopener noreferrer
Fri, February 17, 2023
What the New Port of Lekki in Nigeria Tells Us About the Future of Chinese Infrastructure Finance in Africa
China is no longer in the game of providing African countries with enormous loans to finance large-scale infrastructure projects. In fact, BRI financing last year for projects in Africa plunged more than 50% to just $7.5 billion. But that doesn't mean Chinese companies still aren't building big things in Africa. Stella Hong Zhang, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation joins Eric & Cobus to discuss her new research on the Port of Lekki in Nigeria and why this venture may hold some important clues about the future of Chinese development financing in Africa and around the world. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @stellahongzhang Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, February 17, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China, Latin America, and the Rise of a New Non-Aligned Movement
During the first Cold War, a large group of developing countries sought to distance themselves from the ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union to create a Non-Aligned Movement. Today, three decades later, at the dawn of yet another Great Power competition, this time between the U.S. and China, Global South countries are once again saying they don't want any part of it. Jorge Heine, a former Chilean ambassador to China and now a research professor at Boston University joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the new book he co-edited about how this new movement is taking root in the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Show Notes: Amazon : Latin American Foreign Policies in the New World Order: The Active Non-Alignment Option: https://amzn.to/3lJrQ7q The Conversation : When two elephants fight: how the global south uses non-alignment to avoid great power rivalries by Adekeye Adebajo: https://bit.ly/3YC3PO7 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @jorgeheinel Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, February 10, 2023
It's Getting Tougher for African Students to Get a PhD in China
Thousands of African students are back in class again in China following a three-year absence due to the pandemic and Beijing's strict COVID Zero travel restrictions. But doctoral students from Africa and elsewhere are confronting new challenges in completing their degrees, according to research done by a trio of Oxford University scholars. David Mills, Anding Shi, and Natasha Robinson join Eric, Cobus, and Geraud to discuss how Chinese universities are " moving the goal posts " for doctoral students by introducing new publishing requirements that make it difficult for them to complete their degrees. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, February 08, 2023
How the U.S. Aims to Compete With China in Critical Resource Mining
U.S. officials are speaking out about the urgency to diversify supply chains for critical resources that are now largely dependent on China, particularly rare earths, cobalt, and lithium that are all essential ingredients in manufacturing electric vehicle batteries. It's a hot topic this week at Africa's largest mining conference that's taking place in Cape Town. Although senior U.S. diplomats speaking at the conference haven't actually said the word "China," the "C" word is nonetheless clearly on their minds. CGSP Francophone Editor Christian-Geraud Neema, a leading expert in Congolese mining issues, joins Eric to discuss U.S.-China resource competition in Africa and whether Washington's plan to narrow China's lead will actually work. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, February 03, 2023
The Role of Chinese Solar Technology in Africa's Just Energy Transition
China is by far the world's dominant producer of solar power technology which is becoming increasingly popular in places like Africa that are under mounting pressure to transition from reliance on fossil fuels to new, greener renewable sources of energy. Nicola Licata, a Shanghai-based project manager at the U.S. consultancy Clean Energy Associates, and her Washington, D.C.-based colleague, Associate Engineer Raiene Santana, discuss China's outsized role in the solar power supply chain and the challenges that U.S. and European governments are going to face in financing "Just Energy Transition" projects on the continent that don't include Chinese solar tech. Also, Eric & Cobus try to figure out why one of the Biden administration's top diplomats, Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is so off-base when it comes to China in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, February 01, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] What's Driving the Steady Decline in Chinese Overseas Development Lending?
There was a time when Chinese lending to developing countries rivaled the World Bank. Those days are now long gone as Chinese overseas development lending has been on a steady downward trajectory. New data from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center (GDPC) reports that in 2020-2021, China granted just 28 loan commitments worth just $10.5 billion -- a small fraction of what was lent in the early 2010s. Rebecca Ray, a senior researcher at GDPC, and Tarela Moses, a data analyst at the center's Global China Initiative join Eric from Boston to discuss the latest trends in Chinese development finance and specifically why Beijing has become much more risk-averse. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @tarelamoses | @bubeckyray Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, January 27, 2023
A New Era of U.S. and Chinese Engagement in Africa is Now Underway
This was a big week for both the U.S. and China in Africa as both major powers' new, more robust engagement strategies were on full display. For the U.S., two cabinet secretaries toured the region this week, while Chinese officials in several African countries were on hand to commission a suite of large infrastructure projects. Ken Opalo, an assistant professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, joins Eric & Cobus from Washington to discuss how the heightened activity from both the U.S. and China indicates an important evolution of their foreign policies towards the continent. SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to Ken Opalo's Substack newsletter: An Africanist Perspective newsletter by Ken Opalo: kenopalo.substack.com An Africanist Perspective : The Future of Sino-African Relations by Ken Opalo: https://bit.ly/40561i9 The Standard : Why it's time to reset Africa and America relations by Ken Opalo: https://bit.ly/3H9LCQh JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @kopalo Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafric
Thu, January 19, 2023
Why More Young Chinese Professionals Are Looking For Work in Africa
Near record high levels of youth unemployment in China is prompting more young graduates to look abroad for work, particularly in Africa. Recruiters say they can't find enough people to work in both private companies and Chinese state-owned enterprises as translators, accountants, and other administrative roles. While moving so far away from home isn't ideal for a lot of young people, it's also hard to resist the higher salaries, generous benefits, and the adventure of living overseas, according to freelance journalist Li Yijuan for a story she wrote last month on this trend for the English-language Chinese news site Sixth Tone . Yijuan, herself a soon-to-be young graduate, joins Eric & Cobus from the eastern Algerian city of Amenas to discuss her own experience and why Africa is becoming a popular destination for young Chinese professionals. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Mon, January 16, 2023
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Pepe Zhang on What to Expect This Year in China-Latin America Relations
China's two-way trade with countries in the Americas increased 8% last year to $486 billion, nearly twice the volume of what China does in Africa. South America is now a vital source of food, energy, and strategic minerals for China, while markets like Brazil are attracting record amounts of Chinese investment. Meantime, China's growing presence in Latin America and the Caribbean region is also making the U.S. increasingly uncomfortable given that many people in Washington, D.C. still believe that the Western hemisphere remains America's traditional sphere of influence. But despite China's enormous economic engagement in the region and the geopolitical concerns in the U.S., Pepe Zhang, a senior fellow at The Atlantic Council and one of DC's top China-Americas watchers , contends that China's surging influence is still not getting the attention that it deserves. He joins Eric & Cobus from Washington, D.C. to explain why. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @pepe_zhang Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel= "noopene
Thu, January 12, 2023
Hannah Ryder on What to Expect This Year in China-Africa Relations
Qin Gang is carrying on a 33-year-old tradition by making Africa the first official visit of the new year for China's foreign minister. Qin took office just two weeks ago and is new to African affairs, so this week's five-nation tour is more about him and his hosts getting to know one another than engaging in substantive policy discussions. But the tour comes at a critical juncture for China's engagement on the continent. Chinese lending to African countries is down, great power competition is up and there's a new foreign policy team in Beijing that appears more focused on the U.S. and Europe than Global South regions including Africa. Hannah Ryder, CEO of the development consultancy Development Reimagined , isn't worried. She joins Eric & Cobus this week to explain why she's optimistic about this year's prospects for Chinese engagement in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @hmryder Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, December 23, 2022
The 2022 Africa-China Year in Review With Gyude Moore
Chinese trade with Africa is widely expected to break yet another record in 2022, while Chinese lending to countries across the continent fell again. Meantime, African leaders this year also forcefully pushed back against both the U.S. and China to avoid becoming collateral damage in their escalating great power struggle. It was an eventful year indeed for Africa-China relations. Gyude Moore, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development and a prominent African international affairs analyst, joins Eric & Cobus from Washington, D.C. to reflect on the year's key milestones. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @gyude_moore Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Sun, December 18, 2022
[GLOBAL SOUTH] New Report Debunks Chinese Debt Trap Narrative in Sri Lanka
The Chinese debt trap narrative was started based on the purported surrender of the Port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka. When Colombo fell behind in its payments to the China Exim Bank for the loan, the story goes, Beijing seized the port as collateral. Now, six years later, a pair of Sri Lankan researchers, Umesh Moramudali and Thilina Panduwawala gained access to the original China Exim Bank loan documents for the port and confirmed that the Chinese predatory lending narrative, as it's been told, just isn't true. The pair join Eric & Cobus to discuss their new report that debunks many of the myths surrounding Chinese lending to Sri Lanka, specifically related to the controversial port. SHOW NOTES: The China-Africa Research Initiative : Evolution of Chinese Lending to Sri Lanka Since the mid-2000s: Separating Myth from Reality by Umesh Moramudali and Thilina Panduwawala: https://bit.ly/3PF1cHr The Diplomat : Demystifying China's role in Sri Lanka's debt restructuring by Umesh Moramudali and Thilina Panduwawala: https://bit.ly/3v4r3iH JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @UmeshMoramudali | @ThilinaKalhara Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreo
Fri, December 16, 2022
China's Long Shadow Over the U.S.-Africa Summit
The three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit wrapped up in Washington, D.C. on Thursday with a declaration by President Joe Biden that his administration is "all in" when it comes to Africa. The White House worked very hard to change the narrative about its Africa foreign policy, specifically that it's focused on African countries rather than confronting China's growing influence on the continent. This week, Eric, Cobus and Geraud discuss whether the U.S. was successful and what were the main takeaways from this week's summit. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, December 13, 2022
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Bad Takes: What the News Media Got Wrong About Xi's Trip to Saudi Arabia
So much of the international news coverage of Xi Jinping's three-day visit last week to Saudi Arabia was framed in the context of the broader U.S.-China rivalry. The Saudis and other Arab states, according to the prevailing narrative, were pivoting away from their decades-long relationship with the U.S. to embrace China. But suggesting that some kind of grand geopolitical realignment is taking place in the Middle East is just wrong says Jonathan Fulton, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and one of the world's foremost scholars on China-Mideast relations. Jonathan joins Eric & Cobus from Abu Dhabi to explain why journalists should have instead focused more attention on the strategic interests of individual Arab countries. Show Notes: The Routledge Handbook on China–Middle East Relations by Jonathan Fulton: https://bit.ly/3URm5QU The China-MENA Podcast: https://bit.ly/3Fm3NBv JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @jonathandfulton Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priv
Fri, December 09, 2022
Worrisome Demographic Trends in China and Africa
Africa is home to the world's youngest and fastest-growing population, creating what proponents call a "demographic dividend." Conversely, China is rapidly becoming one of the world's oldest countries thanks in part to decades of draconian family planning policies that limited most families to just one child. Today, the demographic trend lines in both regions are becoming increasingly worrisome, according to Michele Bruni, one of the world's foremost scholars on the issue. Michele, a fellow at the Global Labor Organization and a member of the Research Centre for the Analysis of Public Policies at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why Africa's "dividend" is potentially a major liability if governments cannot create enough jobs for their bulging populations and why China is in a desperate race against time to increase labor productivity. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, December 06, 2022
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Why U.S. Diplomacy is Struggling to Compete With China in the Global South
40 countries around the world currently do not have U.S. ambassadors . The corner offices have been empty for months, even years at U.S. embassies in major regional powers like India and Saudia Arabia. Even Italy, a G7 country, doesn't have a U.S. ambassador in place. The hold-up in getting ambassadors confirmed by the Senate is the consequence of Washington's dysfunctional politics that's adversely impacting the U.S. and its effort to compete with China for influence around the world, particularly in developing countries. Politico's Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent Nahal Toosi traveled to Panama earlier this year to report on how U.S. diplomacy is struggling to keep up with China's engagement in the region . She joins Eric & Cobus from Washington, D.C. to discuss her special report on the issue. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @nahaltoosi Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://a
Fri, December 02, 2022
Why It Isn't China's Fault Its Trade With Africa Is so Distorted
China is forecast to break another trade record with Africa this year, potentially even crossing the $300 billion barrier. While that sounds great, the big number masks a distorted trading relationship that is mostly concentrated in extractives among a small handful of countries. African countries to date have failed to move up the value chain by processing more of their raw materials prior to export. And that, according to prominent Africa-Asia scholar Jean-Claude Maswana, an economics professor at Ritsumeikan University, is not China's fault. Jean-Claude joins Eric & Cobus from Kyoto, Japan to discuss what African countries need to do if they want a more balanced, equitable trading relationship with China. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @jcmaswana Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, November 30, 2022
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Can China's Surveillance State Governance Model Be Exported Abroad?
China has built the world's largest and most intrusive surveillance system to monitor the behavior of its people. Millions of cameras, vast databases, and sophisticated online filters work together to form a seemingly omnipresent matrix that overwatches every aspect of daily life. While China may have pioneered the use of many of these new technologies, today, they are by no means alone. In fact, Chinese companies are now bringing their technology and surveillance expertise to countries around the world -- particularly in the Global South. Wall Street Journal reporters Liza Lin and Josh Chin, authors of the new book Surveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control , join Eric & Cobus to discuss the appeal of China's surveillance technology and how much of Beijing's model can be replicated in other developing countries. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @joshchin | @lizalinwsj Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https:/
Fri, November 25, 2022
U.S.-China Technology Competition in Africa
African telecom operators have resolutely opposed U.S. calls to stop using Chinese networking hardware. In fact, Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese tech firms in recent years have significantly expanded their presence beyond networking to mobile money, data centers, and even new energy solutions, among other sectors. African countries, at least so far, have been spared serious consequences from the increasingly contentious U.S.-Chian technology duel. But Jane Munga, a technology policy expert in the Africa program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C ., worries that may soon change. Jane joins Eric & Cobus to discuss her new research on how U.S.-China technology decoupling will impact Africa's mobile phone industry. SHOW NOTES: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace : How Will U.S.-China Tech Decoupling Affect Africa’s Mobile Phone Market? by Jane Munga: https://bit.ly/3AKrim9 The Diplomat : China’s Tech Outreach in the Middle East and North Africa by Dale Aluf: https://bit.ly/3AKruln JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @jane_munga Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchinaafricaproject&token=12aabd-1-1
Tue, November 22, 2022
[GLOBAL SOUTH] A Look Back on a Week of Intense Chinese Diplomacy in Southeast Asia
Chinese President returned home from a week of intense diplomacy in Indonesia and Thailand where he attended a pair of summits and held more than a dozen bilaterals with other international leaders. Both the G20 Summit in Bali and the subsequent APEC leaders summit in Bangkok served as the first time the President was back on the international stage with some of his Western rivals since the beginning of the pandemic. Collin Koh, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, joins Eric & Cobus to share his views on President Xi's performance and to review what was accomplished at the various summits that took place in Southeast Asia over the past couple of weeks. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @collinslkoh Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, November 18, 2022
[WEEK IN REVIEW] Will China and Wealthy Countries Pay For Climate Damage in the Global South?
Join us for a very lively end-of-week show where Eric, Cobus, and Geraud get into a spirited debate over whether China, India, and wealthy countries will pay for the damage they've caused to poor countries in Africa and elsewhere from global climate change. Geraud, like many in Kenya, is also baffled over the terms of Kenya's multi-billion loan agreement with China to build the Standard Gauge Railway and Cobus shares some insights on Africa's presence at this week's G20 summit in Indonesia. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, November 11, 2022
A Conversation with Molly Phee, the Top U.S. Diplomat for Africa
This Summer the United States updated its foreign policy for Africa when it shifted the focus from competing with China to improving governance and bolstering trade ties with the region. Now, three months later, the State Department's top diplomat for Africa, Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee, joins Eric & Cobus for an in-depth discussion on the new strategy and how it's being received by stakeholders across the continent. Also, three prominent African scholars were invited to submit questions on any topic to the Assistant Secretary: Dr. Tobi Oshodi , lecturer in the department of political science at Lagos State University: @tobioshodi Dr. Dr Folashadé Soulé , senior research associate at the Global Economic Governance program (Blavatnik School of Government) at Oxford University: @folasoule Dr. Bob Wekesa , acting director of the U.S.-Africa Centre at Wits University: @bobwekesa JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac
Bonus · Tue, November 08, 2022
Emerging Trends and Myths in Africa-China Relations: Live From Johannesburg
[DISCLAIMER: This special bonus episode was recorded live from a classroom on the campus of Wits University in Johannesburg. Unfortunately, the audio quality isn't great -- it's OK, not great -- but we hope that you'll give the show a chance and listen to what was a very lively and informative discussion] China's relationship with Africa is undergoing profound change in the post-pandemic era. Chinese engagement on the continent has fallen precipitously with a massive drop in people-to-people exchanges, development finance lending, and academic engagement. In this special live episode of the show broadcast from the African Investigative Journalism Conference on the campus of Wits University in Johannesburg, Eric & Cobus explore the emerging trends and new myths in China-Africa relations with a distinguished panel of journalists and analysts:  Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue  Geraud Neema, Francophone Editor at The China-Global South Project  Bongiwe Tutu, Project Coordinator at The Africa-China Reporting Project  Isak Lam, China-based researcher and journalist  Sisi Mi, China-based researcher and data journalist JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud | @sanushanaidu Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=h
Tue, October 25, 2022
[GLOBAL SOUTH] The U.S.-China Battle For Ideas in the Global South
Both the United States and China have restructured their respective foreign policy establishments in recent years to be better poised to confront each other. In the just concluded 20th Party Congress in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping clearly telegraphed a more aggressive stance towards his U.S. rivals. The U.S. articulated much the same in its latest National Security Strategy released in October that clearly named China as its "most consequential geopolitical challenge.” Jake Werner, a research fellow in the East Asia program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington, D.C., joins Eric & Cobus to discuss how this rivalry is playing out in the developing world where a battle for ideas is now underway. SHOW NOTES: Sinification : Chinese experts react to the U.S.’s National Security Strategy by Thomas des Garets Geddes: https://bit.ly/3VWRt23 Politico : ‘Frustrated and powerless’: In fight with China for global influence, diplomacy is America’s biggest weakness bu Nahal Toosi: https://politi.co/3TTlIVW JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @jwdwerner Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/china
Fri, October 21, 2022
Where Does Africa Fit in Xi Jinping's New Foreign Policy
Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined a more assertive foreign policy vision during his closely-followed address at the 20th Party Congress in Beijing last Sunday. He made it clear that China's new foreign policy priorities will focus primarily on competition with the U.S., Taiwan reunification along with strengthening the country's technological and military capabilities. Notably, the President mentioned the BRI only in passing during the two-hour address to Global South issues, which isn't a huge surprise given this speech is largely focused on domestic issues. CGSP Francophone Editor Geraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the speech and what an apparent shift in Chinese foreign policy means for Africa and other developing regions around the world. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, October 18, 2022
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Despite Huge Problems, Pakistan Remains Indispensable to China
It has been a difficult year for China in Pakistan. A burgeoning economic crisis in the South Asian country threatens to undermine the multibillion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor development initiative while anti-Chinese terrorism has surged in recent months. But amid these serious challenges, there's no indication that ties between Beijing and Islamabad have strained. Ammar Malik, a senior research scientist at AidData, closely follows Sino-Pakistani relations and joins Eric & Cobus to explain why this relationship is so durable. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @malikammar Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, October 13, 2022
Debt in Africa: Everyone's Watching What China Does in Zambia
The United Nations Development Program issued a new report this week that once again sounded the alarm on the urgent need for debt relief in the world's poorest countries. The UNDP said 54 countries are at risk, with African countries accounting for almost half. Zambia, however, is among a handful of countries that is actually making progress in restructuring its debt. Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane says he's optimistic that a deal can be finalized before the end of the year and China has played a critical role in the process. Bloomberg reporters Tom Hancock and Matthew Hill have been covering the Zambian debt story from Hong Kong and South Africa respectively and join Eric to explain why there's so much global interest in how China responds to this particular crisis. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @mattstephenhill | @hancocktom Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, October 11, 2022
[GLOBAL SOUTH] China and India's Steadily Deteriorating Relationship
It wasn't that long ago that many people thought the longtime rivalry between India and China had begun to subside. In fact, Xi Jinping traveled to India in 2019, his second visit as president, for a profile, seemingly amicable summit with Narendra Modi. But a lot can change in three years. Today, ties between the two Asian giants are bad and getting worse. Both countries are locked in a bitter stand-off along their disputed border high above in the Himalayas and are engaged in seemingly daily disputes over trade, technology, and geopolitical issues. And experts like The Hindu newspaper's China correspondent Ananth Krishnan contend there's no indication the situation is going to improve anytime soon. Ananth joins Eric & Cobus from Beijing to explain why ties between these two countries have soured so much. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Amazon: India's China Challenge: A Journey through China's Rise and What It Means for India by Ananth Krishnan: https://amzn.to/3yv3f9M Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @ananthkrishnan Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no
Fri, October 07, 2022
Africa Again is the Backdrop for a Chinese Blockbuster Movie
Home Coming is the latest Chinese blockbuster movie set in Africa that registered big box office returns during its Golden Week opening. The film is set in the fictitious North African country of Numia and tells the story based on the 2011 evacuation of thousands of Chinese nationals from Libya ahead of the civil war. Francophone Editor Geraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the role that Africa and Africans play in Chinese blockbusters like Home Coming and its more famous predecessor Wolf Warrior 2 . MOVIE TRAILERS DISCUSSED IN THE SHOW: Home Coming : https://youtu.be/AxEq_LfhMGQ Operation Red Sea : https://youtu.be/w2dbIXyB5yY Ebola Fighters : https://youtu.be/qr4ibTPtVIM Wolf Warrior 2 : https://youtu.be/klyyYsmzcNQ The Blue Defensive Line : https://youtu.be/JZ5TBd0vQt4 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fch
Tue, October 04, 2022
What Does Kenya's SGR Tell Us About the Future of Chinese Railway Development in the Global South
The Chinese-financed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya is one of the flagship projects of the Belt and Road Initiative. But the SGR like other Chinese-sponsored railway projects elsewhere in the Global South also serves as a prime example of the risks to developing countries in taking on so much debt. Keren Zhu, a global China post-doctoral researcher at Boston University's Global Development Policy Center, together with two other scholars recently completed a first-of-its-kind study that explores the winners and losers in the Kenyan SGR project. She joins Eric & Cobus to share the findings of their research and what it says about the future of the BRI. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @zhu_keren Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, September 30, 2022
Nosmot Gbadamosi on US-China Competition in Africa, Debt and "Preventative Infrastructure"
Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia commissioned a new road this week built by the Chinese conglomerate Sinohydro and paid for as part of a $2 billion bauxite barter deal with the company. The timing of this new road opening, though, is critical as Ghana grapples with the effects of climate change and a rapidly deteriorating economy. Nosmot Gbadamosi, writer of Foreign Policy's widely-read Africa Brief newsletter , joins Eric & Cobus from Lagos to discuss why this kind of infrastructure that the Chinese built in Ghana in just 13 months is so important for West Africa's ongoing battle against the effects of climate change. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Sign up for Foreign Policy's (free) Africa Brief newsletter : https://bit.ly/3rk65uk Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @nosmotg Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, September 27, 2022
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Why the U.S. And Israel Are Not Aligned on China
Israel and China are reportedly in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement that both sides say will be done before the end of the year. This may come as a surprise to some given how relations between the two countries have been a bit rocky this past year over issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, and pressure from the U.S. But Israeli officials have made it clear to the U.S. that while they understand why Beijing makes them nervous, the Jewish State simply does not share those same concerns. Alexander Pevzner, an adjunct lecturer at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy at Reichman University near Tel Aviv, joins Eric & Cobus to provide an update on the current state of Sino-Israeli ties and why the U.S. and Israel are not fully aligned when it comes to China. CORRECTION: In this episode, Eric stated there are now direct flights between Saudi Arabia and Israel which is not correct. Instead, the two countries agreed that Saudi Arabia would open its airspace to flights to/from Israel . JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @abpevzner Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel=
Fri, September 23, 2022
African Leaders, China Made It Clear This Week They're Unhappy With the Current International System
African leaders one after another took the podium at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) this week to express their deep frustrations with the international system and how unfairly it treats developing countries. “It is time for a fairer, more inclusive global governance that is more adapted to the realities of our time,” declared AU Chair and Senegalese President Macky Sall. Meantime, China sought to lead that change and made a big push on the sidelines of the UNGA for its new Global Development Initiative (GDI) that Beijing hopes will reorient the current international order more in line with its development priorities. Sanusha Naidu, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue in South Africa, closely followed all of the action this week at the UN and joins Eric & Cobus to share her reactions to both the speeches and the GDI. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ ChinaGSProject | @ stadenesque | @ eric_olander | @ sanushanaidu Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @ AfrikChine عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @ AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-i
Tue, September 20, 2022
Navigating the Belt & Road With a New Digital Toolkit
October marks the 9th anniversary of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and after all these years, nearly a decade later, many people around the world are still trying to figure out what exactly the BRI is. What is certain, though, is that China has pulled back considerably on BRI-related financing in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa and the Americas. But in Asia, it's a different story. Chinese lenders are still plowing billions of dollars to build badly-needed infrastructure and that prompted the New York-based Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) to try and help stakeholders on all sides with a new BRI digital tool kit . Blake Berger, ASPI associate director, was on the team that built the new toolkit and joins Eric and Cobus to explain what it is and how it's intended to be used. SHOW NOTES: Asia Society Policy Institute : Navigating the Belt and Road Initiative Toolkit: https://bit.ly/3BvHuqW JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @blakehberger Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy
Fri, September 16, 2022
Introducing the China-Global South Podcast
Every week, The China-Global South Podcast will explore timely issues surrounding China's engagement in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and other developing regions. Hosted by China-Global South Editor in Chief Eric Olander in Vietnam and Managing Editor Cobus van Staden in South Africa, this new program will highlight insights and ideas from leading experts in the Global South. To help kick off the show, Eric & Cobus are joined by Kaiser Kuo, host of the venerable Sinica Podcast, to discuss what motivated the team to launch this new program and what they're hoping it will achieve. THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS: ERIC: Gyude Moore , Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development: @gyude_moore Hannah Ryder , CEO of Development Reimagined: @hmryder Ovigue Eguegu , Policy Analyst at Development Reimagined: @ovigweeguegu Christian-Geraud Neema , Francophone Editor at the China-Global South Project: @christiangeraud COBUS: Amazon : The Specter of Global China: Politics, Labor, and Foreign Investment in Africa by Ching Kwan Lee: https://amzn.to/3RMTKu8 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @kaiserkuo Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchinaafricaproject&token=12aabd-1-1634272031172" rel="noopener
Tue, September 13, 2022
China and the Race to Dominate EV Battery Supply Chains
A new movement is underway in the U.S. to strip China out of the global supply chain for electric vehicle batteries -- everything from the extraction of the minerals and metals to the processing of those resources to make the battery packs that power Teslas, Fords and other American-made cars. But it's not going to be easy. Chinese companies have a commanding lead in many parts of that supply chain, particularly cobalt where around 80% of the blue metal is processed in China. Journalist Henry Sanderson laid out the dynamics of this strategically vital international competition in his new book Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green and joins Eric and Cobus to explain how the West and China stack up against one another in the new Battery Age . SHOW NOTES: Amazon : Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green by Henry Sanderson: https://amzn.to/3LdaF6S The China Project : What the world needs to know about China’s outsize role in electric car future: Q&A with Henry Sanderson by Jeremy Goldkorn: https://bit.ly/3qzdMw9 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @hjesanderson Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchinaafricaproject&token=12aabd-1-1634272031172" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "
Fri, September 09, 2022
Week in Review: Illegal mining in Ghana, US Disillusionment in the DRC & #ChinaAfricaSpaceTalk
Aisha Huang, aka the "Galamsey Queen," surprised everyone when she was arrested again for illegal mining in Ghana. What does her arrest say about the government's efforts to combat illicit Chinese mining? Plus, a new report says the U.S. is "disillusioned" with the Congolese government for not doing more to push back against Chinese mining companies. And, African youth in 8 countries get the chance to speak with astronauts aboard the Chinese Space Station. Francophone Editor Christian-Geraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the top China-Africa stories of the week plus the latest installment of "Where in the world is Xi Jinping going?" SHOW NOTES: The China-Global South Project: Why the U.S. Shouldn’t Be Surprised About China’s Close Ties With DRC Mining Companies: https://bit.ly/3qeK7by JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, September 01, 2022
Why Zainab Usman is Cautiously Optimistic About the New U.S. Policy For Africa
Africa is increasingly becoming a main stage for great power competition. Last week, Japan wrapped up its triennial Africa summit where they threw some shade China's way. A few weeks earlier, the U.S. unveiled a refreshed foreign policy strategy for the continent, and China remains intensely focused on bolstering ties with African governments -- partially as a hedge against heightened U.S. pressure elsewhere. While U.S. officials have said for years that it's important for Washington to focus on Africa and step up its engagement across the board, there's been very little in the way of action. But this time, Zainab Usman, the director of the Africa program at the influential Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, thinks it may be different. Zainab joins Eric and Cobus from Washington to talk about her cautious optimism that the U.S. is now finally ready to step up its engagement in Africa. SHOW NOTES: Foreign Affairs: How America Can Foster an African Boom by Zainab Usman: https://fam.ag/3cIbQy3 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace : The New U.S. Africa Strategy Breaks From the Status Quo—With Some Perplexing Stumbles by Zainab Usman: https://bit.ly/3wPGxIu Amazon : Economic Diversification in Nigeria: The Politics of Building a Post-Oil Economy by Zainab Usman: https://amzn.to/3CR2Z82 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @msszeeusman Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3
Thu, August 25, 2022
Update on the Chinese Cobalt Stand-off in the DR Congo
Tensions between Chinese mining China Moly and the Congolese state-owned mining Gécamines appear to be deteriorating further amid an ongoing stand-off over the massive TFM copper and cobalt mine in the southern DRC. Shipments have reportedly been halted due to a bitter contractual dispute between the two sides, and given this is the world's largest cobalt mine, the impact of this stand-off could be far-reaching. Francophone Editor Christian-Geraud Neema joins Eric to discuss the latest developments in this escalating crisis. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, August 23, 2022
Africa in the New Era of U.S.-China Great Power Competition
Chinese President Xi Jinping is widely expected to soon re-emerge on the global stage after a nearly three-year absence. Where is still unknown, but when it does happen it's going to create a much tenser, more confrontational atmosphere at upcoming summits in Indonesia and Thailand where he'll sit alongside U.S. President Joe Biden and other Western leaders. Eurasia Group Senior Analyst Ali Wyne will be closely following Xi's reemergence. Ali is one of Washington's foremost observers of the burgeoning Sino-U.S. great power rivalry and the author of a new book on the subject " America's Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition ." Ali joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the new book and to share his forecast of what to expect in this new, far more contentious era. SHOW NOTES: Amazon : purchase a copy of "America's Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition": https://amzn.to/3ClRCVq JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @ali_wyne Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreo
Thu, August 18, 2022
Week in Review: Kenya elections, Chinese mining woes in DRC & Xi Jinping's travels
Kenya's got a new president who has vowed to get tough on the Chinese, particularly when it comes to publishing contracts and cracking down on illegal immigration. Plus, Chinese mining giant CMOC is encountering new difficulties at its massive cobalt mine in the southern DRC. Eric & Cobus break down some of the week's top China-Africa stories and discuss where in the world is Xi Jinping going. SHOW NOTES: Wang Cheng, Chinese Ministry of Commerce: twitter.com/SadiqChengWang JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, August 11, 2022
Week in Review: Kenya Elections, Zambian Debt & Blinken's Africa Tour
The Chinese government pushed back this week against the U.S. and its new foreign policy strategy for Africa. The Foreign Ministry dismissed Washington's emphasis on democracy as mere rhetoric, while the railways, roads, and other infrastructure that China's built speak for itself. Also this week, a senior U.S. official again accused China of engaging in predatory lending in Africa without apparently knowing that Beijing also led a landmark debt restructuring deal for Zambia. Emmanuel Matambo, research director at the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, has been closely following these events and joins Eric & Cobus to share his insights on what was a very busy week. Plus, he also reflects on the politics in Kenya where voters went to the polls to select a new president. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @ekmatambo Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, August 10, 2022
Afrobarometer CEO Joseph Asunka on Public Perceptions of the U.S. & China in Africa
When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the White House's new strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa, he referenced Afrobarometer polling data to validate Washington's renewed emphasis on democracy promotion . The following day, in criticizing the new U.S. policy towards Africa, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also used Afrobarometer data to make the case for Beijing's engagement strategy on the continent. What's interesting is that they're both right. The Afrobarometer polling data undermines the simple narratives that too often frame the discourse about how Africans view their ties with these two powers. Afrobarometer CEO Joseph Asunka joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what's behind these seemingly contradictory perspectives and which direction public opinion towards the U.S. and China is trending. SHOW NOTES: Afrobarometer : Africans welcome China’s influence but maintain democratic aspirations: https://bit.ly/3Ac39Ft Afrobarometer : China has invested deeply in Africa. We checked to see whether that is undermining democracy: https://bit.ly/3vSjNr2 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @joeasunka Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of coo
Thu, August 04, 2022
Week in Review: Taiwan, Tesla and Antony Blinken's Upcoming Africa Tour
China mounted an intercontinental media response throughout the Global South this week to rage against U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Managing Editor Cobus van Staden and Francophone Editor Geraud Neema break down why developing countries, including several in Africa, who have repeatedly said they want to stay out of the U.S.-China standoff, decided to weigh in on this controversy. Plus, a preview of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming Africa tour and what a Tesla battery deal with Chinese suppliers reveals the realities facing the U.S. and other governments that want to get China out of their strategic supply chains. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, July 29, 2022
African Exploitation Videos Are Big Business on Chinese Social Media
The recent BBC documentary " Racism for Sale " pointed a powerful spotlight on the popular Chinese "blessing video" business that is both highly exploitative and very profitable. These videos feature Africans and people from other developing regions, often including children, conveying messages that are often demeaning. In the weeks following the release of the documentary, most of the attention on this issue was focused on culprit, a 26-year Chinese man by the name of Lu Ke, and people's shock in Malawi and other African countries where these videos were filmed. But Viola Zhou, a Hong Kong-based reporter for the online technology magazine Rest of World, looked into the business behind these videos and how the social media platforms, advertisers, and content creators are all making huge profits. SHOW NOTES: Watch Racism for Sale on the BBC's YouTube channel. Read Viola Zhou's report: Racist videos about Africans fuel a multimillion-dollar Chinese industry JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @violazhouyi Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a
Fri, July 15, 2022
China's Discourse Power in Africa and the Global South
China, like all major governments, uses a variety of tools and methods to influence international public opinion. Some, like CGTN, China Daily, and China Radio International, serve as conventional propaganda that is easy to identify; other tactics are far more subtle yet often very effective in shaping the global conversation about China and its role in the world. This so-called "discourse power" is now an important field of study. Kenton Thibaut, a China fellow at the Atlantic Council, and Tuvia Gering, also a fellow at the Atlantic Council and a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, join us to talk about their latest research on the issue that explores not only how Chinese interests are communicating but also what they're saying. SHOW NOTES: The Atlantic Council : China's Discourse Power Operations in the Global South by Kenton Thibaut: https://bit.ly/3Odnhuq The Discourse Power newsletter by Tuvia Gering: https://tuviagering.substack.com JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @geringtuvia | Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at <
Fri, July 08, 2022
It Was a Bad, Very Bad Week For Chinese Mining in Africa
Two of China's largest and most important mining ventures in Africa encountered major problems this week. In Guinea, the government shut down the Sino-Australian joint venture to operate the massive Simandou iron ore mine, a major blow to Beijing's ambitions to end its reliance on imported Australian ore. And then in the DRC, authorities reportedly issued a notice to the Chinese management that runs the massive TFM copper/cobalt mine to halt extraction and production. Francophone Editor and leading African mining expert Geraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the significance of these two events and why the governments in both Conakry and Kinshasa are taking action against the Chinese. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, June 30, 2022
A Discussion With the Journalists Behind the BBC Doc "Racism For Sale"
The BBC investigative unit Africa Eye turned a powerful spotlight last month on a multi-million dollar business in China that exploits people in developing regions, including young children in Africa, to produce so-called "blessing videos." Many of these videos may seem innocuous where Africans hold up signs in Chinese to wish people good luck on a test or sign happy birthday, for example. But many others are highly exploitative and downright demeaning. Journalists Runako Celina and Henry Mhango led an investigation into the origins of one particularly offensive video that was shot in Malawi that revealed how a Chinese producer took advantage of dozens of poor children in a remote village. Runako and Henry join Eric & Cobus to discuss the investigation and what it took to report this fascinating story. SHOW NOTES: Watch: Racism for Sale: https://bit.ly/3OBVo0f Read: Racism for Sale: Documentary investigates how language, culture used to exploit children in Africa: https://bit.ly/3I2sK5Y Blacklivity China : https://blacklivitychina.com/ Citizen Eye Malawi : https://bit.ly/3a1oDup JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @runakocelina | @henrymhango3 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchinaafricaproject&token=12aabd-1-1634272031172" rel="noopener n
Sat, June 25, 2022
How Did China Do in Its First Horn of Africa Peace Conference?
China's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Xue Bing, wrapped up a two-day peace conference in Addis Ababa last week, Beijing's first-ever effort to mediate conflicts outside of Asia. Xue personally offered to serve as a broker to help resolve many of the ongoing tensions that currently roil the region. Superficially, all of the participants responded favorably to China's efforts but the real test will come in the months ahead to see if Beijing can match its promises with tangible results. Aly Verjee, a non-resident senior advisor at the United States Institute of Peace, is a leading expert in the politics of the Horn of Africa. He joins Cobus to share his impressions of China's performance at the conference and whether he thinks Beijing has what it takes to help mediate the region's various conflicts. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @alyverjee Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Thu, June 16, 2022
A Conversation With Huang Ping, China's Consul General in New York
China's Consul General in New York City, Huang Ping, is a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in both North America and Africa. Prior to taking on the CG role in NYC, Huang was ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2015 to 2018. Huang recently sat down with Eric & Cobus for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of U.S.-China relations, human rights issues, and reflections on his time in Harare. Francophone Editor Geraud Neema also joins the discussion for analysis on the key issues raised in this week's discussion. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @ eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, June 10, 2022
Africa in the Era of Great Power Competition
Policymakers in most African countries are facing unimaginable challenges brought on by the pandemic, economic disruption, climate change, and the impact of the war in Ukraine. As if that wasn't enough, the increasingly contentious U.S.-China conflict adds even more uncertainty. While these are difficult times, particularly for smaller states on the continent, geopolitical analyst Ronak Golpadas, a director at the South African risk management firm Signal Risk, says there's one thing in particular that African governments can do to bolster themselves in these turbulent times. He joins Eric & Cobus from Johannesburg to discuss the urgent imperative for states to work together and negotiate as blocks. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @ eric_olander | @ronakgolpadas Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, June 03, 2022
The Politics of Chinese-financed Infrastructure Development in East Africa
How African governments negotiate infrastructure deals with Chinese lenders and construction companies is far more complex than many assume. While most focus on the role of the head of state, the reality is that the leader is just one of many actors that has a say in the process. A trio of scholars recently published an in-depth analysis that explores the internal political dynamics for three high-profile Chinese infrastructure projects in East Africa including the Bagamoyo Port in Tanzania, the Adama wind farm in Ethiopia, and the Port of Lamu expansion in Kenya. Frangton Chiyemura from The Open University, Elisa Gambino from LSE, and Tim Zajontz from the University of Freiburg in Germany join Eric & Cobus to discuss their research and why it's so important to understand the particular attributes of African agency in this process. SHOW NOTES: Chinese Political Science Review : Infrastructure and the Politics of African State Agency: Shaping the Belt and Road Initiative in East Africa: https://bit.ly/3airYF4 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @ eric_olander | @fchemura | @tzajontz | @drelisagambino Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https
Fri, May 27, 2022
U.S.-China Tech Competition in the Middle East
While U.S. President Joe Biden is stepping up his efforts to confront China's dominance in the Asia-Pacific, he might also want to pay attention to what's happening in the Middle East. Chinese influence in the Mideast and Persian Gulf regions has been steadily rising over the two years, particularly in the tech sector where firms like Huawei, ZTE, and Hikvision among others are rapidly expanding. In fact, China is so far ahead, according to Mohammed Soliman, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., that unless the U.S. radically changes its policy, it may be too late to catch up. Mohammed joins Eric & Cobus to discuss his urgent warning for U.S. policymakers about China's growing technology dominance in the Middle East and what they need to do to meet the challenge. Show Notes: The National Interest : China Is Winning the Middle East’s Data, Cyber, and Technology Race by Mohammed Soliman: https://bit.ly/3MVCIYi Middle East Institute : The GCC, US-China tech war, and the next 5G storm by Mohammed Soliman JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @thisissoliman Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at <
Fri, May 20, 2022
Magalie Masamba on What It's Going to Take to Resolve Africa's Debt Distress
Until a few years ago, before the pandemic, most African economies were among the world's best performing in terms of debt. Revenues were sufficient and debt-to-GDP levels were largely well below the IMF's 50% threshold. But today, that is no longer the case. Many of the continent's largest economies are in a desperate struggle to avoid getting sucked into a debt spiral where they're borrowing more and more just to repay loans. That, plus the challenges brought on by surging food prices, weakening currencies and, of course, the effects of the ongoing pandemic all make this a very difficult time. So what can be done? Two scholars, Daniel Bradlow from the University of Pretoria and Magalie Masamba, a Global China Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, have come up with five practical recommendations for what they think governments need to do to tackle the burgeoning debt challenge. Magalie joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the sovereign crisis in some African countries with a particular focus on China's role. Show Notes: The China-Global South Project : 5 Recommendations for Tackling the Sovereign Debt Challenge in Southern Africa by Daniel Bradlow and Magalie Masamba: https://bit.ly/3LwGHZR The Conversation : Debt distress in Africa: biggest problems, and ways forward by Daniel Bradlow and Magalie Masamba: https://bit.ly/3wxKm5D JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @magalie_masamba Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join mon
Tue, May 17, 2022
Update on the Current State of China-Nigeria Ties With Efem Ubi
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari had envisioned leaving office with vast amounts of shiny new Chinese-financed infrastructure built throughout the country. That's not going to happen. China has lost its appetite for large-scale development projects in Nigeria leaving some $15 billion of rail and other initiatives unfunded. But that doesn't mean that Nigeria still isn't very important to China's broader Africa agenda. Chinese companies are attracted to the large consumer market, its political heft at the African Union and the fact that Nigeria is home to some of the continent's largest technology hubs. This week, Efem Ubi from the Nigerian Association of International Affairs joins Eric & Cobus from Lagos to discuss Nigeria's complex relationship with China and where it stands today. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, May 13, 2022
Lightning Round: U.S. Summits, Huawei and Chinese Mining in the DRC
In this Lightning Round edition of the show, CAP Managing Editor Cobus van Staden and CAP Francophone Editor Geraud Neema break down three of the week's big stories. First, Cobus explains why African leaders would be well advised to closely follow the events at this week's U.S.-ASEAN summit in Washington, D.C. Then, the State Department's #2 official, Wendy Sherman, restated longstanding warnings about the risks African countries face when they use Huawei equipment. Finally, Geraud breakdown a complex mining dispute between a Chinese and an Australian company over which one will control a massive new lithium mine in the DRC. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, May 10, 2022
China and the Future of Environmental Governance in Ghana
Ghana's worsening economic crisis is prompting concerns it will further erode the country's already weak environmental governance system that Chinese actors have profited from in the mining, fishing, and timber sectors. Meantime, local communities across the country suffer amid declining fish stocks, polluted waterways, and unregulated deforestation. Francis Xavier Tuokuu, a leading environmental scholar and a research fellow at the Ghana-based Afro-Sino Centre of International Relations contends that until there is new and better leadership that is actually willing to crack down on the corruption that Chinese and others use to their advantage, there is little hope the situation will improve. Francis joins Eric & Cobus from Keene, New Hampshire to discuss what, if anything, can be done. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, May 06, 2022
Huawei in North Africa: Lots of Good PR, Not a Lot of Tech Transfer
Huawei's success in Africa is undeniable. It's built large swathes of the continent's telecom network and is an indispensable player at almost every layer of the African technology stack. But when it comes to transferring skills and technology, the company's record is a bit more checkered. Tin Hinane El Kadi, a doctoral student at the London School of Economics and an associate fellow at Chatham House, contends in a new report published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that in both Algeria and Egypt Huawei, Huawei generates a lot of good press about tech transfers but in reality does very little. Tin joins Eric & Cobus from London to discuss her findings and what's behind this apparent discrepancy. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque | @tinhinanel Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, April 29, 2022
State of the BRI and the Messy Politics of a "Just Climate Transition"
China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is undergoing some dramatic changes as Beijing pulls back on the massive loans that once defined it as the government is now forced to channel more funds domestically to bolster the country's slowing economy. Nowhere is that more evident than in Africa where we learned this week that lending in 2020 plunged 77% from the previous year to just $1.9 billion, a 16-year low. Cynthia Liao, a Schwarzman Academy Fellow in the Africa program at the London think tank Chatham House, has been closely following BRI developments in Africa and joins Eric & Cobus for a wide-ranging discussion on debt, climate change, and geopolitics. SHOW NOTES: Boston University : Chinese Loans to Africa Database: https://bit.ly/3Ls8dbZ JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque | @_CynthiaLiao Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, April 26, 2022
The Port of Mombasa Was Never at Risk of Being Seized by China
A 2018 leaked report from Kenya's Auditor General sparked a years-long frenzy over whether the Port of Mombasa was put up as collateral against the loans from the China Exim Bank for the Standard Gauge Railway and could be seized in the event of a default. The story is now a foundational part of the "debt trap" lending narrative that continues to cloud Chinese infrastructure financing in Africa. A team led by Professor Deborah Brautigam, director of the China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, spent the past two years researching the issue and concluded in a new report that the Auditor General was wrong in his assessment. Neither the Port of Mombasa nor any Kenyan asset was ever at risk of forfeiture to the Chinese. Deborah and two of her research colleagues, Vijay Bhalaki from Athena Infonomics and Paris-based attorney Laure Deron, join Eric & Cobus to discuss their findings. SHOW NOTES: The East African : Mombasa Port at risk as audit finds it was used to secure SGR loan: https://bit.ly/3Lgz76w The China-Africa Research Initiative : How Africa Borrows From China: And Why Mombasa Port is Not Collateral for Kenya's Standard Gauge: https://bit.ly/37D6i5H JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.
Fri, April 22, 2022
Lessons For South Africa From China's Tech Hub in Shenzhen
As South African policymakers plot their country's economic revival from the past several years of worsening economic crisis, boosting the country's tech industry is going to play a pivotal role in their plans. Grace Yuehan Wang, a researcher at the South African National Research Foundation and a postdoctoral scholar at Stellenbosch University says China's mega technology hub Shenzhen could offer some valuable insights. Plus, CAP's Francophone Editor Geraud Neema joins us to discuss the 20-year prison sentence that was handed down to a Chinese national for brutally beating a Rwandan employee last year. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque | @jorgeheinel Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, April 20, 2022
Is It Time for a New Non-Aligned Movement?
This week marks the 67th anniversary of the Bandung Conference in Indonesia which brought together 29 Asian and African countries at the height of the Cold War and marked the beginning of what would later become the Non-Aligned Movement. Back then, more than a hundred countries were a part of this movement to avoid being drawn into the U.S.-Soviet dual and to foster greater ties within the so-called "Third World." Today, as Russia's ties with the U.S. revert to their Cold War chilliness and the U.S. standoff with China intensifies, there are new calls to revive the Non-Aligned Movement among developing countries. Former Chilean Ambassador and Boston University Research Professor Jorge Heine is among the most vocal proponents of creating what he calls "Non-Aligned 2.0." Ambassador Heine joins Eric & Cobus to explain why the time is right for countries in the Global South to start working more closely together with one another. SHOW NOTES: Africa, Latin America and the Active Non-Alignment Option by Jorge Heine: https://bit.ly/37pI0fq Ukraine Sanctions and the New Non-Aligned Movement by Cobus van Staden: https://bit.ly/3kcHdkN JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque | @jorgeheinel Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy
Fri, April 15, 2022
A Discussion With Elizabeth Economy About the World According to China
Acclaimed China scholar Elizabeth Economy join Eric & Cobus this week to discuss her new book for 2022 " The World According to China ." It's important to note the interview with Elizabeth was recorded before Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the expanded outbreak of COVID-19 in China but it's nonetheless fascinating to see how prescient many of her comments were in the context of the current situation. Also, Cobus and Eric provide an update on the latest Chinese trade figures and how the severe flooding in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province may impact China's trade with Africa in the weeks ahead. Finally, CAP's Francophone Editor Geraud Neema joins the guys for an update on the new challenges facing Chinese mining companies in Guinea. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque | @lizeconomy | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, April 13, 2022
China, Africa and a New Alternative International Order
There's an emerging consensus among many leading international relations scholars that Russia's invasion of Ukraine marked the official end of the post-Cold War era and the beginning of, well... actually... no one's actually sure what's coming next but whatever it is China is definitely going to play a central role. China's framing of this emerging alternative international order is happening right now in Africa and the Middle East, according to a new book by Dawn Murphy, an associate professor at the U.S. Air War College. She joins Eric & Cobus from Alabama to discuss why these two regions, in particular, are so important to China's long-term geopolitical agenda. SHOW NOTES: Sandboxx: China Wants a Navy Base in Africa That Would Put America’s East Coast in Reach by Alex Hollings: https://bit.ly/37MnxkI JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque | @DawnMurphyChina Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, April 08, 2022
Can the "Shanghai Model" Solve the Global South Debt Crisis?
During the last major Global South debt crisis in the late 1980s, the United States pioneered an initiative that bundled together all of these countries' debts into a bond that would then be re-packaged and sold to investors. These so-called "Brady Bonds" were very effective in giving many of the poorest, most indebted countries the breathing room they needed to recover. Now, as developing countries are confronting yet another debilitating debt crisis, an update to the Brady Bond idea is now circulating but this time it's coming from China, not the U.S. Just like a Brady Bond, the so-called Shanghai Model would roll up poor countries' debt into a bond asset and then sell it to investors. But there's a catch: rather than price it in dollars, the Shanghai Model would use Chinese yuan. Economists Ying Qian and Yan Wang from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center have been writing a lot lately about the Shanghai Model and exploring its viability . Ying joins Eric & Cobus from Washington, D.C. to discuss whether it really can replicate the success of the Brand Bond. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfrica Project FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, April 01, 2022
The Ukraine War and Great Power Politics in the Global South
While the war in Ukraine has done a lot to repair the West's once frayed alliance, it's also brought together a disparate group of countries throughout the Global South who have resisted condemning Russia for the invasion and Moscow's brutal assault on civilian populations. To those small and mid-sized countries, picking a side in this conflict is a luxury many feel they simply cannot afford given the powerful geopolitical currents that are now in motion. Nowhere is this more evident than in Africa where around half the continent sought to abstain from the two UN votes to condemn Russia and many more have sought to stay out of the fray among the competing power centers in Moscow, Beijing, Washington, and Brussels. Sam Ramani, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, is one of the world's foremost experts on Russia's ties with Africa and other Global South regions. He joins Eric & Cobus from Oxford to discuss the dramatic impact that the war is having on the geopolitical landscape in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaAfrProject | @stadenesque | @SamRamani2 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfrica Project FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français : www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي : @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, March 25, 2022
New Trends in Chinese Overseas Development Finance
In less than six years, China's financing of overseas energy projects in the Global South plunged from $35 billion to zero, according to new data released this week from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center. BU's findings mirror a broader pullback in official Chinese lending in other sectors as well, indicating a profound change in Chinese international development finance. To be sure, China is still extending loans to developing countries but they're smaller and require much more rigorous feasibility studies. Kevin Gallagher and Cecilia Han Springer from the Global Development Policy Center join Eric & Cobus this week to discuss their new dataset on Chinese energy financing and share some of their insights published in an accompanying policy brief on the latest trends in Chinese development finance. SHOW NOTES: China's Energy Finance Database: https://bit.ly/3ukFlLi Outlier or New Normal? Trends in China’s Global Energy Finance : https://bit.ly/35cR1r0 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ kevinpgallagher | @ han_cecilia | @ gdp_center JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, March 18, 2022
China, Europe and the Geopolitics of African Renewable Energy
Both China and the European Union have identified renewable energy as a key part of their engagement strategies with Africa. At FOCAC last year, the Chinese vowed to increase investment in solar, hydro, and other green technologies while the EU made sustainability a centerpiece of its new Global Gateway development initiative. With both sides pursuing similar objectives, it's not surprising renewable energy is now being seen as yet another front in the larger great power rivalry dynamic with African countries stuck in the middle. But a trio of authors at the European Center for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), a Brussels-based think tank, argues in a new report that it would be a huge mistake for EU leaders to frame green energy transition initiatives in Africa in competition with China. One of the authors of that report, Alfsono Medinilla, ECDPM's Head of Climate and Green Transition, joins Eric & Cobus to explain why. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ amedinil | @ ecdpm JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, March 11, 2022
An Update on China-Kenya Ties With Journalist Eliud Kibii
China's ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian sat down with a local reporter Eliud Kibii from The Star newspaper earlier this month for a rare one-on-one interview . Chinese diplomats tend to be quite media shy so it's news whenever they do speak in unscripted environments with the press. Eliud joins Eric & Cobus from Nairobi to discuss his exchange with the ambassador and to get an update on the current state of Sino-Kenyan ties. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ eliudkibii JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, March 04, 2022
China Exim Bank's Controversial Loan to Expand Uganda's Entebbe Airport
New research from AidData at the College of William & Mary in the United States provides the first insight into the loan contract between China Exim Bank and the Ugandan government for the expansion of the Entebbe International Airport. This is the same airport at the center of an almost year-long controversy over whether China would seize the facility due to a loan default. That allegation is, of course, not true and the contract confirms that the airport was never in jeopardy of being surrendered to China Exim Bank. But what researchers did find is a deal that was heavily weighted in favor of the lender with some very intrusive clauses. AidData Executive Director Brad Park joins Eric & Cobus from Williamsburg, Virginia in the U.S. to discuss his team's findings after carefully reviewing an unredacted version of the loan contract. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ aiddata AidData Report on the Chinese Loan Contract for the Entebbe Airport Expansion Project: https://bit.ly/35BQiiE JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, February 25, 2022
U.S., European Tech Competition With China in Africa
Challenging China's dominance in Africa's tech sector was one of the key takeaways from this month's Europe-Africa summit and a key component of the EU's Global Gateway infrastructure agenda. But it's not going to be easy given the enormous breadth of Chinese technology engagement in Africa that goes back decades. Western governments are going to find it even more difficult to compete in this market given the rapid expansion of Chinese corporate activity in Africa's digital sector. University of Tampere researcher Motolani Agbebi mapped out the scope of that challenge in a new paper published in February on the Council on Foreign Relations website that details Africa's role in China's Digital Silk Road agenda. She joins Eric & Cobus to discuss her findings and explain what she thinks African stakeholders need to do to best take advantage of the brewing geopolitical tech rivalry. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ motolani_agbebi Motolani's Paper: China’s Digital Silk Road and Africa’s Technological Future -- https://on.cfr.org/36FJvoU JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, February 18, 2022
Chinese Demand for Illegal Rosewood Leads to Deforestation in Cameroon
Cameroon is just one of a growing number of African countries that is facing a deforestation crisis due in part to the trade in illegal Rosewood. Large organized crime syndicates are felling vast numbers of these prized trees, smuggling them across the border to Nigeria where they are laundered and sent mostly to buyers in China. It's widely known in the industry that most African Rosewood is illegally harvested yet that doesn't discourage Chinese buyers as they look the other way -- which is a blatant violation of the 2019 forestry law. Investigative journalist Christian Locka went into the bush to report how Rosewood timber makes its way from Cameroon's forests, over the border to Nigeria, and is then laundered for export to China. Christian joins Eric & Cobus from Douala in Cameroon to explain more about this lucrative trade and why so little is being done to stop it. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque Contact The Museba Project: www.themusebaproject.org JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, February 11, 2022
Chinese Corporate Communications in Africa
Over the years, Chinese companies in Africa have earned a reputation for not very being good in how they communicate with local stakeholders, particularly with local media and civil society groups. While that remains true for the large state-owned construction and mining companies, it's definitely not the case for a growing number of consumer-facing private companies that now employ sophisticated corporate messaging strategies. The Paris-based, Africa-focused strategic communications agency 35° Nord works with Chinese corporate clients on the continent, both private and SOEs, on public relations, social media outreach as well as crisis communications. Claire Xue, head of the China desk at 35° Nord and consultant Anna An join Eric & Cobus to discuss how Chinese corporate communications in Africa are evolving. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, February 04, 2022
The Future of Chinese Infrastructure Finance in Africa
Nigerian Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi acknowledged this week that he will no longer rely on China to fund two major railways and will have now have to look elsewhere for the money. The minister's comments shouldn't come as a big surprise, though, given the plunge in overseas development lending by China's two major policy banks in recent years. China is now largely out of the business of loaning large amounts of money to build major infrastructure projects in Africa and is instead focusing on smaller, more targeted initiatives in the health, digital, power and green energy sectors that have clearer path to profitability. Abuja-based Development Reimagined Policy Analyst Ovigwe Eguegu closely follows Chinese development finance trends in Africa and joins Eric & Cobus from Addis Ababa to discuss what appears to be a new era of China's economic engagement on the continent. SHOW NOTES: The China Africa Project: Q&A: Nigerian Representative Ben Igbakpa Explains Why He Wants to Investigate 20 Years of Chinese Loans by Ovigwe Eguegu -- https://bit.ly/3L9hMMV The Hoover Institution at Stanford University : Comments by Jendayi Fraser and Reuben Lifuka on China's sharp rise in Africa -- https://youtu.be/HfWEMM1eLMc Network 20/20 : Comments by Gyude Moore and Jennifer Hillman on Beijing’s Expanding Economic Orbit: Evaluating China’s Belt and Road Initiative -- https://youtu.be/5aMxyz9mULc Spice FM: Comments by Kenya ICT Minister Joe Mucheru on the SGR contract: https://youtu.be/94-E_kVixwU JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ ovigweeguegu | @ devreimagined JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href=
Fri, January 28, 2022
An Update on Chinese Diplomacy in the Middle East With Jonathan Fulton
It's been a frenetic start of the year in Chinese diplomacy in the Middle East. Right after he returned from a five-nation tour of Indian Ocean states, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted half a dozen foreign ministers from Persian Gulf states, Turkey, and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Separately, China is also playing an active role in the ongoing Iran nuclear talks. Now that China is the Persian Gulf's largest energy customer, Beijing has a lot at stake an ensuring the region remains stable. Jonathan Fulton is one of the world's foremost scholars on Sino-Mideast affairs and has been closely Beijing's presence in the region for more than a decade. He joins Eric & Cobus from Abu Dhabi where he's an assistant professor at Zayed University to discuss the latest diplomatic developments and his new book on the topic . JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ jonathandfulton JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, January 21, 2022
How China's Economic and Security Interests Converge in Africa
China-Africa trade smashed a new record in 2021 and surpassed $250 billion. This was a dramatic increase over the $187 billion that the two sides the previous year. But those enhanced trade ties come as security conditions worsen for Chinese stakeholders in a growing number of Africa countries, namely Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C. is closely following both trends and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss how China's security and economic interests in Africa are now converging in new ways. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ pnantulya | @ africaacss JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, January 14, 2022
Investigating Chinese Corruption in the DRC Linked to the "Deal of the Century"
China's role in the landmark Congo-Hold Up corruption scandal was relatively small compared to those of other actors that were found to have funneled millions of dollars to former Congolese president Joseph Kabila and his associates. Nonetheless, investigators found that Chinese entities were responsible for at least $55 million in illicit payments connected to the $6 billion Sicomines resource-for-infrastructure deal back in 2007. The Washington, D.C.-based NGO The Sentry was among the lead organizations in the Congo Hold-Up investigation that was based on an unprecedented leak of 3.5 million documents from BGFIBank in Gabon. Two of The Sentry's lead investigators involved with the project, John Dell'Osso and Douglas Gillison join Eric & Cobus to discuss how Chinese companies were implicated in the scandal and the specific role of one man in particular. SHOW NOTES: Read The Sentry's full report: State Capture and Bribery in Congo's Deal of the Century -- https://bit.ly/31W74Ys Photo of Sun Ruiwen, president of China Molybdenum, meeting together with DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi on December 23, 2021: https://bit.ly/3GvQ9eg JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ douglasgillison | @ j_dellosso JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, January 11, 2022
Taking Stock of Wang Yi's Tour of East Africa & Indian Ocean States
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is back in Beijing after wrapping up the customary first overseas trip of the year that always begins in Africa. Wang spent almost a week visiting five nations in East Africa and throughout the Indian Ocean where debt, infrastructure and great power rivalry with the U.S. were among the key issues on the agenda. University of Nairobi political science lecturer Oscar Otele closely followed Wang's tour and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the key highlights, particularly during the Foreign Minister's stop in Kenya. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, January 07, 2022
Why South Africa Remains China's Most Important Relationship in Africa
There was a flurry of Chinese diplomatic activity in Africa this week with Foreign Minister Wang Yi's first overseas trip of the year who went to Eritrea, Kenya, and the Comoros Islands. While eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean are becoming increasingly strategic theaters for Chinese engagement on the continent, in many ways they're still secondary to South Africa's overall importance. South Africa is the main gateway for the bulk of Chinese mineral imports from Africa, it's home to the largest ethnic Chinese population on the continent and serves as an important ideological ally through close ties between the Chinese Communist Party and the ruling African National Congress. Howard University Africa Studies Lecturer Phiwokuhle Mnyandu is among the foremost experts on Sino-SA ties and the author of a recently published book on the topic . Phiowkuhle joins Eric & Cobus from Washington, D.C. to explain why South Africa remains firmly atop Beijing's strategic priorities in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque | @ phiwomnyandu JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, December 24, 2021
The 2021 Africa-China Year in Review
Join Eric & Cobus for the annual Year in Review/Year Ahead Preview special episode where they each three stories that shaped Africa-China relations in 2021 and one story to watch in the year ahead. Plus, they also discuss the Trevor Noah controversy where the host of the popular Comedy Central program The Daily Show published a riff on China-Africa relations that was riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ ChinaAfrProject | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, December 17, 2021
Chinese Involvement in the "Congo Hold-Up" Corruption Scandal
19 media outlets together with five NGOs in the U.S. and Europe pored through 3.5 million leaked documents from a Gabonese bank to produce Congo Hold-Up , a landmark report that detailed breathtaking corruption in the DR Congo during the presidency of Joseph Kabila in the early 2000s. Chinese entities, including the joint venture mining company Sicomines, were implicated in the findings (although Sicomines denies any allegation of corruption), specifically relating to the dealings of one man, Du Wei. William Clowes and Michael Kavanagh, two senior journalists at Bloomberg News with extensive experience reporting in the DR Congo, were among the journalists who participated in the investigation. They spent six months working on the project and traced the activities of Du and the role he played as a middleman between Chinese corporate actors and power brokers in Kinshasa. William and Michael join Eric & Cobus to discuss their reporting as part of the Congo Hold-Up investigation and the small role that Chinese entities played in this multimillion-dollar corruption scandal. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ mjkcongo | @ wtbclowes JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, December 15, 2021
DOUBLE EPISODE: Andy Mok Reflects on FOCAC Plus a Discussion About Bad China-Africa Journalism
With the end of the year fast approaching and time running out to get everything into the last remaining shows of the season, we're bringing you a special double episode this week. First, join us for an in-depth discussion with Andy Mok, a senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing for a Chinese perspective on the recent FOCAC conference plus his insights on how African countries should best manage the increasingly acrimonious great power rivalry between the U.S. and China. Then, we'll delve into the recent stories related to the supposed Chinese seizure of Uganda's international airport, UK allegations of Chinese debt traps, and the Pentagon's assertion the PLA wants to build an Atlantic base in Africa and why all of these stories have been so poorly reported by so many international news organizations. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque @ andymok JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, December 10, 2021
With China on the Sidelines, What's Next for African Infrastructure Financing?
For much of the past two decades, China was among the largest sources of African infrastructure financing. But that is no longer the case. In his recent keynote address at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference in Senegal, Chinese President Xi Jinping never mentioned the world infrastructure and the topic was largely absent from the final declaration. The timing of China's withdrawal from the space couldn't be worse as the demand for new roads, power, and railways across the continent steadily rise. But Johnson Kilangi, founder and CEO of the infrastructure consultancy Lean Africa Consultants Limited, is nonetheless optimistic that new financing models will help to fill the gap. Johsnon joins Eric & Cobus from Nairobi to discuss why he thinks more private sector participation is going to make the difference. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque @ johnsonkilangi JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, December 08, 2021
Why the Era of Low-Cost Imports From China May be Coming to an End in Africa
The ongoing supply chain disruptions are having a profound impact on the types of goods that consumers in Africa and other Global South countries can access. It used to cost just $1,000 a container to ship low-cost socks, shoes, electronics, and other goods that once flooded African markets. Today, the shipping cost for that same container is now $8,000 and rising -- making it possible to send only high-value goods from China that can offset those surging shipping costs. Walter Ruigu, managing director of CAMAL Group Ltd, says once the supply chain goes back to normal those costs will come down again but no one knows for sure when that will happen. And in the meantime, he warns, the consumer will pay the price. Walter joins Eric & Cobus from Beijing to discuss the latest trends in China-Africa trade and he also shares his take on the latest FOCAC conference that recently wrapped up in Senegal. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque SHOW NOTES: Contact Walter Ruigi at CAMAL Group Ltd.: https://camaltd.com/contact-us/ Business Daily: How I built Kenya’s first phone USB cable firm: https://bit.ly/3pCA5jN JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, December 03, 2021
FOCAC 8 Recap & Review
The eighth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference wrapped up this week in Senegal. The event itself generated a lot of news but it was far from the only thing going on this week. The Europeans sought to try and upstage FOCAC with their new Global Gateway infrastructure initiative that they revealed on the last day of the Dakar forum, plus Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made an unannounced trip to Ethiopia and a controversy over the Entebbe International Airport in Uganda hung over FOCAC. Eric & Cobus try to make sense of what was an incredibly busy and important week. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, November 26, 2021
China's Growing Role in Multilateral Development Banks
While China has dramatically curtailed its bilateral development financing in Africa and other regions around the world, Beijing is increasing its engagement in multilateral and regional development banks around the world, including the African Development Bank among others. This points to an important, yet little understood trend about China's growing influence in international financial institutions. Two reports have come out recently, one from the Center for Global Development and the other from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) , that explore China's role in these multilateral institutions. Yunnan Chen, a senior research officer at ODI and a co-author of the ODI analysis on the issue, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss how Beijing is turning to these institutions "to pursue its geopolitical agenda and to promote alternate norms of global governance." SHOW NOTES: Overseas Development Institute : China in the multilateral development banks: evolving strategies of a new power by Yunnan Chen and Chris Humphrey: https://bit.ly/3CR6AiD Center for Global Development : Mapping China’s Rise in the Multilateral System by Scott Morris, Rowan Rockafellow and Sarah Rose: https://bit.ly/3nSogWX WEBINAR: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH AT 14:00GMT: China's role in the multilateral development banks -- RSVP: https://bit.ly/3nSosp9 JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ yunnanchen JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-m
Tue, November 23, 2021
FOCAC 8 Preview: The Trade Agenda
Trade issues are widely expected to top the agenda at next week's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation ministerial conference in Dakar. African countries will be looking for China to further widen its market to agricultural and processed raw materials and China is seeking ways to reduce the gaping trade surpluses that it currently maintains with most countries across the continent. Yike Fu, a research and policy analyst at Development Reimagined based in Hangzhou, and Patrick Anam, a trade lawyer and also a policy analyst at Development Reimagined, both closely follow the latest China-Africa trade trends and join Eric & Cobus to share their outlook for what to expect at FOCAC. SHOW NOTES: SAIIA : Mapping the Future of China–Africa Relations: How the Continent can Benefit by Yike Fu and Ovigwe Eguegu SAIIA : China’s BRI and the AfCFTA: Potential Overlaps, Complementarities and Challenges by Yike Fu and Ovigwe Eguegu Development Reimagined : From China-Africa to Africa-China: A Blueprint for a Green and Inclusive Continent-wide Africa Strategy Towards China JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, November 19, 2021
FOCAC 8 Preview: The Economic Agenda
This year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) conference will take place amid considerable uncertainty in the global economy and profound economic changes underway in China. As such, it's widely expected that the outputs from the upcoming forum will be very different from previous FOCACs. Gone will be the large mega-loans to build massive infrastructure projects across the continent and instead, observers expect a series of smaller, more targeted initiatives centered on new priorities in digital, health, and green energy development. Many of those forecasts of what to expect in Dakar were outlined in a recent collection of articles published by the LSE IDEAS China Foresight team at the London School of Economics " FOCAC at 21: Future Trajectories of China-Africa Relations. " Stephen Paduano, executive director of the LSE Economic Diplomacy Commission, and Mzukisi Qobo , head of the Wits School of Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, both contributed to the LSE report and join Eric & Cobus to discuss the key economic issues that will frame this year's FOCAC conference. SHOW NOTES: LSE IDEAS China Foresight : FOCAC at 21: Future Trajectories of China-Africa Relations: https://bit.ly/3m04jg2 PALGRAVE MACMILLAN : The Political Economy of China-US Relations - Digital Futures and African Agency by Mzukisi Qobo: https://bit.ly/3p0uPGz JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque |@ stephenpaduano JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel= "noopener n
Tue, November 16, 2021
Why Pragmatism, Not Ideology Drives Chinese Economic Engagement in Africa
In these contentious times, China is often accused of exporting its statist economic model to Africa and other developing regions as part of a broader ideological agenda to create a new Sinocentric international order. But Tsinghua University Professor Tang Xiaoyang argues in his new book published earlier this year that interpretation is a gross misunderstanding of what actually motivates Chinese economic engagement on the continent. Professor Tang joins Eric & Cobus from Beijing to make the case why pragmatism, not ideology is the driving force behind China's economic agenda in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, November 12, 2021
What Does the U.S. Need To Do to Effectively Compete With China’s Digital Silk Road?
Technology is expected to be one of the main pillars of discussion at the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference that will take place in Dakar at the end of the month. And the stakes for both sides are very high. With its access to markets in the Global North contracting as more governments impose barriers on Chinese technology products and services, Beijing will need to lean more on its already sizable presence in developing regions like Africa. Similarly, African governments are also looking to China to continue to provide affordable technology that can be quickly installed using low-interest state-backed loans. Jonathan Hillman, a senior fellow in the economics program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. outlined the key forces behind these trends in his new book about China's Digital Silk Road and what he thinks the U.S. government needs to do to respond to the challenge. SHOW NOTES: Amazon.com : purchase a Kindle or audio version of The Digital Silk Road: China's Quest to Wire the World and Win the Future by Jonathan E. Hillman: https://amzn.to/3C2Ry9e Foreign Affairs : Huawei Strikes Back - To Beat China on Tech, America Must Invest in the Developing World by Jonathan Hillman: https://fam.ag/3Calws3 Field Notes : subscribe to Jonathan Hillman's monthly email newsletter about Chinese projects and geoeconomics: https://hillman.substack.com/ JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ hillmanje JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priv
Fri, November 05, 2021
Why Perceptions of China Vary So Much Depending on Where You Live
[PLEASE NOTE THAT FROM TIME TO TIME THERE IS SOME AUDIO STATIC THAT APPEARS INTERMITTENTLY DURING SOME OF JOANNA'S ANSWERS. IT DOESN'T LAST LONG AND WE TRIED TO MINIMIZE IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. OUR APOLOGIES FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.] Public perceptions of China vary markedly depending on where you live in the world. In wealthy advanced economies in the Global North, negative sentiment towards China is now at all-time highs and getting worse. But it's a very different story in many developing countries in the Global South, particularly in Africa , where public opinion surveys continually report more favorable views towards the Chinese. Of course, this is a complex issue where China provokes a diversity of opinions, making it nearly impossible to get a definitive sense of what people feel about Beijing's growing influence in their countries. Veteran journalist Joanna Chiu set out on a trans-continental odyssey to try and find out more about how people in Western countries perceive China for her new book " China Unbound: A New World Disorder ." Joanna joins Eric & Cobus to share some of her findings and to discuss why she feels there's such a huge discrepancy between how people in the Global North view China compared to sentiments in the Global South. SHOW NOTES: Amazon.com : Purchase a copy of China Unbound: A New World Disorder SupChina : China Unbound: The implications of China’s expanding influence by Mike Cormack NüVoices : The international editorial collective of writers, journalists, translators and artists that showcases the diverse creative work of women, non-binary people, and minorities working on the subject of China. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject T
Wed, November 03, 2021
A Left Perspective on China-Africa Relations
In the run-up to Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference that will take place later this month in Dakar, CAP is speaking with a wide spectrum of activists, analysts, and other thought leaders about what they think should be on the agenda when Chinese and African ministers convene. This week, Mikaela Nhondo Erskog, a researcher at the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research joins Eric & Cobus from Johannesburg to share a leftist, socialist perspective on Sino-Africa engagement and why China's arrival in Africa in the early 2000s helped to break the continent's historical dependence on U.S. and European powers. RELATED READING: Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research : ‘Serve the People: The Eradication of Extreme Poverty in China’ JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ MikaelaNhondo JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, October 29, 2021
Week in Review: Sudan Coup, Glasgow Climate Summit & G20 Debt Relief
This week Eric & Cobus discuss the Chinese response to the military coup in Sudan and how it differs from Beijing's reaction to September's coup in Guinea. Plus, Cobus explains why he's not optimistic about the outcomes for developing countries from the upcoming Glasgow climate summit and should African countries expect much regarding debt relief from this weekend's G20 leaders summit in Rome. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, October 26, 2021
Anzetse Were on the Current State of China-Africa Economic Relations
China-Africa trade figures for the first eight months of the year are in and they look solid. So good, in fact, that the two sides appear on track to surpass last year's $187 billion in two-way trade. But those big numbers conceal some deeper problems, everything ranging from the large trade deficits in most African countries to high levels of debt in other states. Anzetse Were, a Nairobi-based development economist who's been closely following China-Africa economic ties for more than a decade, is nonetheless optimistic. She joins Eric & Cobus to explain why the growth in Chinese corporate engagement on the continent is going to be the critical factor. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, October 22, 2021
Folashadé Soulé on West Africa's Priorities at FOCAC 8
The triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit is just weeks away now and speculation is now starting to build as to what will be on the agenda. As of now, very little is known as to what's going to happen, not even the specific dates when the event will take place in Dakar, Senegal. Nonetheless, expectations are high that the forum will produce tangible outcomes for Africa on issues related to debt relief, infrastructure financing, and public health among others. Folashadé Soulé, a senior research associate at Oxford University, spoke with diplomats, policymakers and civil society stakeholders in several West African countries to find out what they're hoping to achieve at FOCAC. Folashadé joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what they said and to her predictions of what she thinks will be on the agenda. SHOW NOTES: SAIIA : Mapping the Future of Africa–China Relations: Insights from West Africa: https://bit.ly/3Bj6VL2 LSE IDEAS : FOCAC at 21: Future Trajectories of China-Africa Relations: https://bit.ly/3m04jg2 AFRICA CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES : The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation at 21: Where to Next?: https://bit.ly/2Zh8YSc JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ folasoule JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, October 20, 2021
The Messy Politics of Building a Railway in Kenya With Chinese Money
Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is the showcase in Africa for China's debt-led infrastructure development drive. While critics accuse China of saddling Nairobi with unsustainable levels of debt to build the rail line that goes from the port of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi and then on to Naivasha in the Rift Valley, the reality is actually a lot more complicated. It turns out that Kenya lawmakers worked hard to circumvent their own laws, conceal the terms of the deal and, most likely, pocketed millions for themselves along the way. Oscar Otele, a political science lecturer at the University of Nairobi, has been studying the complex, messy politics surrounding the SGR for the past eight years and summarized some of his research's key findings in a recent article published on the Council on Foreign Relations website . Oscar joins Eric & Cobus from Nairobi to discuss why the simple narratives about the SGR are not even remotely accurate. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, October 15, 2021
Lightning Round: Africa-France Summit, FOCAC & UK Port Deal
An often contentious leaderless summit took place last in Montepellier where African youth activists did not hold back in telling French President Emmanuel Macron what they thought needed to be done to improve ties between the two regions. Eric & Cobus look at what lessons China, the U.S., and others can take away from the heated exchanges that took place. Plus, a preview of what might be on the agenda at the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit that is expected to take place next month in the Senegalese capital Dakar and the guys dive into a billion port development deal led by the UK and the United Arab Emirates. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, October 13, 2021
China's Role in Zambia's Unfolding Debt Crisis
Zambia owes at least 18 Chinese creditors $6.6 billion, nearly twice as much as previously stated, according to a new report published by the China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at Johns Hopkins University. And that figure may be even higher as it doesn't account for penalties accrued by various Zambian borrowers who've fallen behind in their payments. While these latest findings confirm Zambia indeed has a very serious Chinese debt problem, the CARI report, however, details why the situation there is actually very different from that of other African countries that are also struggling to repay Chinese loans. The report's two authors, CARI Director Deborah Brautigam and Senior Research Assistant Yinxuan Wang join Eric & Cobus from Washington to discuss their findings and explain why Zambia is an outlier when it comes to Chinese debt in Africa. SHOW NOTES: China-Africa Research Initiative : How Zambia and China Co-Created a Debt "Tragedy of the Commons" by Deborah Brautigam China-Africa Research Initiative : Zambia’s Chinese Debt in the Pandemic Era by Deborah Brautigam and Yinxuan Wang JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject Your support of this podcast helps to keep the show on the air. Thank you! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/p
Fri, October 08, 2021
China's Love-Hate Relationship With Coal
If you're confused about China's stance on the use of coal, well, you're definitely not alone. This week, China went on a global coal buying binge in a frantic effort to put a stop to rolling blackouts that have afflicted millions of residents, factories, and businesses in at least nine provinces over the past several weeks. But just two weeks earlier, President Xi Jinping told everyone at the United Nations General Assembly that Beijing planned to phase out the use of dirty fuels as part of an ambitious effort to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030. And the President also said his government would halt the building of new coal-fired power plants abroad. So, China is doubling down on coal at home while abandoning the dirty fuel abroad? Rishikesh Ram Bhandary , assistant director of Boston University's Global Economic Governance Initiative and a leading expert on renewable energy in BRI countries joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the complex, confusing role that coal plays in Chinese energy policy. SHOW NOTES: The Journal of Energy Research and Social Science : Banking on coal? Drivers of demand for Chinese overseas investments in coal in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ rishirbhandary JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! <a href= "https://www.patreon.com/CHINAAFRICAPROJECT?fan_landing=true" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target=
Mon, October 04, 2021
China's Role in Ghana's Unfolding Fishing Catastrophe
While the Ghanaian government took decisive action earlier this year to crack down on illegal mining known as Galamsey where Chinese illegal mining interests have been active for years, Accra has done absolutely nothing to combat persistent illegal fishing in its waters. Foreign fishing companies, predominantly from China, operate with impunity in full view of the government who together are contributing to an ecological and humanitarian catastrophe, according to the findings from a recent report by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) . In fact, EJF asserts that years of over-fishing by industrial fleets have decimated local fish stocks to the point where the small-scale fishing boats too often return empty. Socrates Segbor, the Ghana fisheries program manager at EJF, and Professor Wisdom Akpalu, dean of the school of research and graduate studies at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration both contributed to the report and join Eric & Cobus to explain China's role in this crisis and what, if anything, they think can be done to avert a full-blown disaster. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ ejfoundation JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject Your support of this podcast helps to keep the show on the air. Thank you! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, October 01, 2021
Key Takeaways From AidData's New Report on How China's Finances the BRI
AidData, the development research lab at William & Mary College in Virginia, published a landmark report this week that provides the most comprehensive overview to date of Chinese financing of projects along the Belt and Road. Researchers pored through 13,247 projects in 165 countries worth $843 billion from 2000 through 2017. The report sparked a torrent of media coverage this week, mostly on the news about $385 billion of so-called "hidden debts." But the data in this report tells a much more nuanced story about Chinese overseas development finance than what was portrayed in the news. AidData's Executive Director Brad Parks joins Eric & Cobus to walk through the report's key findings and explain why Chinese debt financing is incredibly complicated. SHOW NOTES: Download the full report : Banking on the Belt and Road AidData Blog : AidData’s new dataset of 13,427 Chinese development projects worth $843 billion reveals major increase in ‘hidden debt’ and Belt and Road Initiative implementation problems JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ aiddata JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject Your support of this podcast helps to keep the show on the air. Thank you! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do
Tue, September 28, 2021
Lightning Round: US-Africa, DRC-China and China-Africa Trade
This week's scheduled guest didn't show, so Eric & Cobus went back to their roots by producing a Lightning Round Podcast where they hashed out three of the hottest topics in the news this week. Join the guys for a fast-paced discussion on U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to not meet with any African leader last week, the latest in the China-DRC mining saga and why the opening of the four day China-Africa Trade Expo in the central Chinese province of Hunan is kind of a big deal. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, September 24, 2021
Is China Exporting Authoritarianism Around the World?
The Chinese and U.S. Presidents spoke on the same day this week at the United Nations General Assembly with each offering a different vision for the future. Joe Biden challenged critics who contend that democracy is in retreat while Xi Jinping warned "the world is once again at a historical crossroads" and pushed back on a U.S.-led international order. And there's a lot at stake for developing countries in Africa and elsewhere in this debate as both major powers seek to align others to their worldview. In Washington, D.C., there's a widespread perception that Beijing is increasingly using technology, money, and ideological influence to spread authoritarianism around the world to better strengthen its geopolitical position. Charles Edel and David Shullman, two leading U.S. China analysts laid out the challenge in an article published in the current edition of Foreign Affairs where they detail "China's international efforts to subvert democracy." Charles and David join Eric & Cobus from Washington to discuss the threat they think China presents and how policymakers should respond. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ charlesedel | @ davidshullman SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" re
Tue, September 21, 2021
Update on the China-DR Congo Mining Contracts Dispute
After months of negative media coverage, Chinese mining companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are pushing back against the perception they aren't fulfilling their contractual obligations to provide social services and build infrastructure for the local communities where they operate. There's been a recent flurry of news coverage, social media posts, and even ministerial visits to mining sites to bolster their position. DRC mining and policy analyst Christian-Geraud Neema Byamungu has been closely following the Chinese response to the government's moves to review foreign mining contracts and how this increasingly contentious issue is unfolding. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ christiangeraud SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, September 17, 2021
The Complicated, Confusing Nature of China's Ties With Israel
China has deftly managed its relations in the Middle East across sensitive sectarian and geopolitical landscapes but now that Beijing is moving to become more engaged in the region, it risks falling into many of the same pitfalls that have bedeviled other major powers. Nowhere is this more on display than in Israel where Beijing has enjoyed steadily improving relations with the Jewish State over the past thirty years but now confronts unprecedented new geopolitical challenges. Tuvia Gering, a China research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, closely follows Sino-Israeli ties and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the current state of relations between the world's two oldest continuous civilizations. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ GeringTuvia SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, September 14, 2021
Why Food Security & Agriculture Issues Need to Be Atop the China-Africa Agenda
A growing number of people in Africa are facing acute shortages of food due in part to disruptions brought on by COVID, climate change, and, in some countries, conflict. Solving the problem today is not going to be easy given how much of the continent depends on imported food supplies. China at once is both a contributor to the problem, especially given its role as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and a key part of the solution. Ama Brandford-Arthur , a senior partnerships officer in the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Unit at the International Fund for Agricultural Development, a specialized UN agency, joins Eric & Cobus from Rome to discuss what she thinks China can do to help alleviate the growing problem of food insecurity in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, September 10, 2021
China's Role in the Burgeoning Debt Challenge in Africa
The debt situation in Africa is changing very quickly as some countries race to negotiate urgent bailouts with the IMF while others are struggling to service their debts amid the ongoing pandemic. Pretty much every country across the continent is struggling right now. And China is a key player in every part of this story, whether it's as a major player in the G20's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) or as the primary bilateral creditor to at least ten countries that are now confronting rising levels of debt distress. Greg Smith, a former World Bank economist who's now an emerging markets fund manager at M&G Investment in London, chronicles Africa's debt challenges in a new book coming out soon that provides critical context to the current financial crisis that's now unfolding in many African countries and the role that China's played over the years. Greg joins Eric & Cobus to talk about his new book and to share his insights on the current debt situation on the continent. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ emsovdebt Amazon: Pre-order a paperback copy of Greg's book "Where Credit is Due: How Africa's Debt Can Be a Benefit, Not a Burden" SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target= "
Tue, September 07, 2021
Gauging the Effectiveness of Chinese Soft Power in Africa
It is very difficult, if not impossible, right now to accurately public opinion perceptions of China in a region as large and diverse as Africa. There are strong indications that point in opposite directions. African leaders one after another shower China with praise for its ongoing support of infrastructure development and COVID-19 vaccine distribution among other activities. Meantime, civil society views of China in many African countries are seemingly becoming increasingly negative amid a steady stream of violent videos appearing on social media show abuse of local workers along with reports of illegal immigration and widespread environmental violations by Chinese companies. Maria Repnikova, an assistant professor at Georgia State University, closely follows these trends and has conducted extensive field research on the issue in Ethiopia and elsewhere. She joins Eric & Cobus from Atlanta to discuss current trends in Chinese soft power in Africa and why Chinese training junkets for African elites are proving to be especially effective. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ mariarepnikova Amazon: Purchase a Kindle copy of Maria's book " Media Politics in China: Improvising Power under Authoritarianism " SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe
Fri, September 03, 2021
A Conversation With Wu Peng, China's Top Diplomat For Africa
This week Eric & Cobus sit down with Wu Peng, the director-general of the department of African affairs in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for his perspective on a wide range of issues that are impacting relations between the two regions. The conversation also features questions from a trio of experts in China-Africa relations including: Gyude Moore , a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development ( @gyude_moore ) Zainab Usman , director of the Africa program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace ( @MissZeeUsman ) Aggrey Mutambo, senior diplomatic affairs writer for the Daily Nation and The East African newspaper ( @agmutambo ) JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ wupeng_mfachina SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Tue, August 31, 2021
Can Africa Learn Anything From How China Runs Its State Companies?
As African countries work to rebuild their economies from the wreckage caused by the ongoing COVID pandemic, policymakers will be looking at what they can do to bolster their countries' state-owned enterprises (SOE). That may prompt them to examine China's model of SOE governance for some inspiration. Although China's SOE system is largely unique to China and would be impossible to replicate in African countries, Luke Jordan, a practitioner in resident at the MIT Governance Lab, recently suggested in a new paper published by SAIIA that are, in fact, certain attributes that African stakeholders should consider. Luke joins Eric & Cobus from Belin to discuss his paper and what specific lessons about China's SOE experience he thinks would be applicable in an African context. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ lukesjordan LinkedIn: Luke Jordan https://bit.ly/3mQfPvc SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, August 27, 2021
New Trends in Chinese Energy & Development Finance
U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry will be in China next week to pressure the government to renounce all future financing of coal power plants around the world. Although China generally does not respond well to foreign demands like this, Beijing may have already acceded to Kerry's request. So far this year, China hasn't financed a single overseas coal project. This is the first time that's happened in more than a decade and appears to be part of a growing trend to focus its development finance initiatives on greener, cleaner projects that are smaller and less risky financially. Christoph Nedopil, director of the Green Finance and Development Center at Fudan University, is among the world's leading experts in tracking Chinese sustainable energy finance, particularly in Belt and Road countries. He joins Eric & Cobus from Shanghai to discuss the findings from his latest BRI investment report for H1 2021 . JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ nedopil SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, August 18, 2021
Gyude Moore Reflects on a Week of Democracy, Debt & Despair
A lot of major developments this week in the China-Africa space following Zambia's landslide election victory for opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema and new debt repayment challenges in Kenya for the embattled Standard Gauge Railway. Gyude Moore, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, has been closely following these events and joins Eric & Cobus from Washington to also reflect on how what happened in Kabul might impact U.S. foreign policy towards Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ gyude_moore Apple Podcasts: Subscribe to Gyude's new podcast "Lagos to Mombasa" SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, August 13, 2021
Assessing the Impact of Anti-China Sentiment in the Global South
In many countries in Africa, Asia, and throughout the Global South there's often a large discrepancy between perceptions of China in civil society and among governing elites. This phenomenon has been on full display recently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where public anger surged in response to numerous videos circulating on social media that show the maltreatment of local mine workers by Chinese managers and reveal evidence of environmental violations by Chinese mining companies. Meantime, the President and Prime Minister studiously avoid these controversies as they work to attract more Chinese investment to the DRC. But does civil society hostility towards China have any measurable impact on a country's policies towards Beijing? Charles Dunst , an associate in the global macro practice at the Eurasia Group, argues that it might and leaders in Global South countries should be concerned. Charles joins Eric & Cobus from Washington to discuss his new article in World Politics Review on the subject . JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ charlesdunst SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#d
Wed, August 11, 2021
An Update on the Current State of China-Zimbabwe Economic Relations
China's ties with Zimbabwe are either going off the rails or are among the strongest most dynamic in Africa depending on who you listen to. Mounting civil society anger towards Chinese companies and their apparent disregard for local labor and environmental standards is becoming a huge problem. But at the same time, Chinese banks and enterprises are making huge investments in Zim's energy, mining and telecommunications infrastructure that's bringing badly needed jobs to this embattled country. Prolific Mataruse, a political science lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, closely follows Chinese economic trends in Zimbabwe. He recently contributed two chapters on the subject to a new China-Zim Economic Handbook published by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss his findings. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: w ww.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ prolificmataruse SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, August 06, 2021
A Peek Into the Mysterious World of Chinese Diplomacy
Chinese diplomats around the world are comprised of a mix of reclusive bureaucrats who strenuously avoid public engagement and a new generation of assertive, sometimes even downright aggressive so-called "Wolf Warriors" who wage combat with Beijing's critics. Why they behave the way they do is a mystery to most outsiders. But a new book by Bloomberg journalist Peter Martin, " China's Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy ," provides some fascinating insights on the people and principles that have shaped Chinese diplomacy since the 1950s. Peter joins Eric & Cobus from Washington, D.C. to discuss how current Chinese diplomatic practices are firmly rooted in the past. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ petermartin_pcm Amazon: purchase a Kindle edition of Peter's book: China's Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, August 04, 2021
China to Kenya: It's Payback Time
Kenya's National Treasury has resumed debt repayments to China after a 6-month debt deferral period expired in June. The Kenyan government had hoped to be able to extend that through the end of the year but Chinese creditors, namely the China Exim Bank, did not like that idea at all. Apparently, things got so bad that Chinese creditors halted disbursements for projects that are underway right now in Kenya.... bringing construction to a halt in some cases. Kenya's Foreign exchange reserves dropped by $249 million dollars between July 15 and the 21st. No one has explained where that money went but it's presumed that was the first debt payment sent to China this year. And this is only the beginning. For the 2021-2022 fiscal year that just started, Kenya is scheduled to transfer $1.1 billion to meet its debt servicing obligations with China. The China Africa Project's new Africa Editor, Cliff Mboya, joins Eric & Cobus this week from Nairobi to discuss the resumption of Kenya debt payments to China and what it says about the current state of China-Africa relations more broadly. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ c4mboya Purchase a copy of Lina's book: S haping the Future of Power: Knowledge Production and Network-Building in China-Africa Relations SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/p
Fri, July 30, 2021
China's Role in Re-Energizing the South Sudan Peace Process
South Sudan marked its tenth anniversary this month as an independent country. Regrettably, though, after a decade of civil war and divided government that has left at least 400,000 people dead and displaced a third of the population, there isn't much to celebrate. From the beginning, China's played an important role in South Sudan, from the creation of the country to playing a lead mediation role in the peace process to being the only major power with combat troops on the ground operating under UN command. With the peace process now largely stalled, a lot of people are now looking to Beijing to see what China can do to get the rival parties back to the table to bring about an end to the fighting. Wake Forest University Assistant Professor Lina Benabdallah recently moderated an invite-only workshop among leading Chinese and African scholars, activists, and former diplomats that examined what China can do to help revitalize the South Sudan peace process. Lina joins Eric & Cobus to share some of the highlights from that forum. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ lbenabdallah Purchase a copy of Lina's book: S haping the Future of Power: Knowledge Production and Network-Building in China-Africa Relations SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19
Fri, July 23, 2021
Welcome to the New Era of China-Africa Relations
China's apparent decision to bail on financing the $2.8 billion AKK pipeline in Nigeria is the latest evidence that Beijing's strategy to engage the continent has changed, a lot. This pipeline is now the third major project in Nigeria this year that Chinese financiers have walked away from. And it's happening elsewhere too. In Zimbabwe, China's largest bank, ICBC, bailed on the $3 billion Sengwa coal-fired power plant. This is a trend that's been underway for quite some time as Chinese infrastructure financing fell last year from $11 billion to just $3.3 billion. The fact is, Africa can no longer count on China to finance its massive infrastructure deficit. So, the key question now is what comes next? Sanusha Naidu and Arina Muresan, both researchers at the Pretoria-based foreign policy think tank Institute for Global Dialogue , are asking that same question in their research about the future of Chinese engagement on the continent. Both join Eric & Cobus from Johannesburg to discuss the implications of this new era in China-Africa relations. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ sanushanaidu | @ arinamuresan SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not
Wed, July 14, 2021
Tanzania Resumes Talks With China Over the Bagamoyo Port Deal. But Is It Too Late?
Tanzanian President Samia Hassan surprised a lot of people last month when she announced that talks with China had resumed over the controversial Bagamoyo port deal. This is the deal that President Hassan's predecessor, the late John Magufuli, famously halted back in 2019 when he said only a "drunkard" would accept the terms put forth by China Merchant Holdings International. Things have changed a lot since then and apparently, even Chinese President Xi Jinping is now open to the idea of restarting negotiations over the multibillion-dollar port expansion project. But President Hassan faces a tough challenge. First, the Chinese aren't spending the kind of money on big infrastructure projects as they used to in Africa. Secondly, there's a lot of port capacity now in East Africa, from Djibouti to Durban, so the economic feasibility of a big project like this remains an open question. Thabit Jacob, a post-doctoral researcher in the department of political science at the University of Gothenberg, and Muhidin Shangwe, a lecturer in the political science department at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, join Eric & Cobus to discuss the politics and economics surrounding the Sino-Tanzanian Bagamoyo port deal. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ thabitsenior | @ shangweberia SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at <a href= "https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell
Fri, July 02, 2021
When It Comes to China, Africa and Central Asia Have Quite a Bit in Common
It's not obvious, but when it comes to managing ties with China, countries in Central Asia and Africa have a lot more in common with one another than many would first assume. Both are among China's smallest trading partners that rely primarily on oil and other commodity exports. Countries in both regions have taken on quite a bit of Chinese debt to build infrastructure and both areas have complex civil society ties with China. And both Africa and Central are now important outposts along China's Belt and Road Initiative. Nargis Kassenova is a leading China-Central Asia expert at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. She joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the current dynamics surrounding China's engagement in the region and what lessons can be applied to countries in Africa and beyond. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ kassenovanargis SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, June 30, 2021
The Diplomat's Shannon Tiezzi on China and the Global South
While China's ties with Europe, the U.S., Japan, and other wealthy northern countries steadily worsen, Beijing is leaning harder on its relations with states in the Global South. The importance of those ties was on full display over the past week on a range of issues, everything from Xinjiang to online governance to infrastructure. Shannon Tiezzi, editor in chief of the Asia-Pacific news website The Diplomat and a well-known China-watcher, joins Eric & Cobus for a wide-ranging discussion on current trends in Chinese international relations with a focus on Beijing's engagement in Africa and other developing regions. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ shannontiezzi SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, June 23, 2021
DRC Wants to Renegotiate Chinese Mining Deals. It Won't Be Easy.
DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi last month traveled to the country's mining heartland in Upper Katanga to personally tell everyone that he's had enough of business as usual and that he plans to renegotiate unfair foreign mining contracts. While he didn't call out the Chinese by name, everyone knew that's precisely who was referring to given that 30 out of the 40 foreign mining companies operating in mineral-rich province are Chinese-affiliated. But it's not going to be easy for the President to follow through on that promise. After all, he doesn't have a lot of leverage against the Chinese given there isn't a lot of international competition to take their place if should they leave. He will also need their support for his upcoming re-election campaign in 2023. So, who's the President actually targeting with his new get-tough populist tone? Domestic stakeholders? The United States? Christian Géraud Neema Byamungu is an independent Congolese mining and policy analyst who's been closely following Tshisekedi's announcements and the rapidly shifting politics involving the Chinese in the DRC. He joins Eric & Cobus from Tokyo to explain what he thinks the President wants to achieve with the call to renegotiate the mining deals. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ christiangeraud SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my
Fri, June 18, 2021
An Update on Chinese Lending in Africa (It's Not Good News)
This week's launch of the new Lagos to Ibadan Standard Gauge Railway may be the last time for a long while that a big multibillion dollars infrastructure project like this is built in Africa using Chinese loans. Chinese development finance lending in Africa and elsewhere throughout the Global South has cratered in recent years and it appears that Beijing has, at least for now, lost interest in loaning vast sums of money to poor countries to build infrastructure. To be sure, Chinese creditors are still making loans, just that they're a lot smaller, less risky, and demand air-tight feasibility studies that almost guarantee they'll get their money back. Zainab Usman, Africa program director at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is closely following Chinese overseas finance trends to study the impact on the continent. She joins Eric & Cobus from Washington to discuss her latest analysis that explores " five key takeaways on Chinese lending in Africa ." JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ mszeeusman SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no
Wed, June 16, 2021
Chinese Entertainment is Finding New Audiences in Africa
Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee kung fu movies have long been popular in Africa. Now, however, Chinese entertainment content is expanding beyond martial arts to include sports and even soap operas. Chinese television dramas are now starting to find audiences in Africa and the Middle East thanks in part to the growing popularity of the pay-TV service StarTimes that dubs programs into dozens of African languages and tech companies like iQiyi that now Arabic language packages. Even the nascent Chinese Super League is starting to build a following on the continent. More African soccer players are competing in the Chinese professional league with games broadcast twice a day during the season to millions of homes across the continent on StarTimes. Freelance tech and digital culture journalist Chu Yang recently co-authored an article with journalist Soila Kenya published on the Chinese news and lifestyle website Sixth Tone that explores how Chinese digital trends are finding their way to Africa and other emerging markets. Chu joins Eric & Cobus from Denmark to discuss her latest report about whether Chinese so-called “C-Dramas” are gaining popularity in Africa . JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ chuyang_journ | @ solia_kenya SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.co
Fri, June 11, 2021
Chinese Cyber Sovereignty & Nigeria's #Twitterban
The Nigerian government justified the banning of Twitter on the basis of protecting the country's national interest, security, and sovereignty. Although the move was done for purely domestic political reasons, the government's defense is strikingly similar to the language that China pioneered more than a decade ago when it first introduced its "Cyber Sovereignty" model for internet governance. It shouldn't come as a surprise, though, that Nigeria may be following China's example by making the state a central actor in determining what its constituents can see and do online. Senior Nigerian officials for years have openly expressed admiration for China's rigid system of internet censorship and control. Emeka Umejei, a lecturer at the University of Ghana and an expert in Chinese media and communications, said the fact that China has been able to impose its will on the internet while at the same time fostering digital innovation presents a very appealing model for some African leaders. He joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the Nigerian Twitter ban and what connection, if any, it has with China's approach to online sovereignty. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ emekaumejei SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, June 04, 2021
Why Huawei's Much Ridiculed New OS Could Still Have a Big Impact in Africa
Huawei officially launched HarmonyOS this week, its new mobile operating system. The company was forced to build its own in-house OS after the Trump administration banned it from accessing key U.S. technologies including Alphabet's Android. While Harmony is widely derided, even ridiculed among the U.S. and European tech press (described as the " fake it till you make it " OS), there may be a market for it in Global South countries. First, it'll allow Huawei to get back in the mobile phone market in developing countries where it's lost a lot of ground. This means Huawei's going to sell phones for cheap. Very cheap. Secondly, Huawei is promoting HarmonyOS less as an Android replacement and more as a platform for the Internet of Things (IoT) which could allow the Chinese tech giant to leverage its already sizable network infrastructure presence in Africa to develop new connectivity initiatives. Henry Tugendhat , a senior China policy analyst at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., acknowledges that it's going to be tough going for HarmonyOS to gain traction in the market (remember PalmOS, Symbian, and Windows Mobile?) but he also thinks it would be unwise to write it off entirely . Henry joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the geopolitical dimensions of Huawei's new operating system and why he thinks it's important. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ hentug SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe he
Tue, June 01, 2021
China Moves Ahead With Vaccine Distribution While COVAX, U.S. Efforts Falter
By now, COVAX, the global vaccine alliance should have shipped almost a quarter of a billion doses to the world's poorest countries. That hasn't happened. In fact, the alliance has distributed just 72 million jabs, a tiny fraction of what's needed. Similarly, the United States has faltered in its efforts to send excess vaccines overseas now that inoculation rates at home are beginning to slow. This is leaving a huge opening for China to expand its already sizable vaccine distribution drive to places like Africa and elsewhere throughout the Global South. As of this week, according to the latest data from Bridge Consulting in Beijing , China has confirmed sales of 732 million doses and has actually delivered 256 million to countries in Asia, the Americas, and Africa among others. And those numbers are expected to rise quickly in the weeks ahead now that the Chinese-made Sinopharm has received the seal of approval from both the World Health Organization and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Bridge Consulting Policy and Advocacy Associate Zhou Zixiang is on the team that tabulates the weekly Chinese COVID-19 vaccine tracker report. He joins Eric & Cobus from Beijing to discuss which Chinese vaccines are going where. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @BridgeBeijing SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: <a href= "https://gate.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chinaafricaproject.com%2Fsubscribe&token=a4d949-1-1613532540599" rel="noopener noreferre
Fri, May 28, 2021
Uganda Wants to Make It Big in China's Booming Coffee Market
Uganda, like many African countries, suffers from an enormous trade deficit with China. Last year, according to UN figures, Uganda exported just $40 million worth of goods to China but imported more than $1.3 billion in return. The government in Kampala knows this is not sustainable in the long run and is now taking measures to address the problem by leveraging one of its most valuable exports: coffee. Uganda is looking to China to help quintuple the volume of coffee exports over the next five years. While that may sound ambitious, it may actually be achievable thanks to the surging demand for coffee in China's largest and wealthiest cities. Dr. Emmanuel Iyamulemye, managing director of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, and Frandan Tumukunde, a farmer and coffee marketing expert with extensive experience in China, are part of the team that's leading the effort to break into the Chinese market. Both join Eric & Cobus from Kampala to discuss how it's going so far and what kind of challenges they're up against. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Read Frandan Tumkunde's article: Can Ugandan Coffee Be the Next “Coffee Success” Story in China?: https://bit.ly/3uPb4CM CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive 2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South 3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Wed, May 26, 2021
Understanding China's Outlook on Global Aid & Development
The Chinese approach to global aid and development is very different than that of traditional donors in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. While Beijing is leveraging much of the existing global development infrastructure, including organizations like the IMF, the WHO, and the UN among others, they're bringing a very different philosophy in how aid is administered in developing countries. And just as in other areas of China's geopolitical engagement with the international community, their approach to aid and development is also creating points of friction, both with the legacy powers and even with stakeholders in a number of recipient countries. China's dedication to its non-interference doctrine and refusal to be fully transparent in aid delivery often leads to misunderstanding and tension. Peking University Professor Yao Yang, dean of the university's national school of development, joins Eric & Cobus from Beijing to discuss the Chinese outlook on global development and specifically how it differs from established Western norms. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque SUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news. 2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network 3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.com Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, May 21, 2021
China's Role in the African Infrastructure Financing Crisis
African infrastructure financing is facing a crisis. Financing levels have plunged from $100 billion a year in 2014 to just $31 billion last year, according to a new report published by the international law firm Baker McKenzie . This is a massive setback for the continent that's been working hard to fill a gaping infrastructure deficit the AfDB conservatively estimates is valued somewhere around a trillion dollars over ten years. And the situation has been made worse by the dramatic pullback in overseas development financing from China's two largest policy banks that have been the dominant funders of African infrastructure over the past 5-6 years. Wildu du Plessis , head of Baker McKenzie's Global Africa Practice and a co-author of the report, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the current state of African infrastructure financing and why, despite the current challenges, he nonetheless remains optimistic about the future. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque SUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news. 2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network 3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.com Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fri, May 14, 2021
What Should Be on the China-Africa Environmental Agenda?
Environmental issues once featured prominently on the China-Africa agenda where leaders on both sides focused on the wildlife trade, conservation, and a wide range of sustainability issues. Not any more. Today, it's all about access to COVID-19, trade, and the U.S.-China face-off. African leaders, for their part, are not prioritizing critical environmental issues in talks with their Chinese counterparts and, once again, it looks like sustainability will not be a key focus of the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit that's scheduled to take place in Senegal later this year. That's too bad because there's a lot to discuss. Two journalists, Zhang Zhizhu, a freelance environmental reporter in Beijing, and Terna Gyuse, a Cape Town-based contributing editor for the environmental news site Mongabay, join Eric & Cobus to discuss the top China-Africa environmental stories and why they feel these issues should be on the FOCAC agenda. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @ eolander | @ stadenesque | @ mongabay SUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news. 2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network 3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.com Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The China in Africa Podcast

In China’s Wake, India Tries a Cleaner, Fairer Mineral Path in Africa

Lessons From Southeast Asia on How to Manage Great Power Rivalries

South Africa's Active Yet Unequal Trade With China

WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Mining Disaster in Zambia

China, Africa, and the Post-American World

China, the U.S., and the Competition for Africa’s Strategic Resources

Zimbabwe’s Fight for Responsible Mining: Lessons for Africa & China

The End of the West and the Future of China

Tracking China's Dominance of the Transition Minerals Trade

Chinese AI, Automotive Tech Poised to Sweep Across Global South

Navigating U.S.-China Rivalry: Africa’s Strategic Response in the Trump Era

Debate: Is China a Helpful or Horrible Trade Partner for Global South Countries?

The U.S. or China: South Africa May Soon Have to Choose

[WEEK IN REVIEW] Who Gets to Tell the China-Africa Story?

U.S. Aid Freeze Creates New Opening for China in Africa

[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Role in the Panama Canal Controversy

Does Trump Help or Hurt China's Diplomacy in Africa?

The World According to Marco Rubio

China and the Global South in the Trump 2.0 Era

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Wraps Up Low Key Africa Tour

Why Views About China Are So Different in the Global North and South

[DOUBLE EPISODE] 2024 China-Africa Year in Review

Morocco is Now a Major Hub for Chinese Investment in Africa

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Don't Expect a Resolution to the South China Sea Crisis in 2025

Why Some African Countries Welcome Trump's Return to Power

[GLOBAL SOUTH] "Some Improvement" But Still a Long Way to Go to Resolve China-India Border Tensions

Fact-Checking International Media Coverage of Biden's Africa Tour

[WEEK IN REVIEW] China's Role in Africa's Energy Transition and Biden's Angola Trip

[GLOBAL SOUTH] China, Indonesia and the Great Power Competition for Transition Minerals

Xi Took Center Stage at G20 While African Union Kept a Low Profile

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Is China Building a New Military Base in Cambodia? Maybe. Probably.

Chinese Lending to Africa is Way More Complicated Than You Think

How Will Trump's Return to Power Impact China-Africa Ties?

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Update on the State of the BRI in the New "Small and Beautiful" Era

Chinese Companies Engage in Massive "Forest Looting" in the DR Congo

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Power Shift: China’s Role in Central Asia’s Renewable Energy Transformation

Stymied in the West, Chinese EV Brands Look to Expand in Africa

[GLOBAL SOUTH] India Claims Major Breakthrough in Border Stand-off With China

Global Gateway in Africa: Europe's Answer to China's Belt and Road

[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Paying a High Cost for Its "All-Weather" Relationship With Pakistan

Judd Devermont on the State of U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa

Beyond Railways and Ports: China's Evolving Lending Strategy in Africa

Negotiating Chinese Infrastructure Deals: Lessons From Two African Countries

Railroads and Rivalries in Southern Africa

[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Response to the Wars in the Middle East

[WEEK IN REVIEW] Illegal Chinese Miners in Ghana Have Been Warned

[GLOBAL SOUTH] How Persian Gulf Countries Are Responding to the U.S.-China Rivalry

Can China Help Africa Become the Next Factory of the World?

[DOUBLE EPISODE] The China-Africa Summit Debrief

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Why the U.S. is Struggling to Compete in the Global Competition for Critical Resources

[BONUS EPISODE] Chinese, African Perspectives on the FOCAC Summit

David Monyae on the Politics of FOCAC

[GLOBAL SOUTH] View From Israel: China's Growing Influence in the Middle East

Energy is Going to be the Hot Topic at Upcoming China-Africa Summit

African Priorities at the Upcoming China Summit

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Westlessness: A New Era Where the West Still Matters, Just Not as Much

China-Africa Summit Preview: What’s on the Agenda for FOCAC 9?

Jendayi Frazer on U.S.-China Geopolitical Competition in Africa

[GLOBAL SOUTH] The ASEAN Wonk on Great Power Politics in Southeast Asia

A New Vision for European Engagement in Africa (Beyond Confronting China)

China-Africa Relations as Seen From the United States

Who Gets to Tell the Africa-China Story?

The Impact of Chinese Overcapacity on Developing Countries

WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Debt and the Anti-Government Revolt in Kenya

[GLOBAL SOUTH] The Crisis in the South China Sea Enters a Dangerous New Phase

How China's Changing Economy is Impacting Africa?

It's Time to Take the BRICS More Seriously

The Future of Chinese Development Finance in Africa

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Jane Perlez on the Global South's Role in the U.S.-China Strategic Rivalry

The Hidden World of Chinese Manufacturing in Ethiopia

[GLOBAL SOUTH] What's Driving the Surge in Brazil's Business Ties With China

Illegal Chinese Timber Trade Fuels Insurgency in Mozambique

WEEK IN REVIEW: China in the Sahel | ChatGPT's take on China-Africa

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Indonesia's Role in the South China Sea Crisis

China-Africa Relations in the Era of Great Power Competition

Insights From Hannah Ryder on This Year's China-Africa Summit

WEEK IN REVIEW: The Chinese Supermarket Scandal in Nigeria

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Should China Use Its Influence With Iran to Help the U.S. and Israel?

U.S.-China Competition for Africa's Critical Resources