Author: Eric Olander
Eric Olander is the co-founder of the China Global South Project, an independent, non-partisan media initiative dedicated to exploring every facet of China’s engagement in Africa. Eric is a fluent Mandarin-speaker and a longtime China-watcher with more than 25 years of journalism experience at many of the world’s leading media companies, including CNN, the BBC, and FRANCE24, among others. He received his undergraduate degree in East African History from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a master’s degree in Chinese Public Affairs from the University of Hong Kong.
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How China Uses Parliamentary Buildings to Build Influence in Africa
China has funded, designed, and built more than 200 government buildings across Africa, including the headquarters of the African Union and Ecowas, foreign ministry annexes in Ghana and Kenya, and at least 15 national parliaments. ...
Indonesian workers of PT. Huadi Nickel Alloy in Bantaeng Industrial Park (KIBA), South Sulawesi protesting about labor conditions at the smelter on July 16, 2025. Image via @PCFSGlobal.
Last month, LBH Makassar, a legal-aid organization in eastern Indonesia that represents workers and low-income communities, delivered an open letter to the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta. The letter describes serious labor violations at PT Huadi Nickel Alloy Indonesia, a Chinese-invested nickel smelter operating in Bantaeng, a coastal district in South ...
China at COP30 and the New Politics of Climate Change
With the U.S. absent from two major international summits this month, the G20 in South Africa and the COP30 in Brazil, we got an early look at what the post-American order is starting to look like. In both instances, China moved ...
With Washington Absent, China Seizes the Stage at G20 in Johannesburg
Chinese Premier Li Qiang was very busy at this weekend's G20 summit in Johannesburg, where he seemed at ease that Donald Trump and the U.S. delegation stayed home, for the most part. There's no doubt that had Trump been there, the ...
Uganda’s First Zero-Tariff Exports to China Depart, Underscoring Challenge of Low-Value Goods
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni proudly waved his national flag at a send-off ceremony on Friday for 11 tons of dried chili bound for China. This shipment is among the first Ugandan exports to China that will benefit from Beijing's new zero-tariff ...
As EU Courts Africa on Minerals and Development, China’s Presence Remains Unspoken but Central
Although China is not officially on the agenda at the two-day African Union-European Union summit that began on Monday in Angola, Beijing's increasingly expansive role on the continent will be a major undercurrent at the gathering. Most importantly, European leaders are ...
Li Focuses on Major Power Diplomacy, Not Global South, in G20 Bilateral Sessions
It's customary during gatherings like the G20 summit that took place in Johannesburg this weekend that Chinese leaders pack the limited time they have for bilateral meetings in a speed-dating style format. Premier Li Qiang, though, broke with that custom during ...
G20 Communiqué Reflects Both China’s Priorities and Growing Concerns Over Mineral Export Controls
Chinese Premier Li Qiang took full advantage of the U.S. absence at this weekend's G20 summit in Johannesburg to shape the final communiqué in ways that aligned with Beijing's priorities on multilateralism, debt, and, most notably, critical minerals. Consistent with previous ...
Chinese Nationals’ Role in Africa’s Illicit Weapons, Mining, and Money Flows
There's mounting evidence from the United Nations and others that Chinese organized crime syndicates are moving more of their operations from countries in Southeast Asia to Africa. These groups are contributing to a surge in illicit crypto mining, scam centers, illegal wildlife trafficking, ...
Poll: China Makes “Startling” Gains as the World’s Preferred “Leading Power”
Favorable views of the United States have fallen sharply over the past year while perceptions of China have improved significantly, according to the findings of a new poll that surveyed 32,000 people in 32 countries. The survey was conducted for The ...
Xi Can Skip the G20 Without Losing Africa. For Trump, It’s Different.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's predictable decision not to attend this Saturday's G20 summit in Johannesburg is sparking quite a bit of chatter among journalists and other observers that Beijing is somehow dissing South Africa and downgrading the G20 as a whole. ...
IMF Warns Kenya Over Risks of Converting Debt to Yuan
The International Monetary Fund cautioned Kenya over the dangers of converting U.S. dollar-denominated loans to new loans priced in Chinese yuan. In October, Kenya announced that it plans to convert the remaining $3.5 billion of debt owed to the China Exim ...
JD Logistics Launches China–Vietnam Cargo Route, Deepening E-Commerce Integration
JD Logistics, the logistics arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Jing Dong or JD.com, announced the debut of a new 2-3 times a week cargo service between the eastern Chinese industrial hub city of Wuhu, along the Yangtze River delta, and Hanoi. WHY ...
China Showcases Stability as Thailand’s King Visits Amid U.S. Trade Rift
Thailand's travel-averse King Maha Vajiralongkorn made his first official visit to China since ascending to the throne nine years ago. On Friday, the king, accompanied by his wife Queen Suthida, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who sought to portray his government as a more stable, predictable partner than ...