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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China’s Evolution from “Rules Taker” to “Rules Maker” in Development Finance
As China’s economic influence expands, so does its ambition to shape the very system that once constrained it. In this episode of The China-Global South Podcast, Eric speaks with Greg Chin and Kevin Gallagher from Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center about
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Kenya’s Chinese Debt Swap Comes With a Hidden Currency Risk
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US President Donald Trump speaks at the American Business Forum at the Kaseya Center in Miami on November 5, 2025. (Photo by Chandan Khanna / AFP)
U.S. President Donald Trump will host all five Central Asian leaders in Washington on Thursday, marking the first time they have been gathered together. This comes just a few months after they held separate summits with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. ...
Riyadh and Beijing Push Ahead With Tech Cooperation as Saudi Firms Distance From Huawei
Saudi Arabia and China are moving to deepen their already sizeable cooperation across a range of advanced technologies. The kingdom’s National Industrial Development Center held a meeting on Wednesday with a delegation comprising leaders of 30 leading Chinese companies. Led by ...
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng Meets Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Sidelines of Qatar Summit
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari briefly on Wednesday for a bilateral session on the sidelines of the World Summit for Social Development in Qatar. The two sides exchanged the usual pleasantries, with each side
Chinese Warships Gather in Gulf of Aden for Naval Handover Ceremony
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China’s Wang Yi Urges Resumption of Iran Nuclear Talks in Call With Tehran’s Foreign Minister
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone on Wednesday with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and called for the resumption of nuclear talks. “The current political process for resolving the Iran nuclear issue is at a standstill, and this is not ...
What a Routine Hunan Delegation Says About China’s Evolving Africa Strategy
A delegation from Hunan province met with officials from the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry this week in Nairobi for what appeared to be pro forma discussions about enhancing trade and cooperation between the East African country and the central Chinese province.
China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Unit to Build 70 MW Solar Plant to Power Lithium Processing in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe-based Prospect Lithium, a unit of Chinese mining giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, announced that it will begin construction on a new 70 megawatt off-grid solar facility that will be used to power early-stage lithium processing. The company invested $400 million to build ...
Copper’s Bull Run Faces Reckoning as China Weighs Production Caps
There's been a dramatic turnaround in the price of copper on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, with the red metal suffering its largest one-day loss in three weeks on Tuesday. What's unusual here is that just last week, prices of the red ...
Chinese Scholars See Russia’s Venezuela Strategy as a Model of Hybrid Power Projection in the U.S.’ Backyard
As U.S.–Venezuela ties unravel, a new analysis by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), arguably the country's most influential think tank, claims Moscow is turning Caracas into a key foothold in the Americas: blending military power, energy diplomacy and "anti-hegemonic strategy" to challenge the U.S.
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Kenyan President William Ruto led a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for a new $800 million geothermal power facility that will produce 100,000 tons of green ammonia and fertilizer annually. The project, a joint venture between China's Kaishan Group and the state-owned ...
South Africa Fast Emerging as a Major Hub For Chinese Auto Sales and Manufacturing
Chinese automakers are ramping up their sales outreach and manufacturing operations in South Africa, Africa's dominant auto market that accounts for somewhere between a third to a half of all sales on the continent. State-owned auto giant BAIC announced it will ...
Chinese Embassy Rebukes European Official’s Critique of Ghana Trade Relations
The Chinese embassy in Ghana blasted remarks by David McAllister, chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, who led a six-member delegation to visit legislators in Accra and warned about the dangers of becoming overly reliant on China for trade and investment.
Philippines and Canada Seal Troop Pact, Expanding Manila’s Web of Defense Ties Amid China Tensions
The Philippines and Canada signed a visiting forces agreement on Sunday, allowing Canadian troops to conduct joint exercises, deepening defense ties amid rising tensions with China in the South China Sea. The pact follows similar deals Manila signed with New Zealand, ...