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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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. ...
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Is China’s “Engineering State” the New Development Model for the Global South?
China’s rapid ascent from rural poverty to industrial superpower reshaped the global economy and established a new center of gravity for manufacturing. Today, Chinese factories anchor much of the world’s supply chains, producing goods at a speed and scale that few ...
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks ahead of the ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / POOL / AFP)
By Derek Grossman U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Malaysia in October for the annual ASEAN summit, along with his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s engagements throughout the region, offers fresh evidence of how the administration is faring on its Southeast Asia policy. The verdict ...
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 ...
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 ...
China Escalates Pressure on Japan and the Philippines With Coordinated Military Moves
China put on a major show of military force across its maritime periphery over the course of three days beginning on Friday in a bid to send a warning to its rivals in both Japan and the Philippines. Beijing deployed ...
Why China’s Ability to Make a $6 Toaster is a Big Problem for the Global South
China is breaking the rules of development. Typically, as countries progress up the value chain, they transition from agriculture to light industry, then to heavy industry, and ultimately to high-technology and services. And as they move up the value chain, this ...
Japan Protests at Chinese Diplomat Threat Over PM’s Taiwan Comments
Tokyo said Monday it had lodged a protest over a Chinese diplomat's online threat of decapitation made after remarks on Taiwan by Japan's new prime minister. In a now-removed post on X, the Chinese consul general in Osaka Xue Jian threatened ...
How China Changed Its Image in the African News Media
Ten years ago, African news coverage of China's engagement on the continent was often quite negative and repackaged many of the critical Western narratives. Today, the situation is very different. China has spent considerable resources ...
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
Six Chinese warships recently converged in the Gulf of Aden for a handover ceremony as one task force group relieved another to conduct patrols as part of the multinational anti-piracy operations. China has been an active participant in this initiative ...
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 ...