Author: Eric Olander
Eric Olander is the co-founder of the China Global South Project (CAP), 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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A Turbulent Week for China-Africa Media Narratives
Over the past week, sharply contrasting images of Chinese engagement in Africa surfaced online. Anger erupted on social media over the release of yet another violent video that shows Congolese soldiers brutally beating local miners purportedly at the behest of Chinese ...
View of the new M1 road in Malawi that was financed through a Chinese grant and built by Chinese contractors. Image by Raphael Mweninguwe.
Does the Chinese proverb "If you want to get rich, build a road first" ring true for Malawi? Or does this proverb apply only to Chinese construction companies rather than Malawians?
U.S. Sanctions Hong Kong Firms Over Illegal Mining in the DR Congo
The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed penalties on a pair of Hong Kong-based companies for "destabilizing activities in the DRC" that involved the purchase of illegally sourced minerals. The companies were allegedly operating in an area near the far eastern city ...
Rare U.S., China Alignment Over Designation of Pakistani Separatist Group as “Terrorists”
The U.S. announced this week that it would designate the Pakistani separatist militant group The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its affiliate The Majeed Brigade as a terrorist organizations. The move was well-received in Beijing. Monday's decision by the State ...
Direct Flights Between India and China Set to Resume as Part of Broader Rapprochement
A nearly five-year freeze in relations between India and China is quickly thawing ahead of a landmark visit to Tianjin later this month by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi's upcoming trip would mark his first visit to China in ...
Chinese-Made Helicopter Under Scrutiny in Crash That Killed Two Ghanaian Ministers
Ghanaian aviation investigators are looking into whether a technical malfunction onboard the Chinese-made Z-9 helicopter led to last Wednesday's crash in the central Ashanti region that killed eight people, including the country's defense and environment ministers. The Z-9, manufactured by the Harbin ...
U.S. Senator Seeks Review of Kenya’s ‘Major Non-NATO Ally’ Status, Citing China Ties
One of Washington's most powerful lawmakers is calling for the State Department to review Kenya's status as a Major Non-NATO Ally in response to Nairobi's close ties with China. U.S. Republican Senator James Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
China’s Happy With Its Iran Ties Just the Way They Are
There's been a lot of speculation in the aftermath of the brief U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran that Beijing would step in to bolster its longtime partners in Tehran. Rumors have been bouncing around that China will sell Iran advanced fighter jets ...
Zambian Documentary Slams Chinese Companies’ Environmental Record; Embassy Responds, Accuses Producers of “Hidden Motive”
The Chinese embassy in Zambia denounced an hour-long documentary program made by the independent national daily newspaper News Diggers that detailed extensive environmental and labor violations committed by Chinese mining companies operating in the country.
New Video Surfaces of Congolese Soldiers Beating Miners at the Behest of Chinese Nationals
The Congolese human rights NGO Justicia Asbl released a shocking video on Sunday that was purportedly recorded on July 23rd, showing Congolese FARDC soldiers beating a trio of local miners with their hands bound at the behest of Chinese nationals. The incident ...
[WEEK IN REVIEW] China Invests in Angola to Secure Food Supply Chains
Chinese construction giant Sinohydro signed a $100 million deal with Angola to build out the country's agricultural infrastructure in a bid to boost grain production. While 60% of the output from this venture will be shipped to China, the rest will ...
China’s Belt and Road Shatters Expectations With Record Activity
For much of the past two years, we've been told to expect a slimmer, more austere Belt and Road under the new "Small Yet Beautiful" mantra. The days of Chinese mega deals across the Global South were over... or so we ...
China’s Vital, Yet Poorly Understood Role in Africa’s Energy Sector
After a two-to-three-year hiatus following the pandemic, Chinese money is once again flowing into the African energy sector. Billions of dollars in new investment and construction contracts for power facilities were registered in the first half of the year, particularly in ...
Q&A: China’s ‘Feeling the Stones’ Approach to African Security Takes Shape
Chinese military engagement in Africa is rapidly expanding across all fronts. From peacekeeping deployments and military training programs to private security firms and dual-use infrastructure, Beijing’s approach to African security is layered, evolving, and at times opaque. But it's not clear if there's a grand strategy at ...