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.
Related Posts
The Kenyan Government Apparently is Unaware China Doesn’t Finance Railways in Africa Anymore
The Kenyan government is going to make one more attempt to try and persuade China's policy banks to lend them money to extend the Standard Gauge Railway from its current terminus in the Rift Valley all the way to the Ugandan border via Lake Victoria. ...
U.S.-Led Talks With Asian Countries Aims to Reduce Dependence on Chinese Supply Chains
The 14-member states of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) met in Detroit on Friday, where they said a deal to diversify supply chains beyond China is "substantially completed." U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo led the talks and said this ...
Chinese Ships Ignore Vietnam Demand To Leave Area Close to Russian-Run Gas Fields
A Chinese research ship and five escort vessels were in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Friday, close to gas blocks operated by Russian firms in the South China Sea, a day after Vietnam urged the ships to leave. The Chinese ...
[WEEK IN REVIEW] Chinese Hacking in Kenya & DRC President Goes to Beijing
This week CGSP Francophone Africa 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 ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Official Navigation Beacons Placed Close to Contested Spratly Islands in South China Sea
China’s Transport Ministry confirmed that three official navigation beacons have been placed close to the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. This follows a similar positioning by the Philippines as the countries pursue competing claims to the island group. Meanwhile, a Chinese naval vessel is on ...
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 ...
Geraud Neema on What DR Congo President Tshisekedi Hopes to Achieve During His Four-Day Visit to China
BBC WORLD SERVICE: The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, is scheduled to start a five-day visit to China today. It's his first official visit to Beijing. And among other things, the president wants to formally overhaul a $6 billion deal called the Sicomines ...
Difficult Conversations Underway in Beijing About China’s Mining Interests in the DR Congo
Even before DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, his ministers fanned across the Chinese capital earlier this week to lay the groundwork for what are going to be delicate negotiations over a pair of large, yet very contentious Chinese mining projects in the DRC. ...
Chinese Media is Surprisingly Quiet Over DRC President’s State Visit to Beijing
Congolese ministers have been in Beijing all week preparing for Wednesday's arrival of President Félix Tshisekedi. Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula met with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on Monday and Mining Minister N'samba Kalambayi held talks with both corporate and government stakeholders the following day. ...
The Chinese EV That Comes With a Uniquely South African Feature: Load Shedding Back Up
Chinese EV major BYD will launch its new compact electric crossover next month in South Africa. The BYD Atto 3 is a pretty standard EV with a range of about 420km. While car buyers in other countries might fret over the ...
Mix of Gratitude and Fear in Ghana Over China’s Role in the Country’s Ongoing Debt Crisis
Joy News, one of Ghana's largest media companies, published a pair of stories this week that revealed the complex emotions many in the West African country have about China's role in the ongoing debt crisis. On the positive side, the Ghanaian ...
South Africa’s Crumbling Railways Are Becoming a Threat to Global Supply Chains
Traffic on South Africa's main railway line that connects the country's urban hubs of Johannesburg and Pretoria with Africa's largest port in Durban operated at just 25% capacity last week -- hobbled by rampant theft, vandalism and damage. The 688-kilometer rail ...