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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Hondura’s President Announces That’s She’ll be Traveling Soon to Beijing to Sign “Auspicious Agreements”
Honduran President Xiomara Castro looked visibly pleased with her decision to switch ties from Taiwan to China last week when she announced on Twitter that she'll soon be headed to Beijing to sign a raft of new agreements. The President did not ...
China’s Lending Money Again to Countries in the Americas
Chinese lending to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean is gaining momentum. For the second year in a row, China's two largest policy banks have increased lending to countries in the region, albeit in much smaller amounts than what they ...
Harris Arrives in Zambia Where China Questions Will Loom Much Larger Than in Ghana
U.S. Vice President landed in Zambia on Wednesday for the second leg of a three-nation, week-long Africa tour. During her first stop in Ghana, the Vice President assiduously tried to avoid any reference to China despite persistent questions from the traveling ...
Fierce Debate Underway in the DR Congo Over Whether China Has Met Its Infrastructure Development Obligations
The Congolese stakeholders in the controversial Chinese mining joint venture Sicomines are calling for further revisions to the controversial multibillion-dollar resource-for-infrastructure deal. At issue are stark differences in what the Congolese side believes it's owed in terms of infrastructure development and ...
Georgetown University’s Ken Opalo Why the U.S. Can’t Compete With China in Africa
Until the Biden administration released its new strategy for Africa last August, U.S. foreign policy towards the continent had been largely shaped by a longstanding desire in Washington to challenge China's growing presence there. Going all the way back to the ...
After a Setback in Honduras, Taiwan’s Diplomacy Gets a Small Boost in the South Pacific
The Fijian government allowed Taiwan to reinstate the old name of its representative office in the South Pacific island country to include its official moniker "The Republic of China." While a simple name change may not seem like a big deal, in ...
Chinese Central Bank Official Explains Why Beijing Is so Worried About Debt Restructuring
A senior official with the People's Bank of China, the country's central, provided new insights as to why Beijing is demanding that multilateral development banks (MDBs) also take losses on their loans to developing countries -- a key sticking point that has brought debt restructuring processes in several ...
Chinese Scholars See U.S. Veep’s Africa Tour in the Context of Great Power Competition
One stop into her week-long, three-nation African tour, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to mention the "C" word. But China is very much on the minds of her traveling press corps that seems to take every opportunity ...
China to Decide When Brazilian President Will Visit, Says Minister
The Chinese government will be responsible for choosing a new date to host Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after his state visit to Beijing was postponed over the weekend due to illness. Monday would have marked the start of a ...
Honduras Says Adiós Taiwan, Formally Establishes Diplomatic Ties With China
Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina looked visibly pleased this weekend when he shook hands with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang after the pair formally oversaw the establishment of diplomatic ties. The signing ceremony took place at the Diaoyutai State ...
China’s Party-run Media Frames Honduras Switch as Part of Larger Struggle Against the U.S., Taiwan Independence
The Communist Party-run Global Times newspaper boasted in a series of articles over the weekend in both their English and Chinese editions that Honduras's decision to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan is both a victory against "Taiwan separatists" and an embarrassment for the United States:
U.S. Analysts, Scholars Skeptical About the Benefits to Honduras From Ties With China
Honduran officials maintain that the decision to abandon ties with Taiwan in favor of China was an economic decision inspired by the hope of boosting Chinese trade and investment. But a number of U.S.-based scholars and analysts caution that those hopes ...