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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U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will leave Tuesday on an 11-day, three-nation tour of Africa that Biden administration officials say is intended to rejuvenate ties on the continent and counter Chinese influence. Yellen will visit South Africa, Senegal, and Zambia, where debt issues are expected to feature prominently on ...
Why More Young Chinese Professionals Are Looking For Work in Africa
Near record high levels of youth unemployment in China is prompting more young graduates to look abroad for work, particularly in Africa. Recruiters say they can't find enough people to work in both private companies and Chinese state-owned enterprises as translators, ...
India’s External Affairs Minister Heads to Sri Lanka After China Sends Positive Signals on Debt Deal
The Sri Lankan government is now on the verge of closing a deal to secure a $2.9 billion emergency financial package from the International Monetary Fund following new assurances from its two largest bilateral creditors, India and China. Colombo got the desperately ...
The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka Goes on a Furious Twitter Rant to Rebut U.S. Ambassador’s “Spoiler” Accusations
The Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka did not take well to U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung's accusation that China is a potential "spoiler" in the South Asian country's debt restructuring process. The embassy was furious over remarks Chung made in an interview ...
It Won’t Come as a Surprise That Indians Are Skeptical of China, But New Poll Reveals Lots of Ambivalence About the U.S. Too
There's an emerging consensus in U.S. national security circles that bolstering ties with India will be the best way to confront China's surging influence in the Asia-Pacific region. But if that is the case, then it appears U.S. stakeholders have some ...
China’s Ties With India Will be Competitive and Confrontational Says Leading India Scholar
One of China's leading India scholars, Liu Zongyi, a senior fellow at the prestigious Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS), outlined a grim vision for the future of Sino-Indian relations, warning that they'll be contentious, competitive and even confrontational. Liu's outlook ...
Chinese Social Media’s Unusual Response to the Indonesian Labor Riots
Production is up and running again at a Chinese-owned nickel smelting plant in Indonesia following last week's violent uprising by laborers over poor working conditions. Two people, one Chinese and one Indonesian, were killed during the riot.
Chinese Trade was Bigger Than Ever Last Year, But 2023 has Everyone Worried
For the first time ever, China broke the symbolically important 40 trillion yuan ($6.27 trillion) record for global trade in a single year, according to new full-year 2022 trade data released by Chinese customs authorities. Overall, last year's 7.7% annual increase ...
Decoding China’s Record-Breaking 2022 Trade With Africa
China's trade with countries in Africa broke a new record in 2022 at $282 billion, up 11% from last year's $254 billion in two-way trade. The data reaffirms China's position as the continent's largest bilateral trading partner and shows it's solidly ...
Chinese FM Qin Gang Wraps Up Africa Tour in Egypt
Qin Gang concluded his first tour of Africa as Foreign Minister on Sunday in Cairo, where he met separately with his counterpart Sameh Shoukry, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. Since Friday, Qin traveled to Benin, Gabon and Angola. ...
Angola is Now a New Front in the U.S.-China Technology Duel
Technology, not oil, emerged as a key focus of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's brief visit to Angola on Friday. Qin visited Huawei's new $80 million technology park in the capital Luanda and later oversaw a signing ceremony with Finance Minister Vera ...
China’s Building Diplomacy in Africa Shows No Signs of Slowing in 2023
Add Gabon's Senate, known as Omar Bongo Ondimba Palace, to the long and growing list of African government buildings that will either be renovated or newly built using Chinese money and contractors. Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang alongside his Gabonese ...