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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Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Said He’s “Not Aware” of Reports Xi Will Travel to Saudi Arabia Next Month
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian tried to tamp down mounting speculation that President Xi Jinping will travel to Saudi Arabia next month to attend a pair of summits. Zhao brushed aside a question on the issue from Reuters at the regular press briefing ...
Chinese State Media Tries to Put a Positive Spin on Trade Ties With Tanzania
The Communist Party-run tabloid Global Times is trying its very best to send a positive message about the state of China's trade with Tanzania. On Tuesday, the newspaper featured an interview with Chinese ambassador Chen Mingjian who touted the recent announcement to remove tariffs on ...
Just as in Nigeria, Kenyan Lawmakers Are Also Confused About What It Means to Waive “Sovereign Immunity” in Chinese Loan Contracts
Anger is mounting across Kenyan society over the terms of the loan agreements with the China Exim Bank for the multi-billion dollar Standard Gauge Railway that were released by the government on Sunday. Members of Parliament are sounding off in the ...
New Undersea Cable Will Link China to a Trio of Countries in Southeast Asia
Six telecom carriers from four countries in Asia signed an agreement to build a new regional undersea high bandwidth cable. The $300 million Asia Link Cable system will stretch 6,000 kilometers from southern China to the Philippines, Brunei and Singapore.
Emerging Trends and Myths in Africa-China Relations: Live From Johannesburg
China's relationship with Africa is undergoing profound change in the post-pandemic era. Chinese engagement on the continent has fallen precipitously with a massive drop in people-to-people exchanges, development finance lending, and academic engagement.
New Kenyan Government Releases Controversial Chinese Loan Agreements For Standard Gauge Railway
Kenya's new Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, rocked the political establishment in Nairobi over the weekend when he released the first details about the controversial multi-billion dollar loan from China to build the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
Why Kenya Should Have Never Borrowed So Much Money From China to Build the Standard Gauge Railway
The Kenyan national television network KTN broadcast a scathing 10-minute mini-documentary on Sunday that detailed the controversial history of the Standard Gauge Railway and how the lack of proper due diligence set the project to fail from the start. The focal ...
Loan Revelations Spark New Confusion Over Whether Kenya’s Port of Mombasa Can Be Seized by China
There is renewed anxiety in Kenya over whether the Port the Mombasa is at risk of being seized by Chinese creditors in the event that the government fails to repay the loan for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
Even Amid Debt Crisis, Kenya Still Wants to Extend SGR to Ugandan Border
The burgeoning fiscal crisis in Kenya is not dampening the government's ambition to extend the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway from the Naivasha in the Rift Valley all the way to Kisumu near the border with Uganda. “This project will only make ...
Huawei Eyes Expansion in the DR Congo
A delegation of senior executives from Huawei's Africa division met on Friday with Congolese Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde at his office in Kinshasa to discuss "the DRC's digital development." No other details about the meeting were made available. Huawei is leaning ...
Why Sharif’s Recent Visit to Pakistan Wasn’t as Successful as Many Think
Dear Eric and Cobus, Because I know you all care deeply about this topic, I thought I’d share my take on the Pakistan-China relationship and what came out of PM Sharif’s recent Beijing trip. I’m saying this because I’ve got a ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Canada To Become Newest Member of the U.S.-Led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)
Canada will become the newest member of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a loose group of Asia-Pacific countries ostensibly aimed at countering China. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said the move is part of a new Canadian initiative to "deepen engagement with the U.S.” in the Asia-Pacific region. ...