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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Annoyed With the U.S., Saudi Arabia Pivots to Asia
The steadily deteriorating ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia are coinciding with what appears to be a concerted shift by the Kingdom to foster closer ties with Asia's largest powers, namely China, India, and South Korea. On Friday, Saudi ...
South Korea’s Growing Reliance on Saudi Oil Could Make It Vulnerable in the Event of a Taiwan Conflict
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How the U.S. Should Respond to China’s Growing Military Presence in the Middle East and North Africa
The latest U.S. National Security Strategy released this month singled out China as “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge," and nowhere is that contest more on display than in the Middle East. After decades of fighting wars in the region and cozying up ...
Poll: More People Still Prefer U.S. Over China as Global Superpower, But to What Extent Depends on Where You Live
The divide between how people in wealthy advanced countries perceive China and those in poorer, less developed countries appears to be widening, according to the findings of a new year-long international poll conducted by the UK-based YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project. ...
No, Jackie Chan Didn’t Wear a T-Shirt Promoting Uganda’s First Son to Be “The Next President”
The fact-checking team at Pesa Check debunked a photo that's been circulating on Twitter and Facebook showing Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan purportedly wearing a t-shirt with a photo of the first son of Uganda, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, with the caption "The Next President."
Where Does Africa Fit in Xi Jinping’s New Foreign Policy
Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined a more assertive foreign policy vision during his closely-followed address at the 20th Party Congress in Beijing last Sunday. He made it clear that China's new foreign policy priorities will focus primarily on competition with the ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Singapore Prime Minister Said There Is No Consensus yet About China Joining the Trans-Pacific Trade Pact CPTPP
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long said there is no consensus yet about China joining the trans-Pacific trade pact CPTPP. Although Prime Minister Lee said on Tuesday that he personally believes China would be able to meet the bloc's admission requirements, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell is on ...
C’Mon Joe! You Gotta Show Up If You Want to Be in The Game!
U.S. diplomats in the Bangkok embassy are no doubt gnashing their teeth over reports that started to circulate this week claiming U.S. President Joe Biden plans to skip the upcoming APEC summit that's set to take place in the Thai capital next month.
China-Kenya Ties at a Critical Stage as Ruto Meets With Envoy at State House
Kenyan President William Ruto reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining strong ties with China during talks on Tuesday at the State House with Ambassador Zhou Pingjian. Neither the President's office nor the Chinese embassy released specific details of what the two discussed ...
What Kenya’s Embattled Standard Gauge Railway Tells Us About the Future of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
The Wall Street Journal has published a series of articles and videos over the past three weeks detailing what they're describing as "Belt and Road 2.0" -- a slimmed down, much more conservative version of the nearly ten-year-old Chinese global infrastructure initiative.
More Nuance Needed in Discussion About Xi’s Party Congress Speech and What It Signals About China’s Engagement in the Global South
A recent column by CGSP Editor-in-Chief Eric Olander that said Xi Jinping's speech at the 20th Party Congress last Sunday pointed to a re-prioritization of Chinese foreign policy objectives focused primarily on competition with the U.S. and fortifying its near-abroad sparked a robust discussion online.