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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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.
New Chinese Naval Escort Task Force Joins Multinational Anti-Piracy Operations in the Gulf of Aden
The People's Liberation Army Navy's 42nd naval escort taskforce began operations in the Gulf of Aden last Saturday as part of the 14-year-long multinational anti-piracy campaign off the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden. The newly-arrived Chinese vessels replaced ...
Despite Huge Problems, Pakistan Remains Indispensable to China
It has been a difficult year for China in Pakistan. A burgeoning economic crisis in the South Asian country threatens to undermine the multibillion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor development initiative while anti-Chinese terrorism has surged in recent months.
Why Developing Countries Should Be Worried About Xi’s Congress Speech
Watching Xi Jinping's big speech at the 20th Party Congress, I kept wondering if anyone at the foreign ministries in Kenya, Chile, or Morocco was also watching the live feed. My guess is probably not very many. I get it, listening ...
G7 Finance Ministers Step Up Criticism of China Over Global South Debt Relief, China Blames U.S.
China's apparent refusal to send officials to last week's annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund prompted widespread criticism from G7 finance ministers who accused Beijing of not doing enough to help resolve the growing debt crisis in Africa and other developing regions.
Long Awaited Debt Restructuring Talks Between China and Sri Lanka Get Underway
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe confirmed that after months of inaction, debt restructuring talks with China have finally begun. The President said in a statement on Sunday that he personally spoke with Chinese Finance Minister Liu Kun on the issue and that a ...
Indonesian President Joko Widodo Does Final Site Inspection of New Chinese-built High Speed Railway
Indonesian President Joko Widodo got his first look at Southeast Asia's only high-speed railway that will cut travel times between Jakarta and Bandung from three hours to just 40 minutes. The 142km railway, now 90% complete, is a big gamble for ...
China Moving to Expand CCP’s Legal Influence Abroad, Says Report
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is moving to expand its legal influence overseas, both in pursuit of its own objectives and as part of a broader effort to blunt the impact of U.S. extraterritorial laws, according to a new report published on Monday by the Center for ...
Q&A: How the Ministry of Public Security Factors Into China’s Drive to Expand the CCP’s International Legal Influence
To fully understand the drive behind China's desire to expand its legal influence to other countries, it's critical to better comprehend the underlying "rule by law" legal vision and what administrative mechanisms the CCP has at its disposal to carry out this kind of initiative.
Chinese Mining Giant CMOC Bats Back Fresh Rumors Its TFM Cobalt Mine in the Congo Has Been Suspended
Chinese mining giant CMOC (previously known as China Molybdenum) denied new rumors that Congolese authorities had shut down operations at its massive TFM copper and cobalt mine in the southern DRC. "At present, TFM's production and operation are normal,"
WEEK IN REVIEW: A Massive Strike in South Africa Threatens to Cripple the Country’s Logistics Sector, Jeopardizing Vast Amounts of China-Bound Exports
A massive strike is now underway in South Africa that threatens to cripple the country's logistics sector, jeopardizing vast amounts of China-bound exports including strategic resources like cobalt. 76,000 workers at SA's state-run port and rail operator walked off the job to demand higher wages. Already one company, ...
Debt in Africa: Everyone’s Watching What China Does in Zambia
The United Nations Development Program issued a new report this week that once again sounded the alarm on the urgent need for debt relief in the world's poorest countries. The UNDP said 54 countries are at risk, with African countries accounting ...