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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WEEK IN REVIEW: The First Meeting of the Zambia Creditor Committee to Convene in Paris this Week
The first meeting of the Zambia Creditor Committee, co-chaired by China and France, will convene on Thursday in Paris. IMF officials indicated on Wednesday that if everything proceeds smoothly with restructuring the country's $17.3 billion external debt, a bail-out deal with the fund could be reached by early ...
China, Western Countries Face Off (Again) Over Xinjiang at UN Human Rights Council
Human rights in China's western Xinjiang region was once again at the center of a bitter diplomatic feud that erupted on Wednesday at the opening session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. On one side, Holland submitted a letter ...
Qatar Reverses Decision to List Taiwan as a Province of China
World Cup organizers in Qatar appear to have reversed a decision to list ticket holders from Taiwan as being from China. Earlier this week, the Foreign Ministry in Taipei said it was "unacceptable" that its residents would be listed in the Gulf country's Hayaa ...
BBC Documentary Sparks More Reflective, Less Racist Discussion on Chinese Social Media
It took a few days, but the BBC Africa documentary "Racism for Sale," which showcased the trend of Chinese merchants selling offensive videos online that exploit Africans, finally made it over the Great Firewall and is now the subject of lively online discussions.
A Conversation With Huang Ping, China’s Consul General in New York
China's Consul General in New York City, Huang Ping, is a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in both North America and Africa. Prior to taking on the CG role in NYC, Huang was ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2015 to 2018.
TRANSLATION: Please Stop Now! Stop Exploiting African Children!!!
"Africa Bob" (波布非洲) is a popular Chinese commentator and content creator about African issues on WeChat. The following is a summary translation of his post that reflects on the controversy about the exploitation of African (Malawi) children used to produce short form videos by Chinese merchants. ...
Zambia’s Debt Talks Set to Get Underway But Final Deal Not Expected This Month
After months of delays, all of Zambia's international creditors will finally convene on Thursday to work out the details of how to restructure the country's $17.3 billion of external debt. The inaugural meeting of the official Creditor's Committee, co-chaired by China and France, will ...
China’s Top Diplomat for Africa Vows to Crack Down on Offensive Videos After Meeting With Malawi FM
China's top diplomat for Sub-Saharan Africa, Wu Peng, arrived in Lilongwe on Tuesday and tried to quell surging anger in the country over revelations in a new BBC documentary that showed how Chinese nationals in Malawi exploited children to produce offensive videos. The ...
Insider Explains Why Exploitative Videos Exposed by BBC Will Continue to Flourish Unless Chinese Government Bans Them
Just as the algorithms on U.S. digital media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are all optimized to display the most outrageous, inflammatory content in pursuit of higher engagement, the same is true in China. The so-called "blessing videos" featured in ...
Malawi Foreign Minister: “We Are Disgusted, Disrespected and Deeply Pained”
Following a BBC Africa investigation, Malawian ministers condemned the practice of using young children to produce highly exploitative videos that are then sold on Chinese social media platforms. "We are feeling disgusted, disrespected, and deeply pained," said Foreign Minister Nancy Tembo during ...
Chinese Embassy in Malawi Responds to Video Controversy With Disingenuous Statement
The Chinese embassy in Malawi's response to the escalating controversy over the exploitative videos uncovered in a new BBC Africa documentary did little to appease critics. The brief statement, published only on its official Twitter account, broadly condemned racism and then oddly noted ...
Chinese Social Media is Oddly Quiet About the Racism Accusations Uncovered in the BBC Documentary
Over the weekend, in the run-up to Monday's broadcast of the BBC documentary, some of the staff at the network were bracing for what they expected would be a forceful response from China's online supporters -- both Chinese and foreign. They ...