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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Latest Al-Shabab Attack in Kenya Prompts High-Level Security Talks With China’s Ambassador
High-level talks between three Kenyan ministers and Chinese ambassador Zhou Pingjian took place at the Interior Ministry in Nairobi on Tuesday to discuss the worsening security situation in Lamu county where Chinese contractors have been the victims of recent terrorist attacks.
Huawei Marine is Nearly Finished Laying the 720km SHARE Cable Between Senegal and Cabo Verde
HMN Tech, a subsidiary of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, is almost finished with constructing the 720-kilometer undersea data cable that will link Senegal with the small island state of Cabo Verde off the coast of West Africa. The project, ...
Chinese Embassy in Nigeria Warns Against Overstaying, Kidnapping, Organ Harvesting
Chinese diplomatic missions in Nigeria issued stern warnings to Chinese nationals in-country not to overstay their visas and to be more attentive to their personal security. The latter message also warned residents against the danger of kidnapping, saying that victims also face the danger of having their organs harvested. ...
Nairobi Expressway Workers’ COVID Woes
As Kenya eagerly awaits the opening of the new Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway, concerns about workers and costs are surfacing. The Nation newspaper reported that the contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), has reportedly refused to let some workers return to their hometowns since March 2020. This ...
Kenya’s Artisans Decry Chinese Imports
Artisanal craftspeople in Kenya are complaining that they’re being edged out by cheap Chinese imports. The national broadcaster KTN’s report comes as Kenya tries to deal with its massive Chinese trade imbalance. Trade numbers show the country imported about $4 billion worth of goods from ...
Major Setback For Chinese Mining Interests in Guinea as Junta Suspends Simandou Iron Ore Project
China's long-term ambition to reduce its dependence on Australian iron ore suffered a major setback late last week when Guinea's ruling junta ordered the immediate suspension of all activities at the massive Simandou mine. Interim President Mamady ...
While Guinea’s Iron Ore Sales to China Stall, Bauxite Shipments Continue Apace
New shipments of Guinean bauxite arrived in China's northeastern rustbelt zone of Shandong province last week, helping to ease supply constraints of the essential ingredient used to manufacture aluminum. Guinea has emerged as a vital supplier to China ...
An Update on China-Kenya Ties With Journalist Eliud Kibii
China's ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian sat down with a local reporter Eliud Kibii from The Star newspaper earlier this month for a rare one-on-one interview. Chinese diplomats tend to be quite media shy so it's news whenever ...
New Senate Resolution Prepares Ground for U.S.-Africa Summit With an Eye on Countering Chinese Influence
The United States is moving forward with plans for a U.S.-Africa leaders’ summit, focused on containing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent. The China Global South Project received a copy of a recent Senate Resolution 538, which fleshes out the summit plans, following
Nickel Trading Halted on the London Metals Exchange Following a Chinese Company’s $8 Billion Loss
Authorities at the London Metal Exchange took the unprecedented move to halt trading in nickel on Tuesday after prices for the metal doubled to $100,000 a ton. The sharp upsurge came in response to concerns over supply disruptions in Russia, one of the world's largest ...
The Tsingshan Nickel Crisis Couldn’t Have Come at Worse Time for Zimbabwe
News that Chinese steel and mining giant Tsingshan Holdings Group now faces a staggering $8 billion trading loss over short sales of nickel is no doubt prompting considerable anxiety among policymakers in Zimbabwe. Just this week, Tsingshan's local subsidiary in Zimbabwe, ...
Nigeria’s Transport Minister Once Friendly Ties With Chinese Contractors Appears to Sour
Nigerian Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi is scheduled to meet on Wednesday with officials from the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC.) The meeting is widely expected to be contentious, because of the slow pace of work on the 203 kilometer Kaduna to Kano railway.