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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China and India Meet to Calm Tensions, but Emphasize Different Priorities
Senior diplomats from China and India met in New Delhi on Tuesday for talks aimed at further de-escalating tensions between the two Asian neighbors. Chinese Executive Vice Minister Ma Zhaoxu met with India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on the sidelines of a ...
The China Factor Missing From the Headlines at This Year’s African Mining Indaba
The mining industry’s most important annual gathering is underway this week in Cape Town, South Africa, where corporate and government elites are convening for what is typically a routine, largely unremarkable business conference. This year is a little different.
The Development Finance Corporation and the U.S.-China Competition in the Global South
When the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) was launched in 2019, a big part of its mandate from Congress was to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative. That sentiment was a key theme on Capitol Hill late last year during the ...
U.S. Pushes New Critical Minerals Bloc to Counter China
The United States wants to build a new global critical minerals supply chain through a new alliance that aims to stabilize prices and reduce dependence on China. Africa sits at the center of this shift, particularly the Democratic Republic of the ...
Panama Hits Back After China Warns of ‘Heavy Price’ in Ports Row
Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino on Wednesday rejected China's threat to make the Central American country pay a "heavy price" after a Hong Kong company was evicted from two ports on the Panama Canal. Writing on X, Mulino "strongly" rejected the ...
Senators Push $70 Billion Funding Deal to Support Trump’s Critical Minerals Push, FT Reports
Senators will introduce legislation on Wednesday to reauthorize funding for the United States Export-Import Bank for the next decade, as lawmakers try to inject an extra $70 billion into the agency to support U.S. President Donald Trump's critical minerals push, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
China Warns Panama of ‘Heavy Prices’ to Pay After CK Hutchison Contract Quashed
China warned Panama on Tuesday there would be "heavy prices" to pay after a court ruling there annulled Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison's contract to operate two ports at the Panama Canal. China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office called the ruling ...
Peru Exports Jump as China Trade Accelerates After Chancay Port Launch
Peru's exports hit a new record in 2025, jumping 21% from the prior year, fueled by the launch of a massive port on the country's central coast. The South American country's exports totaled $90.08 billion last year, thanks to higher sales ...
Why the Belt and Road Is Back in a Big Way
There's been a lot of discussion in recent years about the financial health of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Critics contend the BRI became overstretched, bankrupting borrowers and straining creditors suffering from a weakening Chinese economy.
After a Panama Port Decision, Washington Faces Hard Choices on China and the Canal
U.S. government officials celebrated last week's decision by the Supreme Court in Panama to nullify the contract for a Hong Kong-based company to operate ports along the country's two coasts, leading into the canal zone. A lot of people erroneously thought ...
U.S. to Buy 100,000 Tonnes of Congolese Copper Sourced From a Chinese-Run Mine
The United States is going to source 100,000 tonnes of copper from the state-owned mining company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gécamines, ostensibly to help the U.S. diversify its sourcing of the red metal beyond China-controlled supply chains. What's ...
Claims U.S. Pressured Kenya to Halt Trade Deal With China Proven False, Says Fact Checking Group
There is no evidence to support the social media meme that falsely claimed the United States pressured the Kenyan government to halt trade talks with China, according to the reputable fact-checking website Africa Check. Africa Check traced the origins of the ...