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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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 ...
Uruguay’s President Arrives in Beijing for Week-Long Visit
Uruguay President Yamandu Orsi landed in Beijing on Sunday to kick off a seven-day visit to China that will include talks with President Xi Jinping. Although Uruguay is one of China's smaller trade partners in South America (total two-way trade around ...
After Panama Port Ruling, False Claims Spread About China’s Role in the Canal
The Panamanian Supreme Court ruling that annulled Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison's contracts to operate a pair of ports on either side of the Panama Canal prompted loud, triumphant reaction from conservative and MAGA stakeholders, including many who took to X to incorrectly declare "China had been kicked ...
China Bristles After Panama Court Strips Hong Kong Firm of Canal Port Operations
The Chinese government reacted angrily to a Panamanian Supreme Court decision late last week that stripped Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison of operating two ports along the Panama Canal. The court ruled on Thursday that the concession for Panama Ports Company, a CK ...
India Govt, Central Bank in Talks With Alipay+ to Integrate Its Instant Payment Systems, Sources Say
India's government and central bank are in talks with Ant International about allowing Alipay+ to be linked with India's instant payments system for cross-border transactions, according to two government sources. The move would help make payments easier for Indian tourists as ...
How South Asian States Navigate Rivalries Between the U.S., China, and India
As debate intensifies over the unraveling of the U.S.-led international order, sparked by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s stark remarks at Davos, small states are being forced to rethink how they survive and advance in an increasingly fragmented global system.
China Coast Guard Patrolled Japan-Held Islands Almost Daily Last Year as Tensions Flare
By Colleen Howe China's coast guard patrolled Japan-administered islands in the East China Sea almost daily last year, it said on Friday, aiming to secure its sovereignty over the remote, rocky outpost and to deter Taiwan from taking steps toward independence.
Pacific Island Bougainville Rejects Chinese Partner for Mine That Will Fund Independence
The Pacific island of Bougainville has rejected a partnership with Chinese miner CMOC to reopen a gold and copper mine that was among the world's largest before it was shut by a bloody civil war, instead opting to deal with an Indian company. With ...
New Data Reveals China’s Complex Role in Africa’s Debt Portfolio
China was once Africa's largest bilateral creditor, but now, as many of those loans come due, it's become the continent's largest bilateral collector, according to a new report by the UK-based NGO ONE Data. The so-called "Great Reversal" that ONE Data identified highlights how ...
Senior Kenyan Diplomat Visits Beijing as Nairobi Deepens Development Talks With China
Kenya's Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing'Oei, is in Beijing this week for talks with senior Chinese development and finance officials. Sing'Oei's first stop on Monday was at the headquarters of the China-Africa Development Fund, where he met with senior ...
Ghana Joins China-Backed International Mediation Body
Ghana is the newest member of the Chinese-initiated International Organization for Mediation (IOMed). Ambassador Kojo Bonsu on Tuesday signed on as a founding member of the Hong Kong-based international mediation body that now includes 38 other countries. The IOMed launched last ...
South Africa Targets Chinese, Indian Auto Imports With New Tariffs to Boost Local Production
The South African government is considering imposing new tariffs on imported cars to boost the country's ailing auto manufacturing sector. "We're looking specifically at how we can turn the tide on localization," said Mkhululi Mlota, chief director of automotives at the ...