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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Chinese Vaccine Shipments to Africa Jumped by Almost 4 Million Doses Last Week
Large shipments of Chinese-made vaccines to Tanzania and Mozambique among other countries last week helped to push total deliveries to the continent past 76 million doses, according to the latest Bridge Chinese vaccine tracker report. In all, China ...
More Robbery Attempts at Chinese Residential Compounds in the DRC Mining City of Kolwezi
For the second week in a row, robbers attempted to break into a Chinese residential compound in the southern DR Congo city of Kolwezi. The suspects, though, didn't get very far. After struggling to break through the gates, they were apprehended by a combined force of 30 police ...
China’s New Ambassador to Tanzania Presents Her Credentials
China's newly-arrived ambassador to Tanzania, Chen Mingjian, presented her credentials on Friday to Foreign Minister Joseph Sokoine. Uncharacteristically, the Chinese embassy did not update the website with Ambassador Chen's biography (they're usually very good about that when new envoys ...
FOCAC Is About 6 Weeks Away. Here’s What Might Be On the Agenda
With everything surrounding the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit shrouded in secrecy and uncertainty, previewing what will happen at the Dakar event is admittedly a risky undertaking. So, these predictions are suggestive at best, given how much hearsay is swirling around the summit.
Youth Activists at France-Africa Summit: “We Expect to Be Part of the Process”
The young African civil society activists who attended last week's France-Africa summit in Montpellier gave voice to the surging frustration over their countries' ties with France, and by extension other foreign powers. Among the key themes that emerged was the demand ...
NGO Describes 2008 China-DR Congo Sicomines Deal Described as “Unconscionable”
It sounds like the soon-to-be-released report by the Congolese branch of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is going to be unsparing in its criticism of the 2008 Sino-Congolese deal that created the Sicomines joint venture mining company.
Photo of the Day: The PLA is “Under the Party’s Command”
This image of newly arrived Chinese blue helmets in the DRC provides an important reminder that, unlike most other militaries that operate under the command of their national government, the PLA is "under the Party's command" per the container in the background.
As Biden’s Build Back Better Initiative Stalls at Home, Many Doubt the World Edition Will Fare Any Better
With U.S. President Joe Biden's ambitious $3.5 trillion infrastructure agenda bogged down in Congress, his campaign promise to "Build Back Better" now hangs in limbo. If the president's plan fails to make it out of Congress, or if it's scaled down to the point where it's ...
Kenya Led the World in Finishing Chinese-Funded Infrastructure Projects Ahead of Schedule
Kenya completed more Chinese-financed construction projects ahead of schedule than any other country in the world, according to the findings from AidData's recently released report on Belt and Road financing. AidData, a research lab based at William & ...
No, “Chinese-Africans” Were Not the First to Inhabit Japan’s Islands
This photo of Tibetan nuns has been circulating since 2018 and soon after a fake meme emerged on Facebook that claimed they were the first humans to inhabit some of Japan's islands. The team at AFP Fact Check dug into the ...
An Important Lesson For China at Macron’s Contentious Africa-France Summit
11 young people from across Africa sat on stage alongside Emmanuel Macron on Friday (photo) and directly confronted the French President with their frustrations regarding France's centuries of history on the continent. It was incredible to watch these young people fearlessly ...
China’s Love-Hate Relationship With Coal
If you're confused about China's stance on the use of coal, well, you're definitely not alone. This week, China went on a global coal buying binge in a frantic effort to put a stop to rolling ...