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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The Growing Demand for Chinese Second-Hand Clothing in Africa
Every year, Chinese consumers discard 26 million tons of used clothing. Much of it goes into landfills, some is incinerated and others are finding their way into developing markets like Africa, where shirts emblazoned with Chinese characters are apparently becoming more fashionable.
Chinese Rail Operator to Kenya Railways: Settle Your Debts First and Then We’ll Hand Over Control of the SGR
Afristar, a subsidiary of the state-run China Road and Bridge Corporation, informed Kenya Railways that if it wants the May 2022 handover of the Mombasa to Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway to be completed on time, it'll first have to pay off its debts, according ...
A Lot of Kenyans May Want to Ban Imported Fish From China, But That Just Can’t Happen For Now
The recent proposal in Kenya's National Assembly to ban imported fish from China has sparked a lively discussion about how to simultaneously enhance the country's food security while bolstering the livelihoods of Kenya's embattled fishing communities. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya ...
MENA Countries Are Receiving the Bulk of Chinese Vaccines in Africa
Chinese vaccine deliveries to Africa increased by 5 million doses over the past week to 50.8 million jabs, according to the latest data from Beijing-based health consultancy Bridge Consulting's Chinese Vaccine Tracker report. But the distribution of those ...
China’s Enhances Its Dominant Role in the Congolese Mining Sector With Massive New $2.5 Billion Investment
The state-owned China Molybdenum Co (aka China Moly) recently announced a massive new $2.5 billion investment in its Tenke Fungurume mine (TFM) in southeastern DR Congo that aims to double its copper and cobalt output, critical raw materials used to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles. ...
China’s Control of Strategic Resources in Places Like the DRC is Becoming a Right-Wing Media Meme in the U.S.
Conservative media outlets in the United States are using China's dominance in key strategic resource markets, particularly materials used to manufacture EV batteries, as a new vector in their partisan battle against efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Former Trump administration official ...
The DRC is Now a Major Focal Point in China’s Trade With Africa
Last week's announcement by China Moly that it will invest $2.5 billion to expand its mining operations in the DR Congo highlights the growing importance of the DRC to China's broader trade agenda in Africa. While the bulk of Africa's exports ...
Automakers Keen to Reduce Reliance on Cobalt-Powered EV Batteries
Rumors are buzzing within the Chinese auto industry that Tesla is trying for the first time to produce a car without a cobalt-powered battery. Tesla is reportedly considering the use of Chinese EV giant BYD's LFP (Lithium iron phosphate) Blade battery. ...
Mounting Anger in the DRC Following New Videos of Apparent Illegal Chinese Mining
For the past several weeks, there's been a noticeable increase in the number of videos and photos published on Congolese social media channels fuelling mounting public anger over Chinese labor and environmental practices in the mining sector. Two videos, in particular, ...
President Edgar Lungu Commissions New Chinese-Built Airport As Part of a Last-Minute Campaign Push
Zambian President Edgar Lungu, currently in the final leg of a bitterly contested election campaign, did what politicians love best: cutting a ribbon to inaugurate new infrastructure. The President last week landed at the brand new Chinese-financed and built ...
Kenya Fisheries Minister: No Ban on Chinese Fish Imports
For the second time in three years, Kenya has walked back a threat to ban fish imported from China. Fisheries Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya (photo) said late last week that Nairobi would not move forward with a proposed bill in the National Assembly that sought to restrict ...
Rwandan Trade Industry Leaders Urges Businesses To Look Beyond China To Source Imports
Severe shipping disruptions brought on the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in much higher import costs in Rwanda, especially from China, prompting one industry official to urge businesses to find alternate suppliers. The 10% increase in Chinese imported goods is brought on ...