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.
Related Posts
Africa’s Largest Bank Is Positioning Itself as a Turn-Key China-Africa Trade Agent
Standard Bank's Zambian unit wants farmers to know they're a one-stop-shop to import equipment and other agricultural materials from China. Stanbic Bank Zambia, more than almost any other major financial institution on the continent, is working to position ...
Week in Review: Pangolins, Power and Payments
Nigerian customs authorities at the port of Lekki sized a record 7.1 tons of pangolin scales on Wednesday and arrested three suspects. A fourth, believed to be the smuggling kingpin is still at large. The endangered pangolin is now the most hunted mammal on earth and a seizure ...
A Peek Into the Mysterious World of Chinese Diplomacy
Chinese diplomats around the world are comprised of a mix of reclusive bureaucrats who strenuously avoid public engagement and a new generation of assertive, sometimes even downright aggressive so-called "Wolf Warriors" who wage combat with Beijing's critics.
Why the Pentagon May Be Misreading China’s Plans For Military Expansion in Africa
Back in March, General Stephen Townsend, the commander of U.S. forces in Africa (AFRICOM), triggered widespread anxiety within the American national security community when he speculated that China is looking to build a military base on Africa's Atlantic coast.
One Week to Go Before the Zambian Elections and President Lungu Leans Hard on Chinese-Built Infrastructure
One week from today Zambian voters will go to the polls to vote for their next president and the ruling Patriotic Front is relying heavily on Chinese-financed infrastructure development to get its man, President Edgar Lungu, re-elected. “Look at the infrastructure ...
China’s Huge Chili Pepper Market Now Open to Rwandan Exporters
The Rwandan embassy in Beijing is celebrating the opening of the China market for its country's chili pepper exporters. A 200kg shipment arrived in the central Chinese province of Hunan on Wednesday, making Rwanda the first African country to export peppers like this to China.
Ambassador: More Chinese FDI Going to the DR Congo Than Anywhere Else in Africa
Chinese companies have invested $176 million dollars in the DR Congo during the first half of this year, more than any other country in Africa, according to Ambassador Zhu Jing. That's basically the only takeaway from Ambassador Zhu's ...
Photo of DRC Soldiers Helping Chinese Small-Scale Miners Sparks Widespread Outrage on Congolese Social Media
This image has been circulating widely on Congolese Twitter for the past 24 hours. It shows Chinese miners working together with DRC army soldiers (FARDC) in what appears to be a form of small-scale mining in the town Bunia in the far eastern province ...
Fact Check: No, 73 Chinese Miners in the DRC Were Not Arrested for Kidnapping and Eating Children
A fake news story is circulating now on Congolese Twitter that claims 73 Chinese miners in Katanga province have been arrested for kidnapping children and then eating them (yes, cannibalism). The story is fake and was debunked by ...
New CSIS Report Compares U.S. and Chinese Military Engagement in Africa
While the number of senior Chinese political officials who visit Africa every year far outpaces those from the United States, it's a very different story when it comes to military visits and overall engagement. In fact, "Beijing’s observable interactions with current ...
Kenya Wants to Ban Chinese Fish Imports Again. It Didn’t End Well The Last Time.
The Kenyan parliament will move forward with legislation to outlaw imported Chinese fish from entering the country. Legislators confirmed on Tuesday that the Agriculture Committee is finalizing new regulations aimed to boost the local fishing sector by restricting imports of Chinese seafood, particularly frozen tilapia.
Why Is the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Lending Money to Rwanda?
It came as a bit of a surprise to some that the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved its first project in sub-Saharan African country a few weeks ago with a $100 million loan to Rwanda as part of the bank's COVID-19 Crisis Recovery ...