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 slowdown in Chinese infrastructure development lending in Africa is on vivid display in Nigeria, where the country's Transportation Minister acknowledged that he's no longer counting on Beijing to finance a pair of multi-billion railway projects, according to a Bloomberg report. ...
#PRNightmare: Rap Superstar Snoop Dogg Posted the Video of a Chinese Employee Attacking Safety Inspectors in Sierra Leone
The video of that Chinese employee of the China Railway Seventh Group who attacked a group of safety inspectors at the Tonkolili iron ore mine in Sierra Leone went mega-viral this weekend after rap superstar Snoop Dogg shared the video with his 61 million Instagram followers.
Apparently, It’s All Good Now Between That Sierra Leonian Safety Inspector and the Chinese Employee Who Attacked Him
In a surprising twist to the story of that fight caught on video at the Tonkolili iron ore mine last week, the assailant and victim have seemingly reconciled. In what seems like a very awkward exchange, they are ...
Chinese Cyber Sovereignty & Nigeria’s #Twitterban
The Nigerian government justified the banning of Twitter on the basis of protecting the country's national interest, security, and sovereignty. Although the move was done for purely domestic political reasons, the government's defense is strikingly similar to the language that China ...
Biden to Attend G7 Summit With China on His Mind. Africa and Other Developing Regions Need to Brace For What Comes Next.
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The Blue Dot Network is Back!
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For the second week in a row, there's been very little movement around Chinese vaccine shipments to Africa. It's not entirely clear what, if anything, is behind the slowdown in deliveries, or if it's connected to supply constraints due to a massive vaccination drive within China,
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Understanding where Africa fits within China's broader strategic geopolitical vision is something of a mystery to many outside observers. Most international reporting and research on the issue relies on English or French language materials that go a long way to frame the prevailing narratives about Chinese priorities ...
With Infection Rates Surging in Countries That Have Relied Mostly on Chinese Vaccines, Officials May Be Trying to Change the Narrative
The debate over the effectiveness of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in preventing infections may be entering a new stage as infection rates rise steadily in countries that have predominantly relied on jabs made by Sinopharm and Sinovac. Critics argue that some Chinese ...
Ghanaian Wife of Deported Chinese Miner Pleads For High Court to Reconsider Its Verdict
The 27-year old wife (photo) of one of the four Chinese miners who was sentenced this week for illegal mining, immigration violations and weapons charges is pleading with the High Court in the southern Ghanaian city of Kumasi to reverse its decision to deport her husband.
Chinese Construction Company Took Unusually Swift Action Against Employee in Sierra Leone For Attacking Local Safety Inspectors
We now have the full details about that shocking video that circulated on social media on Wednesday, showing an employee of the China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG) attacking inspectors from the Sierra Leone Mining Association, who were conducting an unannounced inspection of the repair ...




