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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Talks between China and Egypt to launch a new manufacturing facility have reportedly reached "an advanced stage." The planned facility will produce COVID-19 vaccines made by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd, according to Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed. At a press conference on Monday ...
Qatar and Saudi Arabia Both Place Long Term Bets on China
With oil and gas demand in the U.S. and Europe expected to fall dramatically in the years ahead as both regions embrace a post-carbon economy, two of the world's largest energy exporters, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are now looking to China to fill the void. Ministers and ...
Favorable Views of China, France Both Fall in 12-Nation African Survey
Opinion leaders in 12 French and Arabic speaking African countries look less favorably upon France and China, according to the findings of the third annual survey conducted by the French Council of Investors in Africa (CIAN), an independent business association. China fell 9 points this past year ...
One French Scholar’s Widely Published Article This Week Encapsulates Every Anxiety About China’s Influence in Africa
The popular perception of China's steadily growing presence in Africa has long been viewed with skepticism among France's political, media, and academic elites who have historically regarded the continent, particularly francophone countries, as a traditional sphere of influence. Most analysis and ...
China Cranks Up the Campaign to Lobby African Stakeholders on Xinjiang
With Xinjiang now emerging as a core dividing issue in the increasingly acrimonious U.S.-China relationship, it appears that Beijing is leaning even more on its ties in Africa and other parts of the Global South as part of an effort to build a coalition ...
John Magufuli Took a Lot of Inspiration From the Chinese Communist Party in Shaping Tanzania’s Ruling Party
Late in John Magufuli's life, some observers mistakenly came to see the former Tanzanian President as a budding China hawk for his high-profile rejection of a $10 billion deal with China Merchants Holdings to build out the Bagamoyo port. But the ...
China’s COVID-19 Vaccine Donations Align Suspiciously Close to Beijing’s Geopolitical Priorities in the Global South
The latest tracking data of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine sales and donations around the world by the Beijing-based consulting firm Bridge reveal an interesting distribution around the world that appear to align closely with China's broader geopolitical priorities. ASEAN: Distribution ...
Hundreds of Thousands of Chinese Vaccines Landed in Egypt, Benin, and Niger Over the Weekend
Large shipments of vaccines imported from China landed in North Africa over the weekend, providing some countries with their first jabs needed to kick off national inoculation programs in the region: BENIN: An unknown quantity of Chinese-made Sinovac vaccines arrived in ...
Namibia’s State TV Channel NBC to Broadcast 4-Part Series Produced by CCTV
TV viewers in Namibia will be able to watch a four-part documentary series produced by China's state-run broadcaster CCTV beginning on Monday at 17:20 local time. The show, Glamorous Namibia, will be aired on the state-owned Namibia Broadcast Corporation and is timed to coincide with the 31st anniversary ...
Some African Governments Can’t Have it Both Ways
African governments and multilateral institutions frequently say that they want no part of any new so-called "Cold War" between the U.S. and China. Leaders in those organizations are very quick to remind everyone that they remember the last time Africa got swept up in a Great Power ...
Update on the Current State of China-Zambia Relations
The recent visit to Zambia by China's top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi highlights the outsized importance Lusaka plays in Beijing's broader Africa strategy. Relations between the countries are among China's oldest on the continent, dating back to the anti-colonial struggles ...
President John Magufuli’s Unexpected Death Comes at a Critical Time in Sino-Tanzania Relations
Chinese diplomatic missions in Africa responded with condolences early Thursday morning to the news that Tanzanian President John Magufuli passed away from heart complications on Wednesday. President Magufuli had been out of sight ...