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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Donald Trump’s Spectacular Failure in Africa
At the sunset of the Trump administration, it's worth reflecting on all that went wrong with its Africa policy and specifically the oft-stated effort to contain China's rise on the continent. There's really no other way to describe it other than to say that it was a ...
Looking for Clues as to How the New U.S. Government Will Approach China’s Engagement in Africa
The incoming national security and diplomatic leads who will oversee Africa policy for the new Biden administration appear poised to take U.S. foreign policy towards the continent in a much more moderate direction. President Joe Biden and his team will assume ...
Hopefully, Biden and Blinken Won’t Take Advice From the State Department’s “Old Guard”
Although the sentiments expressed by one of Washington, D.C.'s most experienced and well-regarded former diplomats, Herman Cohen, are widely held in the U.S. capital, they're nonetheless ill-informed: 1) As has been noted repeatedly by scholars at
Trump Administration Slaps New Sanctions on Huawei, Potentially Creating Huge Problems For African Telcos
The U.S. government informed a number of key suppliers of Huawei, including chip giant Intel, that it's revoking certain licenses to sell equipment to the Chinese telecom giant. Neither Huawei nor Intel have commented on the move and the U.S. Commerce Department
Analysts: Why in The World Would the U.S. Want to Pay Off Ecuador’s Huawei Loans?
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation recently signed what it called a "novel model" with Ecuador to help pay off billions of dollars of the South American country's loans to China that were used to buy Huawei equipment. In exchange, Washington received assurances that Quito will ban ...
China, Kenya Close to Reaching Debt Relief Deal
China and Kenya appear to be closing in on a debt restructuring arrangement just days before a major railway loan comes due. The Chinese embassy issued a vague statement on Monday that said both sides are holding "smooth" talks related to Kenya's debt servicing challenges. ...
Growing Concerns China’s Relief Deal Only Postponed Angolan Debt Crisis
When Angolan finance minister Vera Daves de Sousa announced last week that China reached a debt restructuring deal that would give Luanda "three years of breathing space," the markets largely responded favorably. Things started to look up even ...
All Things Considered, 2020 Wasn’t a Terrible Year For China-Africa Trade
China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) released some updated figures last week on trade with Africa that tell a much more positive story than many would have assumed, given the sizable economic disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. Total two-way trade ...
With the U.S. In Its Sights, China Moves to Restrict Rare Earths Exports. Could Cobalt Be Next?
China's control of strategically important minerals and metals are poised to become new weapons in the increasingly acrimonious trade conflict with the United States. The Ministry of Industry last week submitted a new policy proposal that aims to tighten export controls on rare earths, ...
High Profile Kenyan TV Anchor Leaves KTN For China’s CGTN Africa
KTN news presenter Grace Kuria announced on air over the weekend that she'll be leaving the network. Although she didn't say what she's going to do next, Pulse Kenya reports she'll soon join CGTN Africa at the Chinese channel's regional headquarters in Nairobi.
Death of the Chinese Debt Trap Narrative
Critics of China's lending practices in Africa and much of the developing world have gone suspiciously quiet over the past 6-7 months. A year or so ago, Kenyans were up in arms over erroneous reports that China was going to seize the Port of Mombasa. A few months ...
New Stats Reveal China-Africa Trade, Aid Flows Rose in 2019, But FDI Kept Falling
Researchers at the China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C. published a highly-anticipated update on Wednesday to their data sets that track Chinese economic engagement with the continent. The new figures for 2019 can't be summed up in a single, simple narrative. While trade and foreign aid both increased ...