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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Special Edition: The Year Ahead in China-Africa Relations
With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, the debt crisis unresolved, and preparations underway for the triennial China-Africa leaders' summit now underway, 2021 is shaping up to be another pivotal year in China-Africa relations. In this special edition, analysts and scholars from ...
10 Issues That Will Shape China-Africa Relations in 2021
1. VACCINES: With the U.S., EU on the Sidelines, China's Vaccine Distribution in Africa Could Produce Huge Geopolitical Dividends China is building a COVID-19 vaccine distribution pipeline in Africa including a cold-chain air bridge from Shenzhen, a distribution hub in ...
2020 in Review: The Impact of the “Guangzhou Incidents”
This April's outburst of discrimination against Black and African residents in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou marked a seminal event in China-Africa relations this year. Dozens, possibly hundreds of Black and African residents were ...
Why China’s Cutting Back on Overseas Lending
It's going to be much more difficult for countries in Africa and other developing regions to borrow money from China. New research from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center reveals a sharp drop in overseas lending by the ...
Reuters: Suspected Chinese Hackers Stole AU Surveillance Video
For the second time in two years, China is being accused of spying on the headquarters of the African Union. A new report published today by the Reuters news service alleges that suspected Chinese hackers infiltrated AU servers and obtained video surveillance files from the ...
New Allegations That China Spied on the AU Spark a Flashback to Similar Accusations in 2018
Reuters' exclusive report that suspected Chinese hackers penetrated the African Union's IT networks to siphon off data prompted many to think "uh oh, here we go again," and recalling similar accusations back in 2018. In 2018,
Second Batch of Chinese-Vaccines Arrive in Cairo
A second batch of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, according to a report in the Egypt Today newspaper. Altogether, the Chinese have shipped 100,000 doses to Egypt over the past week that will inoculate 50,000 people. ...
Analyst: China Will Diversify Iron Ore Buys From Australia, Brazil To Guinea in West Africa
Peter O’Connor, a senior analyst of metals and mining at the Australian investment firm Shaw and Partners, said out loud on CNBC what many people have been quietly thinking: that the natural progression of China's steadily deteriorating ties with Australia will prompt Beijing to end its dependence ...
Vlog: How Africans in China Challenge Stereotypical Views on African Migration
Hong Kong-based Lingnan University Assistant Professor Roberto Castillo, one of the world's foremost scholars on the African diaspora in China, published a new vlog that previews a number of the key themes featured in his upcoming book on the topic.
COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution in Africa Presents China With a Golden Geopolitical Opportunity
The same week that 100,000 doses of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Africa for the first time, news emerged from the World Health Organization that its Covax vaccine alliance is in trouble. Reuters reported that ...
China Accused (Again) of Spying on the African Union
Today's Reuters report that detailed how suspected Chinese hackers broke into African Union data networks to siphon off surveillance video sparked a whole new round of "I told you so." The initial reaction online to the report was essentially what do you ...
Ghana’s Thinking Small (And That’s a Good Thing)
The Bui Power Authority (BPA) in Ghana recently launched a new solar farm that's connected to a Chinese-built hydroelectric dam. The idea here is that when water levels run low and power generation dips, the solar farm kicks in to make up the difference. ...