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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Analysts: China to Cut Back Lending to Africa in the Post-COVID-19-Era
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China’s Curtailment of Loans to Developing Countries Was Expected, Says Economist Michael Pettis
Michael Pettis is one of the world's foremost China economists. He shared a few insights this weekend on the current trend of reduced Chinese lending to developing countries. In a three-part thread published on Twitter, the Peking University professor said Beijing's ...
Conflict in Ethiopia Adds to Uncertainty Over the Stability of Chinese Investments in the Country
Veteran China journalist Mark K. Magsted's documentary podcast series "On China's Silk Road" featured an in-depth analysis in its latest episode, posted on Friday, about Chinese investments in Ethiopia and the new risks presented by the conflict in the Tigray region: ...
Fearing Africa Will be Left Behind, AU Opens Talks With Russia and China to Secure C19 Vaccine Supplies
The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, said last week that his organization, together with the African Union, have started talks with both Chinese and Russian suppliers of COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the continent will receive sufficient supplies when they ...
Although Largely Out of the Headlines, China’s Mask Diplomacy in Africa Continues Apace
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African Countries Have the Chance to Re-Envision Ties With China
New trade data for the January-October period this year confirms that China's economic rebound from earlier this year is going surprisingly well, all things considered. Exports are actually up, albeit slightly, by 0.6% compared to the same period last year and imports fell by 1.8% year-on-year.
China’s Role in Africa’s Economic Transformation
Over the past 20 years China has played a pivotal, arguably indispensable role in Africa's economic development. China is by far Africa's largest bilateral trading partner, a major source of foreign investment and a vital player in helping Africa to close ...
Africa and the China-Less Recovery
African policymakers will soon look back at the past ten years - the pre-COVID-era - with rosy nostalgia. How wonderful it was to sit under the Chinese tree and watch the fruits of loans, trade, and investment all fall with abundance. ...
Forget About Repayment Holidays, Kenya Wants Its Creditors (Ahem… China) To Cancel Some of Its Debts
The Kenyan Treasury is reportedly considering a new plan to approach its creditors to ask for outright cancellation of some of its debt, according to a report in Business Daily. Although a final decision has yet to be made, the Treasury is apparently considering ...
Kenya Treasury Secretary: “We Don’t Want to Give the Impression We Are Straining in Any Way”
The alarming headlines in today's Kenyan newspapers about the country's apparent inability to repay some of its debts contrasts sharply with the message conveyed by Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury Ukur Yatani in an interview with Bloomberg's Africa bureau chief David Malingha:
Allianz Research: Africa, Americas Had Better Brace for a “China-Less Recovery”
China is turning inwards and will slow its economic engagement in emerging markets in Africa and Latin America in the post-COVID-19-era, according to new analysis from the research arm of the German financial services giant Allianz. The report ...