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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Development Finance and Chinese Identity
The women-focused China podcast NüVoices this week features an interview with Yunan Chen, a senior research officer at the London-based think tank Overseas Development Institute where she is one of the world's leading analysts on Chinese development finance in Africa.
World Bank Chief Renews Criticism of China and Private Creditors For Not Doing Enough on Debt Relief
In a candid interview on Monday with the German state-owned television network Deutsche Welle, World Bank President David Malpass renewed his criticism of China and private creditors for not doing enough to help ease the debt burdens of the world's poorest countries and also for not being ...
Kenyatta Aims to Diversify Infrastructure Finance and Development Away From Dependence on China
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta returned on Saturday from a four-day trip to France loaded with $165 million (Sh17.91 billion) of new concessional loans, grants, and various other financing agreements for health and infrastructure development initiatives. The president signed ...
“Unlocking the Black Box” of Chinese Development Aid: A View From France
Chinese overseas development aid and finance remains something of a mystery to many outside observers. The opacity of the Chinese system, combined with large language and cultural differences often lead international stakeholders to complain that it's difficult to distinguish between Chinese aid, concessional financing, and market-based lending/investments. ...
Bondholders Reject Zambia’s Request to Delay Repayments Due to Concerns Over How Much Government Owes China
Zambia's burgeoning debt crisis got a whole lot worse on Friday after a committee representing bondholders rejected the government's request for a six-month repayment holiday on about $3 billion of Eurobond notes. The committee represents 14 international financial ...
IMF and World Bank Leaders Say the World’s Debt System is Broken and in Need of Urgent Repair
Leaders from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, including IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva, declared that the current "debt architecture" is broken and needs urgent action to prevent a full-blown crisis in some of the world's poorest countries. "The ...
U.S. Defense Secretary Wraps Up Tour of North Africa With a Parting Shot Towards China
U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper wrapped up a low-profile five-day, four-country tour of the Mediterranean and North Africa over the weekend and just before he left, he fired off one final diss against China and Russia, accusing them of engaging in "destabilizing actions ...
This Chart Explains Why the U.S. Just Invested $25 Million in a Company That Will Help Diversify Its Supply of Cobalt
The United States Development Finance Corporation invested $25 million in a company that will help to develop a Brazilian nickel and cobalt mine. The U.S. and a growing number of European countries are becoming increasingly concerned about China's dominance of the global cobalt supply chain, given the ...
Chinese Ambassador to Chad’s Inspection of New Huawei Facility Highlights Beijing’s Growing Tech Dominance
China's ambassador to Chad, Li Jinjin, paid a vist on Sunday to a new network operations center that Huawei is building. Judging by the tweet, it seems like a rather mudane diplomatic excursion. But a look at the broader context reveals how "China's winning the war for ...
Finding New Ways to Finance African Infrastructure
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta looked like he had a great time in France last week. After all, the weather in Paris this time of year is absolutely lovely and this being his first trip out of the country since the COVID-19 outbreak, he was able to get ...
China, Bondholders, and the Worsening African Debt Crisis
The debt crisis in Zambia got a lot worse this week after bondholders refused the government's request for a 6-month repayment delay. Those private creditors said they're frustrated by the government's lack of transparency about the total amount of debt ...
Letter to the Editor: Why China Will NOT Seize the Port of Mombasa if Kenya Defaults on SGR Debt
Hi Eric, Just caught this statement [in your September 28 column "China Faces a Critical Test": "And let’s not forget that, should Kenya Railways default on the Nairobi-to-Mombasa SGR loan, there's always the Port of Mombasa that serves as collateral"] ...