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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A photo of visibly cold African men wearing surgical masks sleeping on the streets of Guangzhou after reportedly being evicted from their homes or hotel rooms went viral early in this crisis, sparking widespread anger among African Twitter and Facebook users. ...
Initial Reflections on an Unprecedented Crisis in China-Africa Relations
The widespread evictions and mistreatment of African migrants in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has caused a serious rupture in China-Africa relations. Chinese ambassadors across Africa have been called into various foreign ministries to explain why so many of their ...
How is China Going to Handle Debt Relief in Africa?
With economic conditions across Africa rapidly deteriorating, leaders across the continent are escalating their calls for the international community to provide emergency debt relief. Until this week, though, those appeals have been broadly targeted, not singling out any particular country ...
WHO Fight With the U.S. Highlights Why Africa is So Important to China
African leaders are rallying to the defense of World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus following Tuesday's broadside attack from U.S. President Donald Trump against the health body for failing to move fast enough to contain the COVID-19 outbreak when it first emerged in China ...
With Subtle References to China, the U.S. Steps Up Its Own Global COVID-19 Aid Response
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Tuesday that Washington would almost double funding for COVID-19 relief programs around the world. "Today I can confirm that we are prepared to commit an additional $225 million in health, humanitarian, and economic assistance to further boost response efforts ...
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Responds to Ghana Finance Minister’s Request for Debt Relief
The Chinese government provided its first comment regarding the appeals for African debt relief. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian addressed the issue at his regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday: REUTERS CORRESPONDENT: "First question, there was a ...
Ghana’s Finance Minister is the First High-Level African Official to Publicly Call on China for Debt Relief
Ghana's Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta became the first senior-level African official to specifically call on China for help in relieving the spiraling African debt crisis. Until now, African leaders had issued general appeals to the "international community" for debt relief but never mentioned any individual creditors like ...
If African Leaders Expect China to Cancel Their Debts, They’re Probably Going to be Disappointed
It's been just over two weeks since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued the first call on behalf of African leaders for emergency debt relief. Since then, there hasn't been much movement on the issue in part because those appeals were broadly targeted at "international ...
StarTimes Moves Quickly to Adapt to COVID-19 Crisis in Africa
Fake news and all sorts of misleading information about the COVID-19 pandemic are now rampant on African social media. Reports that Bill Gates wants to test a new vaccine on African people or that the surgical masks donated by Chinese billionaire ...
Namibian President Hage Geingob Requests Additional Chinese Financial Assistance to Fight COVID-19 in Phone Conversation With President Xi Jinping
Namibia's Presidential Spokesman Alfredo Hengari confirmed that President Hage Geingob spoke on the phone with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. President Geingob reportedly communicated his desire for increased Chinese economic engagement in Namibia through “substantial investments, increased grants, and favorable loan assistance," according to ...
Shipment of Chinese-government COVID-19 Aid Arrives in Ghana and Will be Distributed to 18 African Countries
37.6 tons of PPE and other COVID-19 aid arrived at Accra's international airport on Monday as part of a large-scale Chinese government relief operation to provide badly-needed medical supplies to 18 African countries. The supplies contain personal protection equipment ...
Africa to Receive a Second Batch of COVID-19 Medical Supplies From Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma
Alibaba founder and philanthropist Jack Ma announced on Monday that more donations are on their way to help African countries contain the spread of COVID-19. The latest batch of material is more focused on supplying badly-needed medical equipment, including ventilators and thermometers, rather than the Personal Protective ...