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.
Related Posts
The U.S. Wants to be Very Clear That It, Not China, is the World’s Largest Provider of Humanitarian Aid
Amid headlines of Jack Ma's donation of COVID-19 PPE in Africa and a steady stream of news stories characterizing the U.S. as going "AWOL" in the fight against the global pandemic, the U.S. Department of State wants to remind everyone that America remains ...
China Ramps Up “Mask Diplomacy” in Africa
The Chinese government appears to be taking full advantage of the country's newfound ability to produce extraordinary amounts of masks and other COVID-19 Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and using that gear to advance its diplomatic agenda in Africa and other regions around the world. ...
African Futurist Jakkie Cilliers Looks Beyond Today’s COVID-19 Crisis
“African economies are staring at an abyss,” said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed earlier this week in a desperate appeal to the international community for aid and debt relief to offset the ruinous effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Kenya Star Newspaper Fact Checks Allegation China Sending COVID-19 Infected Mattresses to Africa
Quick update on the story we told you about yesterday regarding the fake news posts circulating around the African internet warning people that China is sending mattresses and clothing infected with COVID-19 from Wuhan and other cities. The fact-checking team at ...
A Simple Twitter Typo Sparked Accusations That Zimbabwe Officials Made Off With Jack Ma’s Donated COVID-19 Safety Gear
Someone on either the social media team at the Chinese embassy in Harare or the Ministry of Health in Harare made a critical typo that prompted immediate speculation that Zimbabwean officials had fleeced the COVID-19 protective suits donated by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma.
Africa’s Knocking on the Wrong Door for Debt Relief
The whole discussion going on today over calls from African leaders to write off or reschedule their countries' debts feels completely disconnected from reality. For some reason, they're focusing all of their attention on the G20 leaders summit that's going to take place today and comments ...
It’s Time to Talk About All That Debt
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took the initiative on Tuesday to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room: with Africa's economies spiraling downwards due to the worsening COVID-19 crisis, how are they ever going to be able to pay back all that money they owe ...
DRC President’s Refusal to Wear Mask in Meeting With Chinese Ambassador Sparks Concern
China's ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo met with President Félix Tshisekedi yesterday in Kinshasa and while they did maintain a proper distance from one another, the president's refusal to wear a mask prompted concern among Congolese Twitter users. ...
African Twitter Responds to Hantavirus Death in China
A Tweet by the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper about a man dying from Hantavirus on a bus going to Shandong province in China sparked fears -- unfounded -- on African Twitter of "Coronavirus 2.0." ...
Fake COVID-19 News and Misinformation Now Rampant on African WhatsApp Channels and Social Media
With COVID-19 now steadily making its way across Africa, misleading or downright false information is becoming an increasingly serious problem across the continent. Posts like this one warn Africans on Twitter and WhatsApp about buying used mattresses from China because they are infected with the deadly virus. ...
Joy and Relief as Jack Ma’s Donated Masks and COVID-19 Test Kits Make Their Way to Countries Across Africa
Ethiopian Airlines jets packed with medical supplies donated by Chinese billionaire and philanthropist Jack Ma landed at airports across Africa yesterday. Each country is to receive an equal allocation of masks, COVID-19 testing kits and protective wear for medical personnel. ...
Ethiopian PM Abiy Puts Debt Relief on the COVID-19 Agenda. Now the Multi-Billion Dollar Question is How Will China Respond?
Confronted with an "existential threat," Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued an urgent plea to G20 countries for immediate debt relief. The "dramatic decline in exports, disruption of global chains, and the sudden drying up of travel of tourism are sure to wreak havoc to our economies,"