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
Chinese Concessional Loans are Going to Look a Lot More Attractive to African Borrowers Now that Eurobond Interest Rates Are Going Through the Roof
The cost of borrowing money for a number of African governments is skyrocketing amid the worsening global economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak and the implosion of the OPEC+ alliance. Under normal circumstances, investors, particularly those in the Eurobond ...
Angolan Economy Set for COVID-19 Blow
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a severe impact on the global economy, from aviation and tourism to car sales. Already, markets have been upended, with commodities like oil being especially hit. With its economy still reliant on oil exports, Angola’s expectations to end a 4-year recession in ...
China’s Ambassador to South Africa Really Seems Like He’s Trolling the United States Government
China's outspoken ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, tweeted an offer for assistance to the United States in their fight against COVID-19, a gesture many in Washington probably view as disingenuous. Ambassador Lin has emerged as one of the most ...
U.S. vs. China in the Battle of Perceptions
Providing global "public goods" in health, security and other areas has long been a responsibility taken on by the United States. Now, though, as the United States struggles to contain the COVID-19 outbreak at home and with its "America First" foreign policy doctrine, Washington is less inclined ...
From Ship to Rail to Air, Kenya’s Trade With China Slowing to a Halt
Chinese port activity increased in March in what many see as the first good news to come out of China's hobbled economy since the COVID-19 outbreak effectively shut down the economy last month. The container throughput at the eight of China's ...
Jack Ma to Donate Tens of Thousands of COVID-19 Test Kits and Face Masks to Countries Across Africa
Former Alibaba CEO Jack Ma and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on Sunday discussed a large donation of COVID-19 test kits and masks that will be distributed to countries throughout Africa. According to a statement by ...
Evacuees From Wuhan Thrilled to Finally be Home But South Africans Divided Over Whether it Was Worth the Risk
At least 114 evacuees, some reports say as many as 122, returned home from Wuhan, China on Saturday when they landed at the Polokwane International Airport in the northern province of Limpopo. They were immediately transported to the Ranch Hotel and Resort where they will be ...
Amid Plunging Prices, Africa’s Commodity-backed Debts to China Become Perilous
Over the past 15 years, many African countries borrowed tens of billions of dollars from China to build badly-needed infrastructure. Short of cash, these countries instead leverage their natural resources to repay their debts. Ghanaian bauxite, Angolan oil, and Zambian copper, ...
Egyptian Tourism Authorities Scramble to do Damage Control Following Viral Video of Chinese Tourist Abandoned by Taxi Drivers Shouting “Corona Corona!”
Egyptian tourism authorities are hoping that some flowers and a sincere apology to a Chinese tourist will make up for him being kicked out of a taxi and humiliated by drivers shouting "corona corona!" on Wednesday. The incident took place on ...
As South Africans Prepare to Leave Wuhan, Evacuation Hopes Fade For Other Africans Left Behind
The imminent evacuation of 122 South Africans from Wuhan will likely be the last such rescue mission to bring home Africans stranded in China. Now that the infection rate in Wuhan, the epicenter of the viral outbreak, is steadily going down, the city is slowly returning to ...
Racially Charged Conspiracy Theories About Why COVID-19 is Rarer in Africa Circulate Widely on African Twitter
While COVID-19 is now rapidly spreading in Europe and the United States, Africa, as far as we know, has so far largely been spared. This has prompted a heated discussion online about why the continent has seen so few infections. While ...
As the COVID-19 Crisis Recedes at Home, China Promises New Support for African Countries
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang addressed Africa's struggle against COVID-19 at yesterday's regular press briefing in Beijing. Geng acknowledged that a number of African countries had provided China with money and supplies in recent weeks and promised that Beijing would provide additional support in return.