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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The cost of shipping a standard 40-foot container from Asia to northern Europe now costs around $4,000, a whopping 173% increase from just a few weeks ago. Average freight costs from the rest of Europe to/from China have gone up almost ...
3 Reasons Why China Didn’t Join the U.S.-Led Coalition to Counter Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
There was some dismay/confusion in the U.S. and Europe when China opted not to join the multinational coalition to combat Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. A lot of Western analysts supposed, incorrectly, that it would be in China's economic ...
The BRICS Got Bigger in 2024 But Not as Big As Expected
Five new countries joined the BRICS bloc at the beginning of the year, marking a dramatic expansion for the fourteen-year old group. With the admission on January 1 of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Ethiopia, and Egypt, the loosely-formed group is now ...
Beijing Leans Into Ties With Myanmar’s Military Government as Ethnic Rebels Capture More Territory Near Chinese Border
Senior Chinese officials wrapped up a series of high-level talks with the leadership in Myanmar over the weekend amid a worsening insurgency that is now spilling over the border into China. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong concluded a three-day ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Insurgent Group in Myanmar Reportedly Seized Another Key Border Crossing With China
An insurgent group in Myanmar has reportedly seized another key border crossing with China, further eroding the ruling junta’s control of the northeastern Shan State. Beijing remains concerned about factional fighting in Myanmar spilling over the border and has even deployed PLA troops on the Chinese side. (DIPLOMAT) ...
The Africa-China 2023 Year in Review
2023 was a transformative year for China’s ties with Africa. Chinese investment, trade, and diplomatic engagement were either flat or declined sharply over the past year, highlighting how this once-vibrant relationship is now entering a new, more austere period.
Saudi Arabia, Iran Reaffirm Support of Chinese-Brokered Détente, Call for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza
Senior diplomats from Saudi Arabia and Iran returned to Beijing for the first time since the two countries re-established diplomatic ties this year as part of a Chinese-brokered deal unveiled in March. Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji and Iranian Deputy ...
China’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Stops in Eritrea During Regional Tour
Xue Bing, China's special envoy for the Horn of Africa, traveled to Eritrea on Friday for talks with President Isaias Afwerki. The Chinese envoy arrived in Asmara just after visiting Eritrea's rival Ethiopia, but there's no indication from the readout of Xue's ...
Japan, China Both Court ASEAN Countries as Part of Burgeoning Battle for Influence in Southeast Asia
Both Japan and China held a series of events with senior leaders from the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in recent days as part of a ramped-up effort to increase their respective influence in Southeast Asia.
Marcos Calls for Closer Security Ties with Japan and the U.S. to Counter China in South China Sea
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. acknowledged this weekend that ties with China are deteriorating over the constant confrontations between the two countries in the South China Sea. Marcos said “the South China Sea situation is the most complex geopolitical challenge that the ...
The Chinese Media Narrative About the South China Sea: It’s Everyone Else’s Fault
The emerging Chinese media narrative about the escalating confrontation with the Philippines over territorial disputes in the South China Sea largely blames the United States and other outside "trouble-makers" for manipulating the Philippines to serve as their proxy in this conflict.
Kenya’s Rapidly Devaluing Currency Pushes Up Debt Servicing Costs, Particularly to China
The cost to repay Kenya's dollar-denominated loans is getting more expensive, literally by the day. The National Treasury reported that the plunging value of the shilling since the beginning of the year has increased the cost to service dollar-denominated loans by ...