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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Report: African Governments Must Do More to Work Together and Enact Radical Transparency to Better Manage Chinese Debt
China is not the largest creditor to African governments but it is certainly one of the most important, particularly because Chinese loans are far more opaque than those from other lenders. Now, in the midst of a burgeoning debt crisis in ...
U.S. Becoming Increasingly Worried About Chinese EV Car Brands Setting Up Factories Across the Border in Mexico
The United States government is becoming nervous about the prospect of Chinese automakers building new factories in Mexico that would afford those new vehicles duty-free access into the U.S. market. MG, BYD and Chery are reportedly all in talks to build ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Ethiopia Widely Expected to Default on Portion of Its Debt
Ethiopia is widely expected to default on a portion of its debt as the government warned it will not be able to make a $33 million bond payment due on Monday. Ethiopia is in the midst of Chinese-led debt restructuring talks under the G20's Common Framework initiative.
WEEK IN REVIEW: Ethiopia Debt Update | China @COP28 | Chinese Energy Projects in Africa
Ethiopia is the latest African country that is now teetering on the verge of default after the government announced this week that it would not be able to make a $33 million bond payment. Eric speaks with Mark Bohlund, a senior ...
Chinese Mining Companies Are Pushing Down the Price of Cobalt, U.S. Committee Wants to Do Something About It
There's a growing awareness in Washington, D.C., that the rock-bottom prices of certain critical resources used to manufacture electric vehicle batteries provide China a competitive advantage while jeopardizing U.S. national security. A massive glut of cobalt, nickel and other EV battery ...
Chinese Nickel Miners in Indonesia Are Becoming Very Anxious About Falling Prices
The year-long slump in nickel prices is endangering the economic viability of some of the many Chinese mining companies in Indonesia that dominate the sector. Chinese-owned mines account for 60-70% of all investment in Indonesia's nickel mining business, which is significant ...
South Korea Moves to Reduce Reliance on China for EV Battery Metals
The South Korean government introduced new measures this week to reduce its dependence on China for 185 different critical resources, many of which are used to manufacture EV batteries. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy announced on Wednesday new measures that ...
The Strategy Behind Vietnam’s Decision to Back China’s “Common Destiny” Agenda
Xi Jinping's "Community of Common Destiny" is little more than a slogan for a lot of international observers but that thinking may be out of date now that China is using it as a core organizing principle of its foreign policy. ...
Vietnam’s Bamboo Diplomacy on Display… Literally
Visiting General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping took a break from his talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyễn Phú Trọng for a sip of white tea at the CPV's headquarters in Hanoi on Tuesday. The decorative trees in ...
The Chinese First Lady’s Complicated History With Vietnam
China's First Lady Peng Liyuan met with Ngô Thị Mận, wife of Vietnam's Communist Party General-Secretary, on the first day of her visit to Hanoi on Tuesday in what looked to be a perfectly amicable setting. And that's exactly the way Chinese ...
China and Vietnam Agree to Landmark Upgrade in Ties; Sign Dozens of Deals on Everything From Railways to Data
Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up a two-day visit to Hanoi on Wednesday after meeting with key Vietnamese leaders, including Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and National Assembly head Vương Đình Hu. Xi returns to Beijing with a long-sought upgrade in diplomatic ties ...
Huawei is Going to Save Christmas in South Africa!
Chinese telecom giant Huawei wants to save South Africa from celebrating the Christmas holiday in the dark. The company's end of year marketing push in South Africa is focused on promoting its $3,400 Power-M battery back-up systems that can offset the ...