CGSP Podcasts
Weekly discussions with key thought leaders about China’s engagement in Africa and the Global South.
podcast
Jane Perlez on the New Era of U.S.-China Competition and Rivalry
The increasingly acrimonious U.S.-China relationship is the defining trend of this era, upending global politics, economics, and security, especially across the Global South. Countries that have worked hard to avoid having to pick sides in this new competition may no longer ...
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China’s Outsized Role in West Africa’s Illegal Resource Trade
Every year, illegal mining, fishing, and logging drain billions of dollars from West Africa's economies as the problem persists largely unchecked, with Chinese actors playing an outsized role. Fueled by chronic corruption among local regulators across the region and seemingly insatiable demand ...
What Makes China’s Foreign Aid Different
Soon after USAID was closed in February, speculation circulated that China would move quickly to fill the void left by the United States. That did not happen. While the Chinese did step in to provide ...
China’s Role in Africa’s Industrialization: Obstacle, Partner, or Both?
Africa’s industrialization push is colliding with the defining economic question of this era: how can any country or region climb the manufacturing value chain so long as China dominates industrial production of pretty much, well, everything?
The New Dilemma for Middle Powers Caught Between the U.S. and China
In this episode of the China Global South Podcast, Eric & Cobus unpack a major question facing middle powers everywhere: What happens when the global security architecture you relied on for decades no longer exists? Fresh from ...
Supporters of the ruling Libertad y Refundacion (LIBRE) party gather in front of the Presidential House in support of Honduran President Xiomara Castro and against electoral fraud in Tegucigalpa on December 17, 2025. (ORLANDO SIERRA / AFP)
More than three weeks after elections were held, Honduras still does not have a new president. Nasry Asfura of the conservative National Party leads by a narrow margin, with roughly 43,000 more votes than his closest competitor, Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party. To ...
China at COP30 and the New Politics of Climate Change
With the U.S. absent from two major international summits this month, the G20 in South Africa and the COP30 in Brazil, we got an early look at what the post-American order is starting to look like. In both instances, China moved ...
How China Uses Parliamentary Buildings to Build Influence in Africa
China has funded, designed, and built more than 200 government buildings across Africa, including the headquarters of the African Union and Ecowas, foreign ministry annexes in Ghana and Kenya, and at least 15 national parliaments. ...
Chinese Nationals’ Role in Africa’s Illicit Weapons, Mining, and Money Flows
There's mounting evidence from the United Nations and others that Chinese organized crime syndicates are moving more of their operations from countries in Southeast Asia to Africa. These groups are contributing to a surge in illicit crypto mining, scam centers, illegal wildlife trafficking, ...
Is China’s “Engineering State” the New Development Model for the Global South?
China’s rapid ascent from rural poverty to industrial superpower reshaped the global economy and established a new center of gravity for manufacturing. Today, Chinese factories anchor much of the world’s supply chains, producing goods at a speed and scale that few ...
Why China’s Ability to Make a $6 Toaster is a Big Problem for the Global South
China is breaking the rules of development. Typically, as countries progress up the value chain, they transition from agriculture to light industry, then to heavy industry, and ultimately to high-technology and services. And as they move up the value chain, this ...
Petrol to Plug: Inside Ghana’s EV and Used Car Market
The question for many African countries is whether electric vehicles can really thrive in a where second-hand petrol and diesel cars still rule the roads. Ghana is one such country where the second-hand vehicle market ...
How China Changed Its Image in the African News Media
Ten years ago, African news coverage of China's engagement on the continent was often quite negative and repackaged many of the critical Western narratives. Today, the situation is very different. China has spent considerable resources ...
Training Africa’s EV Technicians: How Kenya is Preparing For E-Mobility Future
As electric vehicles (EVs) become more common on roads in African countries, the need for reliable service is also growing with forward thinkers already positioning themselves for the opportunity the e-mobility shift offers. In this ...
China’s Evolution from “Rules Taker” to “Rules Maker” in Development Finance
As China’s economic influence expands, so does its ambition to shape the very system that once constrained it. In this episode of The China-Global South Podcast, Eric speaks with Greg Chin and Kevin Gallagher from Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center about
Kenya’s Chinese Debt Swap Comes With a Hidden Currency Risk
The Kenyan Treasury last month announced a breakthrough in its years-long effort to restructure billions of dollars still owed to the China Exim Bank that were used to build the Standard Gauge Railway. The two ...
Local Assembly & Chinese EVs Powering Kenya’s Electric Vehicle Shift
In Kenya, Chinese electric vehicle (EV) tech is not just about cars but it's about the entire mobility space from scooters to buses to wheelchairs. Just like in many other African countries, EV innovations come ...
Folashadé Soulé on the Evolution of African Agency in China Relations
Ghana’s negotiations for a China–Ghana free trade deal have sparked a fierce national debate. Political leaders are hailing it as a breakthrough for exporters, while manufacturers warn of being swamped by cheaper Chinese imports. At the heart of the discussion lies ...