Podcasts · News · Government

The China in Africa Podcast

The China-Global South Project

300 episodes

Twice-weekly discussion about China's engagement across Africa and the Global South hosted by journalist Eric Olander and Asia-Africa scholar Cobus van Staden in Johannesburg.

Episodes page 2 of 6

  1. Chinese Nationals' Role in Africa's Illicit Weapons, Mining, and Money Flows

    · 55 min · S16 E72

    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…

  2. Is China's "Engineering State" the New Development Model for the Global South?

    · 41 min · S16 E71

    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,…

  3. Why China's Ability to Make a $6 Toaster is a Big Problem for the Global South

    · 22 min · S16 E70 · Bonus

    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…

  4. How China Changed Its Image in the African News Media

    · 39 min · S16 E69

    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…

  5. China's Evolution from "Rules Taker" to "Rules Maker" in Development Finance

    · 40 min · S16 E68 · Bonus

    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…

  6. Kenya's Chinese Debt Swap Comes With a Hidden Currency Risk

    · 32 min · S16 E67

    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 sides…

  7. Folashadé Soulé on the Evolution of African Agency in China Relations

    · 48 min · S16 E66

    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…

  8. [CGSP FORUM] Africa's Energy Future and China: Gauging the Price of Power

    · 55 min · S16 E65

    In CGSP's first-ever China–Africa Energy Forum, Managing Editor Cobus van Staden hosts three leading experts to explore how Chinese finance, technology, and policy are transforming Africa's power landscape: • Frangton…

  9. Kenya's China Debt Deal Challenges Old Narratives

    · 37 min · S16 E64

    Kenya and China have reached a groundbreaking agreement to restructure $3.5 billion in railway loans, converting them from U.S. dollars into Chinese yuan. The move could save Kenya $215 million in debt servicing costs…

  10. Chinese Online Outrage Over $80 Billion Zambia River Suit

    · 1 h 01 min · S16 E63

    More than six months after 50,000 liters of toxic water from a Chinese-run mining site spilled into Zambia's Kafue River, there's still no resolution to what's become a massive environmental crisis. The government is…

  11. China's Play for Global Governance Leadership

    · 57 min · S16 E62 · Bonus

    In the weeks since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the new Global Governance Initiative (GGI) during a speech at the SCO summit in Tianjin, Beijing's propaganda apparatus has been working overtime to build…

  12. Africa Buys More From China Than Ever. That's a Problem.

    · 46 min · S16 E61

    China-Africa trade in the first eight months of the year increased by 15% to more than $220 billion, on track to break another annual record. A significant portion of that growth, however, stemmed from a surge in…

  13. Africa-Asia Relations Beyond China

    · 1 h 01 min · S16 E60

    Africa was especially hard hit by Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, which ended years of duty-free access to the U.S. and triggered a rush to find new markets. China's announcement that it will remove all…

  14. China's Gradual but Growing Security Influence in Africa

    · 52 min · S16 E59

    China is steadily expanding its security presence in Africa through deeper military ties, weapons sales, and multinational deployments as UN Peacekeepers. In fact, China is now the largest arms supplier to Sub-Saharan…

  15. Kenya Caught Uncomfortably Between the U.S. and China

    · 35 min · S16 E58

    The Kenyan government is under mounting pressure from the United States over its close ties with China. Influential lawmakers in Washington are furious over comments made by President William Ruto during a visit to…

  16. Africa is a Testing Ground for China's Global Security Initiative

    · 36 min · S16 E57

    China's presence in Africa is often debated through different lenses. Two prominent angles to examine this relationship are through finance and security. Under finance, Beijing has become the continent's biggest…

  17. How Zambian Media Frames China, the U.S., Japan, and South Africa

    · 50 min · S16 E56

    Who shapes Africa's story? Zambia's media offers a rare window into how local voices frame global powers like China, the U.S., Japan, and South Africa. From debates on debt and development to questions of governance…

  18. If You Want to Get Rich, Build a Road. Testing China's Theory in Africa

    · 25 min · S16 E55

    There's a Chinese proverb that says, "If you want to get rich, build a road first." That philosophy has guided China's development strategy in Africa for much of the past 25 years, that's led to the construction of…

  19. A Turbulent Week for China-Africa Media Narratives

    · 1 h 07 min · S16 E54

    Over the past week, sharply contrasting images of Chinese engagement in Africa surfaced online. Anger erupted on social media over the release of yet another violent video that shows Congolese soldiers brutally beating…

  20. [WEEK IN REVIEW] China Invests in Angola to Secure Food Supply Chains

    · 48 min · S16 E53

    Chinese construction giant Sinohydro signed a $100 million deal with Angola to build out the country's agricultural infrastructure in a bid to boost grain production. While 60% of the output from this venture will be…

  21. China's Vital, Yet Poorly Understood Role in Africa's Energy Sector

    · 56 min · S16 E52

    After a two-to-three-year hiatus following the pandemic, Chinese money is once again flowing into the African energy sector. Billions of dollars in new investment and construction contracts for power facilities were…

  22. How China Really Secures Its Loans to Developing Countries

    · 46 min · S16 E51

    The "debt trap" meme claims that China is intentionally lending vast sums of money to poor developing countries in Africa, and elsewhere, with the express intent to seize physical assets in those countries when they…

  23. The Evolution of China-Africa Research and Where It's Headed

    · 1 h 00 min · S16 E50

    A new generation of scholars is reshaping China-Africa research. More geographically diverse and digitally fluent than the field's early pioneers of the 2000s, this cohort brings fresh perspectives and tools to the…

  24. Lessons for Europe From China's Critical Minerals Strategy in Africa

    · 58 min · S16 E49

    While the U.S., India, and countries in the Persian Gulf are all moving quickly to establish new critical mineral supply chains, the European Union is struggling to follow suit, particularly in Africa. The EU currently…

  25. It's Payback Time For a Lot of Those Chinese Loans

    · 41 min · S16 E48

    Borrowers in Africa and other developing regions are expected to repay $35 billion of Chinese loans this year, with two-thirds of the amount coming from the world's poorest countries. Many of these debts were taken out…

  26. [GLOBAL SOUTH] China Forced to Regroup After Israel-Iran War

    · 56 min · S16 E47

    China is emerging from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in a much weaker position. For years, Beijing counted on Tehran to serve as a bulwark against Washington. Today, though, that's no longer possible as the Iranian…

  27. China's Africa Security Strategy: Training, Arms, and Political Influence

    · 57 min · S16 E46

    Over the past 25 years, China's military engagement with Africa has grown dramatically. In 2000, fewer than 5% of African weapons came from China. Today, Chinese-made armored vehicles are used by 70% of African…

  28. [GLOBAL SOUTH] How Middle Powers Are Navigating the U.S.–China Rivalry

    · 59 min · S16 E45

    In this new era of surging instability and geopolitical uncertainty, so-called "Middle Power" states are rapidly diversifying their foreign policies to deepen engagement with other countries in the Global South, while…

  29. The Chinese FDI Boom in Africa That Wasn't

    · 31 min · S16 E44

    For years, China has been seen as the pivotal international economic partner across Africa. That was certainly true in terms of steadily rising trade volumes and a fire hose of state backed loans that built roads,…

  30. Trump's New Africa Policy Focuses on Deals... and China

    · 1 h 26 min · S16 E43

    U.S. foreign policy towards Africa has been totally upended since Donald Trump returned to power earlier this year. Gone are the decades-old humanitarian programs that have been replaced by a new strategy that focuses…

  31. China-Africa Critical Minerals Update: Clean Up in Zambia, Disputes in the DR Congo

    · 47 min · S16 E42

    In Zambia, efforts to clean up a massive acid spill from a Chinese-owned mine have been met with skepticism, despite government assurances. Officials claim restitution is underway and rehabilitation plans are in place,…

  32. Active Non-Alignment in the Era of U.S.-China Rivalry

    · 57 min · S16 E41

    From Panama to Kenya to Indonesia, a growing number of developing countries are being pulled into the intensifying rivalry between China and the U.S. For these middle powers, the stakes are high as they must carefully…

  33. How Chinese EVs Are Powering Africa's Mobility Revolution

    · 57 min · S16 E40

    Chinese e-mobility technology is poised to transform large swathes of Africa's transportation ecosystem in the coming decade, but in very different ways than in other regions where EVs are the primary focus. Bicylces,…

  34. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Why the India-China Détente May Be Over

    · 41 min · S16 E39

    After several months of steadily improving ties, India-China relations appear to be cooling once again following the recent clashes in Kashmir. China's military support for Pakistan during the conflict earlier this…

  35. Somaliland's Strategic Gamble: Betting on Trump, Backing Taiwan, Defying China

    · 56 min · S16 E38

    The tiny breakaway nation of Somaliland is making a bold geopolitical wager: deepening ties with Taiwan, courting conservative power brokers in Washington, and positioning itself as a rare pro-U.S. ally in a region…

  36. WEEK IN REVIEW: China Becoming Africa's Go To Source for Weapons

    · 52 min · S16 E37

    The Nigerian military signed a deal with Chinese state-owned weapons manufacturer Norinco to set up a factory as part of an effort to develop a domestic arms production capacity in the West African country. The deal…

  37. The Future of U.S. and Chinese Aid Programs in the Global South

    · 54 min · S16 E36

    Two years ago, Daniel Russel and Blake Berger, senior analysts at the Asia Society Policy Institute, embarked on an ambitious project to bring U.S. and Chinese stakeholders together to speak in a safe, controlled…

  38. The New Realities About Chinese Development Finance in Africa

    · 58 min · S16 E35

    Chinese overseas development finance is unrecognizable from what it was just a few years ago. After suffering tens of billions of dollars in losses, Chinese lenders have moved to de-risk their lending to countries in…

  39. Kenya Prez Ruto Shows Persistence Pays When Negotiating With China

    · 49 min · S16 E34

    Kenyan President William Ruto wrapped up a four-day visit to China on Friday and returned home with a massive new railway deal and more than a billion dollars of investment pledges. Ruto's successful closing of the…

  40. Zambia's Kafue River Disaster Puts China's Mining Record Under Fire

    · 44 min · S16 E33

    In February, a tailings dam at a Chinese-owned mine in Zambia collapsed, releasing 50 million liters of acid waste into the Kafue River—a critical water source for millions. The spill sparked national outrage and…

  41. [GLOBAL SOUTH] South China Sea Update: Will the U.S. Really Defend the Philippines Against China?

    · 46 min · S16 E32

    Donald Trump strongly feels that U.S. security alliances in Europe no longer serve Washington's long-term interest. In his view, the U.S. is being "ripped off" by wealthy countries that can afford to pay for their…

  42. WEEK IN REVIEW: Kenya Courts China While U.S. Sounds Alarm Over Beijing's Reach in Africa

    · 1 h 16 min · S16 E31

    Kenyan President William Ruto is scheduled to travel to Beijing later this month for an official state visit, where he's widely expected to finalize a long-awaited deal to extend the Chinese-built Standard Gauge…

  43. The Fate of China's Global Supply Chains in the New Tariff Era

    · 41 min · S16 E30 · Bonus

    With new tariff threats from the Trump administration and rising tensions across key markets, companies and governments alike are scrambling to understand what decoupling—or de-risking—actually looks like in practice.…

  44. China and the New World Trade War

    · 57 min · S16 E29 · Bonus

    U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that he will not back down from his massive tariff campaign that he launched last week and even promised to impose even higher duties on Chinese goods in response to…

  45. In China's Wake, India Tries a Cleaner, Fairer Mineral Path in Africa

    · 58 min · S16 E28

    In January, the Indian government published a new critical minerals strategy that details how the country aims to bolster supply chains necessary for its green energy transition. While the report underscores the…

  46. Lessons From Southeast Asia on How to Manage Great Power Rivalries

    · 56 min · S16 E27

    China and Vietnam have taken two distinctly different approaches in how they manage their territorial disputes with China. The Philippines is leaning into its alliance with the United States along with new security…

  47. South Africa's Active Yet Unequal Trade With China

    · 46 min · S16 E26

    From afar, the China-South Africa trade relationship looks amazing. Last year, the two countries sold more than $52 billion worth of goods to one another — mostly raw materials from South Africa and finished goods from…

  48. WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Mining Disaster in Zambia

    · 1 h 00 min · S16 E25

    Millions of Zambians along the Kafue River are coming to grips with the devastating environmental impact brought about by a massive acid spill from a Chinese-run copper mine. A tailings dam broke on February 18th,…

  49. China, Africa, and the Post-American World

    · 43 min · S16 E24

    During his Senate confirmation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the so-called "liberal international order" that he said was obsolete and no longer working for the United States. Since he and his boss,…

  50. China, the U.S., and the Competition for Africa's Strategic Resources

    · 55 min · S16 E23

    Southern Africa has become a focal point of geopolitical competition, with the U.S., China, and other global powers maneuvering for influence over key infrastructure projects and critical resources. The Lobito…

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