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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 3 of 6

  1. Zimbabwe's Fight for Responsible Mining: Lessons for Africa & China

    · 39 min · S16 E22

    In recent years, the relationship between Chinese mining companies and local communities in many African countries has been very contentious over allegations of environmental damage, a lack of transparency, and…

  2. The End of the West and the Future of China

    · 59 min · S16 E21

    U.S. President Donald Trump's decision this week to pause military funding for Ukraine and to align his government with Russia further widens the cleavage between the United States and Europe — effectively breaking…

  3. Tracking China's Dominance of the Transition Minerals Trade

    · 44 min · S16 E20

    U.S. and European leaders often talk about the importance of building China-free supply chains for transition minerals and other critical resources. While, for a lot of people, that may resonate among their…

  4. Chinese AI, Automotive Tech Poised to Sweep Across Global South

    · 33 min · S16 E18

    When the Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer launched DeepSeek on January 20th, the global AI market for large language model (LLM) systems was turned upside down. Investors dumped nearly a trillion dollars of tech stocks in…

  5. Navigating U.S.-China Rivalry: Africa's Strategic Response in the Trump Era

    · 46 min · S10 E17

    The U.S.-China relationship is at a critical inflection point as Donald Trump tries to reset ties with his counterpart Xi Jinping. The U.S. President has repeatedly said he wants to negotiate a comprehensive trade…

  6. Debate: Is China a Helpful or Horrible Trade Partner for Global South Countries?

    · 59 min · S16 E10

    At last week's Munich Security Conference, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi touted his country's 5% economic growth last year as a "benefit to the world" thanks to all of the trade it does with countries around the…

  7. The U.S. or China: South Africa May Soon Have to Choose

    · 50 min · S16 E9

    There is mounting evidence that indicates the United States government may force South Africa to make a once-unthinkable choice: it's either the U.S. or China, but it can't be both. The president addressed the issue…

  8. [WEEK IN REVIEW] Who Gets to Tell the China-Africa Story?

    · 1 h 05 min · S16 E8

    Chinese engagement in Africa is seen by many people as a classic example of neo-colonial exploitation. China, according to the narrative, is merely the latest in a long line of predatory foreigners seeking to drain the…

  9. U.S. Aid Freeze Creates New Opening for China in Africa

    · 1 h 01 min · S16 E7

    The Trump administration's decision to issue a 90-day freeze on most foreign assistance around the world will have a disproportionate impact on a number of African countries that rely heavily on U.S. aid. The State…

  10. [GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Role in the Panama Canal Controversy

    · 46 min · S16 E6

    When Donald Trump criticized Panama for its management of the canal that he claimed had fallen under Chinese control, many people at first thought this was just another round of Trump's usual bluster. But since his…

  11. Does Trump Help or Hurt China's Diplomacy in Africa?

    · 49 min · S16 E5

    Donald Trump roared back into power this week, signing dozens of executive orders on his first day that upended large parts of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. The president withdrew the United States from the World…

  12. The World According to Marco Rubio

    · 1 h 08 min · S16 E4

    Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the State Department, Marco Rubio, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week as part of the confirmation process. Rubio testified for more…

  13. China and the Global South in the Trump 2.0 Era

    · 55 min · S16 E3

    On Monday, January 20th, Donald Trump will take the oath of office and return to power as president of the United States. Trump is promising to overhaul U.S. foreign and commercial policy in what many experts believe…

  14. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Wraps Up Low Key Africa Tour

    · 54 min · S16 E2

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ended a four-nation Africa tour on Thursday that included stops in Namibia, the Republic of Congo, Chad, and Nigeria. Other than a $255 million railway loan deal for Nigeria, there were…

  15. Why Views About China Are So Different in the Global North and South

    · 57 min · S16 E1

    China is deeply unpopular in the U.S., UK, Japan, and most other wealthy countries, and given the politics in those regions, there's no indication that's going to change anytime soon. It's a very different story,…

  16. [DOUBLE EPISODE] 2024 China-Africa Year in Review

    · 1 h 29 min · S15 E80

    2024 will be remembered as a seminal year in China-Africa relations with a rebound of Chinese lending to the continent and renewed diplomatic engagement in the run-up to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit…

  17. Morocco is Now a Major Hub for Chinese Investment in Africa

    · 39 min · S15 E79

    Chinese President Xi Jinping surprised a lot of people last month when he made an unannounced stopover in Morocco on his way home from the G20 summit in Brazil. The North African country doesn't often come to mind when…

  18. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Don't Expect a Resolution to the South China Sea Crisis in 2025

    · 47 min · S15 E78

    Tensions between China and the Philippines over territorial disputes in the South China Sea flared anew in December after another confrontation at sea. Soon after two vessels collided near the contested Scarborough…

  19. Why Some African Countries Welcome Trump's Return to Power

    · 49 min · S15 E77

    Donald Trump will be back in the Oval Office in just over a month after he is inaugurated for his second term as U.S. president on January 20th. While there's concern in some African capitals that Trump may scale back…

  20. [GLOBAL SOUTH] "Some Improvement" But Still a Long Way to Go to Resolve China-India Border Tensions

    · 51 min · S15 E76

    India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the lower house of parliament last week that "some improvement" had been made in resolving the ongoing border dispute with China. But he also cautioned that a lot…

  21. Fact-Checking International Media Coverage of Biden's Africa Tour

    · 1 h 14 min · S15 E75

    Joe Biden wrapped up a three-day trip to Cabo Verde and Angola this week, marking the first visit by a sitting U.S. President to Africa in almost ten years. Although Biden sought to lay out an expansive vision for U.S.…

  22. [WEEK IN REVIEW] China's Role in Africa's Energy Transition and Biden's Angola Trip

    · 33 min · S15 E74

    The Sirexe "Salon International des Ressources Extractives et Energetiques" conference took place this week in the Ivory Coast and brought together ministers, policymakers and corporate leaders from across the…

  23. [GLOBAL SOUTH] China, Indonesia and the Great Power Competition for Transition Minerals

    · 52 min · S15 E73

    U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is not a fan of the Biden administration's climate legislation known as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), describing it as a "green scam." Trump has promised to repeal it, which will…

  24. Xi Took Center Stage at G20 While African Union Kept a Low Profile

    · 54 min · S15 E72

    This week's G20 summit wrapped up much the same way previous G20 gatherings have in recent years, with a weak final communiqué and lots of discord among the group's members. But this year's summit in Rio de Janeiro was…

  25. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Is China Building a New Military Base in Cambodia? Maybe. Probably.

    · 46 min · S15 E71

    Chinese contractors have been renovating the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia for the past two years, leading to widespread suspicion that the upgraded facility could eventually serve as a future outpost for the PLA Navy in…

  26. Chinese Lending to Africa is Way More Complicated Than You Think

    · 51 min · S15 E70

    It's widely believed that Chinese lending to African countries is predominantly done by a few state policy banks, such as the China Exim Bank and the China Development Bank. While that was true in the past, today the…

  27. How Will Trump's Return to Power Impact China-Africa Ties?

    · 40 min · S15 E69

    The re-election of former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to significantly alter U.S. foreign policy, including its approach to Africa. As seen during Trump's first term, U.S. engagement with the continent is…

  28. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Update on the State of the BRI in the New "Small and Beautiful" Era

    · 56 min · S15 E68

    There's been a lot of talk in recent years about the new "small and beautiful" doctrine that now guides China's Belt and Road Initiative. The problem is that a lot of people still do not understand what it actually…

  29. Chinese Companies Engage in Massive "Forest Looting" in the DR Congo

    · 40 min · S15 E67

    Two Chinese logging companies are now the largest timber harvesters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with concessions sized at more than 3 million hectares. The firms, Wan Peng and Booming Green, are engaged in…

  30. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Power Shift: China's Role in Central Asia's Renewable Energy Transformation

    · 59 min · S15 E66

    Even though the five countries in Central Asia are among the world's largest fossil fuel producers, the region faces chronic electricity shortages due to a lack of refining capacity. The energy crunch is further…

  31. Stymied in the West, Chinese EV Brands Look to Expand in Africa

    · 41 min · S15 E65

    Just over a million new vehicles were sold in Africa last year, a relatively small number given the continent's enormous population, estimated at 1.5 billion. Chinese auto brands are looking at that discrepancy and…

  32. [GLOBAL SOUTH] India Claims Major Breakthrough in Border Stand-off With China

    · 50 min · S15 E64

    India and China have reached a deal to de-escalate tensions along their bitterly disputed border in the Himalayas, potentially ending a contentious four-year stand-off between the two Asian powers. Indian Foreign…

  33. Global Gateway in Africa: Europe's Answer to China's Belt and Road

    · 1 h 00 min · S15 E63

    The European Commission's Global Gateway initiative will turn three years old in December. The $300 billion infrastructure initiative was launched with great fanfare to provide developing countries in Africa and…

  34. [GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Paying a High Cost for Its "All-Weather" Relationship With Pakistan

    · 51 min · S15 E62

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang is in Pakistan this week to get ties with its South Asian neighbor back on track after a series of terrorist attacks this year. The latest incident occurred earlier this month near the airport…

  35. Judd Devermont on the State of U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa

    · 1 h 00 min · S15 E61

    U.S. President Joe Biden was supposed to be in Angola this week, fulfilling a pledge to visit the continent he made back at the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. But with massive hurricanes pounding the southern United…

  36. Beyond Railways and Ports: China's Evolving Lending Strategy in Africa

    · 52 min · S15 E60

    Chinese lending to African countries rebounded in a big way in 2023 after seven consecutive years of decline. Last year, Chinese lenders approved loans totaling $4.61 billion to African borrowers, a dramatic increase…

  37. Negotiating Chinese Infrastructure Deals: Lessons From Two African Countries

    · 39 min · S15 E59

    Africa is the only region in the world where access to electricity is actually shrinking. Prolonged drought across large swathes of the continent has severely impacted hydropower production, triggering large-scale…

  38. Railroads and Rivalries in Southern Africa

    · 1 h 05 min · S15 E58

    The U.S. and China plan to spend billions of dollars refurbishing key railway lines in southern Africa that link critical resource mining hubs in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with ports on both sides…

  39. [GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Response to the Wars in the Middle East

    · 48 min · S15 E57

    The rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon prompted a strong reaction from the Chinese government this week. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou…

  40. [WEEK IN REVIEW] Illegal Chinese Miners in Ghana Have Been Warned

    · 1 h 01 min · S15 E56

    China's new ambassador to Ghana, Tong Defa, spoke out forcefully this week to condemn the ongoing problem of illegal mining in the country and issued a fresh warning to his compatriots that if they are caught breaking…

  41. [GLOBAL SOUTH] How Persian Gulf Countries Are Responding to the U.S.-China Rivalry

    · 35 min · S15 E55

    For much of the past thirty years, since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been largely unrivaled in its power in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. Today, that is no longer the case as the U.S. faces…

  42. Can China Help Africa Become the Next Factory of the World?

    · 46 min · S15 E54

    For decades, African governments have tried to lure Chinese manufacturing companies to set up factories in their countries with the promise of an abundant supply of low-cost labor. Other than a few high-profile…

  43. [DOUBLE EPISODE] The China-Africa Summit Debrief

    · 1 h 32 min · S15 E53

    The three-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit wrapped up in Beijing on Friday. The big headline from this year's gathering was the announcement that China will provide $50.7 billion in financing to…

  44. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Why the U.S. is Struggling to Compete in the Global Competition for Critical Resources

    · 57 min · S15 E52

    U.S. officials have spoken at length about the urgent need to end their country's dependency on China for the critical resources needed to power next-generation mobility and technology. Part of the solution, they say,…

  45. [BONUS EPISODE] Chinese, African Perspectives on the FOCAC Summit

    · 59 min · S15 E51 · Bonus

    This year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit comes at a critical time for governments in both regions. While China is embroiled in an increasingly contentious great power duel with the United States,…

  46. David Monyae on the Politics of FOCAC

    · 29 min · S15 E50

    Final preparations are underway for the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, which begins on September 4th in Beijing. This year's event comes at a particularly fraught time amid wars in Europe, the…

  47. [GLOBAL SOUTH] View From Israel: China's Growing Influence in the Middle East

    · 33 min · S15 E49

    In September 2023, just weeks before Hamas' devastating terrorist attack on October 7th, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his foreign policy advisors were preparing for a summit meeting in China with President Xi…

  48. Energy is Going to be the Hot Topic at Upcoming China-Africa Summit

    · 45 min · S15 E48

    African leaders will soon travel to Beijing to participate in the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, which will begin on September 4th. Many of those heads of state will arrive in the Chinese capital…

  49. African Priorities at the Upcoming China Summit

    · 55 min · S15 E47

    African leaders and their delegations are making final preparations to travel to Beijing soon for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit that will begin on September 4th. This year's gathering comes at a…

  50. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Westlessness: A New Era Where the West Still Matters, Just Not as Much

    · 52 min · S15 E46

    Chinese President Xi Jinping has long touted the East's rise and the West's decline, the kind of thinking that's triggered his supporters to fantasize about a post-Western geopolitical order. While it's indisputable…

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