The China in Africa Podcast

Episodes page 6 of 6

1. [GLOBAL SOUTH] What China's Past Tells Us About the Future of its Foreign Policy in Asia

   4 Apr 2023 · 54 min

   Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim both wrapped up state visits to China last week and their discussions with President Xi Jinping revealed some fascinating linkages…

2. China's Small but Important Role in Ghana's Debt Crisis

   31 Mar 2023 · 44 min

   China's share of Ghana's $55 billion public debt is quite small at just $1.7 billion or 3% of the total, but Beijing nonetheless plays a critical role in Accra's efforts to revive its economy. The Ghanaian government…

3. [GLOBAL SOUTH] China's Lending Money Again to Countries in the Americas

   30 Mar 2023 · 43 min

   Chinese lending to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean is gaining momentum. For the second year in a row, China's two largest policy banks have increased lending to countries in the region, albeit in much…

4. CAR Attack Sparks New Concerns About Safety of Chinese People in Africa

   24 Mar 2023 · 50 min

   One week after a brutal attack on a Chinese mining site in the Central African Republic (CAR) that killed nine people and injured two others, it's still not clear who is responsible and why they did it. All Chinese…

5. Reporting Tips for African Journalists Covering China

   22 Mar 2023 · 1 h 14 min

   Reporting on China is difficult even for the most experienced journalist who's spent years living there and speaks the language. So, it's not surprising that reporters in Africa who've had limited exposure to the…

6. Africa's Role in China's Evolving Geopolitical Priorities

   16 Mar 2023 · 49 min

   It's been a momentous past two weeks for Chinese foreign policy with major a breakthrough in the Sri Lanka debt impasse and the landmark announcement that Beijing helped to broker the restoration of ties between Iran…

7. [GLOBAL SOUTH] What Lessons Should the U.S. Take From China's Mideast Diplomatic Breakthrough?

   16 Mar 2023 · 19 min · Bonus

   This month's surprise announcement that China brokered the restoration of diplomatic relations between longtime rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia prompted widespread excitement in Beijing and considerable consternation…

8. [GLOBAL SOUTH] What to Make of China's Mideast Diplomatic Breakthrough?

   15 Mar 2023 · 59 min

   New details are emerging about the landmark diplomatic deal brokered by China for Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic relations. The initial excitement about the prospects for peace between these two Persian…

9. China vs. the Multilateral Development Banks

   9 Mar 2023 · 54 min

   There was a major breakthrough this week in China's months-long standoff with the World Bank, IMF, and other multilateral creditors when Beijing agreed to fully back Sri Lanka's debt restructuring. The move now clears…

10. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Latin America Was Once an Afterthought for China... Not Anymore

    7 Mar 2023 · 51 min

    In just the past twenty years, China's trade with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean surged 26-fold to almost half-a-trillion dollars. The region is also now a major destination for Chinese foreign investment…

11. WEEK IN REVIEW: China-IMF Debt Standoff | France's "New" Africa Strategy | SA Naval Exercises

    2 Mar 2023 · 58 min

    The G20 finance ministers meeting in India came and went without any progress on the debt standoff between China and the IMF/World Bank over who should take losses on loans to the world's poorest countries. Meantime,…

12. WEEK IN REVIEW: South Africa: Naval Drills | Ghana: Debt Crisis | DRC: Mining Contracts

    24 Feb 2023 · 1 h 01 min

    Controversial joint naval exercises among South Africa, Russia, and China got underway this week off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, prompting a fierce backlash from critics who blasted Pretoria for legitimizing Russia on…

13. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Wang Huiyao on 'China's Misunderstood Foreign Policy'

    22 Feb 2023 · 50 min

    Senior-level Chinese stakeholders often contend that one of the main reasons for today's heightened geopolitical tensions between China and the West is due to "misunderstandings" of its foreign policy objectives by…

14. What the New Port of Lekki in Nigeria Tells Us About the Future of Chinese Infrastructure Finance in Africa

    17 Feb 2023 · 52 min

    China is no longer in the game of providing African countries with enormous loans to finance large-scale infrastructure projects. In fact, BRI financing last year for projects in Africa plunged more than 50% to just…

15. [GLOBAL SOUTH] China, Latin America, and the Rise of a New Non-Aligned Movement

    17 Feb 2023 · 54 min

    During the first Cold War, a large group of developing countries sought to distance themselves from the ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union to create a Non-Aligned Movement. Today, three…

16. It's Getting Tougher for African Students to Get a PhD in China

    10 Feb 2023 · 42 min

    Thousands of African students are back in class again in China following a three-year absence due to the pandemic and Beijing's strict COVID Zero travel restrictions. But doctoral students from Africa and elsewhere…

17. How the U.S. Aims to Compete With China in Critical Resource Mining

    8 Feb 2023 · 52 min

    U.S. officials are speaking out about the urgency to diversify supply chains for critical resources that are now largely dependent on China, particularly rare earths, cobalt, and lithium that are all essential…

18. The Role of Chinese Solar Technology in Africa's Just Energy Transition

    3 Feb 2023 · 1 h 00 min

    China is by far the world's dominant producer of solar power technology which is becoming increasingly popular in places like Africa that are under mounting pressure to transition from reliance on fossil fuels to new,…

19. [GLOBAL SOUTH] What's Driving the Steady Decline in Chinese Overseas Development Lending?

    1 Feb 2023 · 50 min

    There was a time when Chinese lending to developing countries rivaled the World Bank. Those days are now long gone as Chinese overseas development lending has been on a steady downward trajectory. New data from Boston…

20. A New Era of U.S. and Chinese Engagement in Africa is Now Underway

    27 Jan 2023 · 1 h 00 min

    This was a big week for both the U.S. and China in Africa as both major powers' new, more robust engagement strategies were on full display. For the U.S., two cabinet secretaries toured the region this week, while…

21. Why More Young Chinese Professionals Are Looking For Work in Africa

    19 Jan 2023 · 42 min

    Near record high levels of youth unemployment in China is prompting more young graduates to look abroad for work, particularly in Africa. Recruiters say they can't find enough people to work in both private companies…

22. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Pepe Zhang on What to Expect This Year in China-Latin America Relations

    16 Jan 2023 · 47 min

    China's two-way trade with countries in the Americas increased 8% last year to $486 billion, nearly twice the volume of what China does in Africa. South America is now a vital source of food, energy, and strategic…

23. Hannah Ryder on What to Expect This Year in China-Africa Relations

    12 Jan 2023 · 1 h 00 min

    Qin Gang is carrying on a 33-year-old tradition by making Africa the first official visit of the new year for China's foreign minister. Qin took office just two weeks ago and is new to African affairs, so this week's…

24. The 2022 Africa-China Year in Review With Gyude Moore

    23 Dec 2022 · 1 h 09 min

    Chinese trade with Africa is widely expected to break yet another record in 2022, while Chinese lending to countries across the continent fell again. Meantime, African leaders this year also forcefully pushed back…

25. [GLOBAL SOUTH] New Report Debunks Chinese Debt Trap Narrative in Sri Lanka

    18 Dec 2022 · 1 h 04 min

    The Chinese debt trap narrative was started based on the purported surrender of the Port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka. When Colombo fell behind in its payments to the China Exim Bank for the loan, the story goes, Beijing…

26. China's Long Shadow Over the U.S.-Africa Summit

    16 Dec 2022 · 1 h 13 min

    The three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit wrapped up in Washington, D.C. on Thursday with a declaration by President Joe Biden that his administration is "all in" when it comes to Africa. The White House worked very…

27. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Bad Takes: What the News Media Got Wrong About Xi's Trip to Saudi Arabia

    13 Dec 2022 · 50 min

    So much of the international news coverage of Xi Jinping's three-day visit last week to Saudi Arabia was framed in the context of the broader U.S.-China rivalry. The Saudis and other Arab states, according to the…

28. Worrisome Demographic Trends in China and Africa

    9 Dec 2022 · 48 min

    Africa is home to the world's youngest and fastest-growing population, creating what proponents call a "demographic dividend." Conversely, China is rapidly becoming one of the world's oldest countries thanks in part to…

29. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Why U.S. Diplomacy is Struggling to Compete With China in the Global South

    6 Dec 2022 · 1 h 01 min

    40 countries around the world currently do not have U.S. ambassadors. The corner offices have been empty for months, even years at U.S. embassies in major regional powers like India and Saudia Arabia. Even Italy, a G7…

30. Why It Isn't China's Fault Its Trade With Africa Is so Distorted

    2 Dec 2022 · 1 h 01 min

    China is forecast to break another trade record with Africa this year, potentially even crossing the $300 billion barrier. While that sounds great, the big number masks a distorted trading relationship that is mostly…

31. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Can China's Surveillance State Governance Model Be Exported Abroad?

    30 Nov 2022 · 1 h 10 min

    China has built the world's largest and most intrusive surveillance system to monitor the behavior of its people. Millions of cameras, vast databases, and sophisticated online filters work together to form a seemingly…

32. U.S.-China Technology Competition in Africa

    25 Nov 2022 · 52 min

    African telecom operators have resolutely opposed U.S. calls to stop using Chinese networking hardware. In fact, Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese tech firms in recent years have significantly expanded their presence…

33. [GLOBAL SOUTH] A Look Back on a Week of Intense Chinese Diplomacy in Southeast Asia

    22 Nov 2022 · 57 min

    Chinese President returned home from a week of intense diplomacy in Indonesia and Thailand where he attended a pair of summits and held more than a dozen bilaterals with other international leaders. Both the G20…

34. [WEEK IN REVIEW] Will China and Wealthy Countries Pay For Climate Damage in the Global South?

    18 Nov 2022 · 59 min

    Join us for a very lively end-of-week show where Eric, Cobus, and Geraud get into a spirited debate over whether China, India, and wealthy countries will pay for the damage they've caused to poor countries in Africa…

35. A Conversation with Molly Phee, the Top U.S. Diplomat for Africa

    11 Nov 2022 · 56 min

    This Summer the United States updated its foreign policy for Africa when it shifted the focus from competing with China to improving governance and bolstering trade ties with the region. Now, three months later, the…

36. Emerging Trends and Myths in Africa-China Relations: Live From Johannesburg

    8 Nov 2022 · 46 min · Bonus

    [DISCLAIMER: This special bonus episode was recorded live from a classroom on the campus of Wits University in Johannesburg. Unfortunately, the audio quality isn't great -- it's OK, not great -- but we hope that you'll…

37. [GLOBAL SOUTH] The U.S.-China Battle For Ideas in the Global South

    25 Oct 2022 · 1 h 04 min

    Both the United States and China have restructured their respective foreign policy establishments in recent years to be better poised to confront each other. In the just concluded 20th Party Congress in Beijing,…

38. Where Does Africa Fit in Xi Jinping's New Foreign Policy

    21 Oct 2022 · 55 min

    Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined a more assertive foreign policy vision during his closely-followed address at the 20th Party Congress in Beijing last Sunday. He made it clear that China's new foreign policy…

39. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Despite Huge Problems, Pakistan Remains Indispensable to China

    18 Oct 2022 · 1 h 01 min

    It has been a difficult year for China in Pakistan. A burgeoning economic crisis in the South Asian country threatens to undermine the multibillion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor development initiative while…

40. Debt in Africa: Everyone's Watching What China Does in Zambia

    13 Oct 2022 · 48 min

    The United Nations Development Program issued a new report this week that once again sounded the alarm on the urgent need for debt relief in the world's poorest countries. The UNDP said 54 countries are at risk, with…

41. [GLOBAL SOUTH] China and India's Steadily Deteriorating Relationship

    11 Oct 2022 · 54 min

    It wasn't that long ago that many people thought the longtime rivalry between India and China had begun to subside. In fact, Xi Jinping traveled to India in 2019, his second visit as president, for a profile, seemingly…

42. Africa Again is the Backdrop for a Chinese Blockbuster Movie

    7 Oct 2022 · 42 min

    Home Coming is the latest Chinese blockbuster movie set in Africa that registered big box office returns during its Golden Week opening. The film is set in the fictitious North African country of Numia and tells the…

43. What Does Kenya's SGR Tell Us About the Future of Chinese Railway Development in the Global South

    4 Oct 2022 · 47 min

    The Chinese-financed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya is one of the flagship projects of the Belt and Road Initiative. But the SGR like other Chinese-sponsored railway projects elsewhere in the Global South also…

44. Nosmot Gbadamosi on US-China Competition in Africa, Debt and "Preventative Infrastructure"

    30 Sep 2022 · 59 min

    Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia commissioned a new road this week built by the Chinese conglomerate Sinohydro and paid for as part of a $2 billion bauxite barter deal with the company. The timing of this new…

45. [GLOBAL SOUTH] Why the U.S. And Israel Are Not Aligned on China

    27 Sep 2022 · 57 min

    Israel and China are reportedly in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement that both sides say will be done before the end of the year. This may come as a surprise to some given how relations between the…

46. African Leaders, China Made It Clear This Week They're Unhappy With the Current International System

    23 Sep 2022 · 1 h 05 min

    African leaders one after another took the podium at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) this week to express their deep frustrations with the international system and how unfairly it treats developing countries. "It is…

47. Navigating the Belt & Road With a New Digital Toolkit

    20 Sep 2022 · 58 min

    October marks the 9th anniversary of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and after all these years, nearly a decade later, many people around the world are still trying to figure out what exactly the BRI is. What is…

48. Introducing the China-Global South Podcast

    16 Sep 2022 · 1 h 11 min

    Every week, The China-Global South Podcast will explore timely issues surrounding China's engagement in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and other developing regions. Hosted by China-Global South Editor in…

49. China and the Race to Dominate EV Battery Supply Chains

    13 Sep 2022 · 1 h 05 min

    A new movement is underway in the U.S. to strip China out of the global supply chain for electric vehicle batteries -- everything from the extraction of the minerals and metals to the processing of those resources to…

50. Week in Review: Illegal mining in Ghana, US Disillusionment in the DRC & #ChinaAfricaSpaceTalk

    9 Sep 2022 · 53 min

    Aisha Huang, aka the "Galamsey Queen," surprised everyone when she was arrested again for illegal mining in Ghana. What does her arrest say about the government's efforts to combat illicit Chinese mining? Plus, a new…