The China in Africa Podcast

The China-Global South Project
  • 4,6 (204)
  • POLITIQUE
  • DEUX FOIS PAR SEMAINE

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.

  1. -3 J

    China’s Gradual but Growing Security Influence in Africa

    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 Africa, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. There are also mounting concerns over the protection of Chinese personnel on the continent who have been regular targets of kidnapping and ransom by bandits in the DRC, Nigeria, and South Africa, among other countries. Lungani Hlongwa, editor of the China-Africa Security Radar on Substack, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why African militaries are increasingly turning to China and away from traditional partners in the U.S. and Europe. SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to The China-Africa Security Radar: https://cafradar.substack.com/ Politico: Pentagon plan prioritizes homeland over China threat by Paul McLeary and Daniel Lippman The China-Global South Project: Q&A: China’s ‘Feeling the Stones’ Approach to African Security Takes Shape JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @agmutambo Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

    52 min

  2. 5 SEPT.

    Kenya Caught Uncomfortably Between the U.S. and China

    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 Beijing earlier this year, where he said Kenya and China will be the "architects of a new world order." The remark was particularly upsetting for some in Washington, given Kenya's role as a Major Non-NATO Ally. Aggrey Mutambo, Africa editor at the Nation newspaper, joins Eric & Cobus from Nairobi to discuss how the Kenyan government is responding and what it's doing to maintain stable ties with both major powers. SHOW NOTES: Aggrey Mutambo's article index at the Nation newspaper. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @agmutambo Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

    35 min

  3. 29 AOÛT

    Africa is a Testing Ground for China’s Global Security Initiative

    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 lender, funding roads, ports, and railways. In security discussions, China’s engagement with Africa is increasing in trade and training. China is advancing the Global Security Initiative (GSI), a framework that emphasizes sovereignty, non-interference, and development as the foundation for peace, a sharp contrast to Western, military-led approaches. But how is this vision received in Africa, and what does it mean for the continent’s security future? In this episode, Geraud is joined by Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Strategic Studies Center in Washington, D.C, to explore these questions with a focus on African agency: how leaders negotiate loans, manage partnerships, and interpret China’s security proposals. The answers, as Paul explains, reveal a more complex picture than dependency or partnership alone. SHOW NOTES: Africa Center for Strategic Studies: Africa as a Testing Ground for China’s Global Security Initiative by Paul Nantulya  JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

    36 min

  4. 23 AOÛT

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

    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 and influence, the coverage reveals both common threads and striking differences with other regions. Natsuko Imai Kanayama, a researcher at the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development in Tokyo joins Eric & Géraud to share insights from her comparative study, highlighting how Zambian media narratives can challenge global assumptions about power, partnerships, and agency. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

    50 min

  5. 15 AOÛT

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

    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 more than 100,000km of new roads across the continent. We wanted to find out, though, if it's true: does a new road actually pave the way for prosperity, as they say it does? So, we asked Malawi-based journalist Raphael Mweninguwe to visit two highways, the M1 and M26, to speak with local residents and shopkeepers about whether their lives have improved since the Chinese built these highways. Raphael joins Eric from the Malawian capital, Lilongwe, to discuss his report that was published on CGSP this week and explain why the question about whether the road helped improve their lives doesn't have a simple answer. SHOW NOTES: The China-Global South Project: Chinese-Built Roads in Malawi Bring Hope but Not the Riches Many Expected by Raphael Mweninguwe JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

    25 min

  6. 8 AOÛT

    A Turbulent Week for China-Africa Media Narratives

    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 local miners purportedly at the behest of Chinese nationals watching in the background. A controversial hour-long documentary by one of Zambia's leading newspapers also sparked a lot of discussion over the labor and environmental records of Chinese mining companies in the country. The Chinese embassy in Lusaka denounced the program as "biased" and containing "hidden motives." Meanwhile, in China, a 15-second teaser of a new blockbuster movie also dropped this week that looks like it's set in a fictitious North African country, while popular Chinese travel vlogger Zhang Jun released a visually stunning 2.5-hour-long documentary on the Congolese fashion scene known as "La Sape." Eric, Géraud & Cobus discuss these various clips and shows that emerged this week and what they reveal about the evolution of China-Africa media narratives. SHOW NOTES: Justicia ABSL: Violent beating of Congolese miners by FARDC soldiers News Diggers: China: The Good, the Bad and the Dangerous Movie Trailer: 用武之地/The Point of No Return The Fashion Bible: Congo’s “La Sape” Fashion Culture Through the Unlikely Lens of a Chinese Vlogger JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

    1 h 7 min

  7. 1 AOÛT

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

    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 shipped to China, the rest will be sold domestically in a move aimed at reducing the West African country's food import bill. The Sinohydro news followed an even larger agriculture announcement between the two countries when Chinese conglomerate Citic signed a $250 million contract to develop large-scale soybean and corn farms in Angola. Géraud and Cobus discuss why the timing of these deals is so interesting as China moves quickly to reduce its reliance on wheat, soy, and corn imports from the U.S. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

    48 min

  8. 24 JUIL.

    China’s Vital, Yet Poorly Understood Role in Africa’s Energy Sector

    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 registered in the first half of the year, particularly in Nigeria, according to new data published by Griffiths University in Australia and the Green Finance and Development Center in Beijing. These new contracts and investments will bolster China's already formidable presence in the continent's energy market, where Chinese-backed projects account for approximately 23 GW of installed generation capacity across at least 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – nearly 20 percent of the region’s total. Naa Adjekai Adjei, CGSP's non-resident fellow for Africa, is examining the operational aspects of Chinese-backed power projects in Africa for a new bi-weekly series that encompasses everything from project pitching to financing and construction. Adjekai joins Eric & Cobus to explain why China's role in African energy development remains poorly understood despite its sizable presence. SHOW NOTES: The China-Global South Project: Motives That Matter: The Economic and Strategic Logic Behind China’s Power Sector Engagement in Africa by Naa Adjekai Adjei The China-Global South Project: Inside China’s Power Play: Understanding the Institutions Behind Africa’s Energy Projects by Naa Adjekai Adjei The Conversation: How to negotiate infrastructure deals with China: four things African governments need to get right by Folashadé Soulé JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

    56 min
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À propos

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.

Informations

  • Création
    The China-Global South Project
  • Années d’activité
    2011 - 2025
  • Épisodes
    300
  • Classification
    Contenu explicite
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Site web de l’émission
    The China in Africa Podcast

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