The China in Africa Podcast

The China-Global South Project
  • 4.6 (197)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY
The China in Africa Podcast

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. 4 DAYS AGO

    Tracking China's Dominance of the Transition Minerals Trade

    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 constituents at home, the reality is that it's not even remotely possible — at least for the foreseeable future. China has spent the better part of two decades building an insurmountable lead in financing, extracting, and processing these resources. Using a combination of state-backed companies and foreign financial institutions, the Chinese are the pacesetters in this industry, with their rivals left far behind. A first-of-its-kind report from the development research lab AidData at William & Mary College in the United States reveals the stunning breadth of China's global mining strategy that spans 19 countries around the world. Two of the report's authors, Brooke Escobar and Katherine Walsh, both from AidData's Chinese Development Finance Program, join Eric & Cobus to explain why China is now so far ahead of its competitors in this critical competition. SHOW NOTES: AidData: Power Playbook: Beijing’s Bid to Secure Overseas Transition Minerals 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

    44 min

  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    Chinese AI, Automotive Tech Poised to Sweep Across Global South

    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 the U.S., panicked by the prospect that a cheaper, more nimbler alternative would undermine the massive investments that companies like Microsoft, Google, and Apple were making in AI. A month later, those stocks have all largely recovered. Now, as investors have had time to use DeepSeek and better understand what it can do, there's less concern that it'll displace U.S. tech giants. The focus now is on its impact on the rest of the world. Asia Society Switzerland Fellow John Lee, a veteran Chinese technology analyst, joins Eric to explain why Chinese AI initiatives like DeepSeek along with new innovations in automotive tech are poised to take off in lower-income developing countries. 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

    33 min

  3. FEB 21

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

    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 agreement that would, in his view, lead to a dramatic de-escalation of tensions. Unsurprisingly, China Hawks, many in his own government, are skeptical that Trump will get what he wants from Xi. Regardless, reverberations from the U.S.-China conflict are felt far beyond the borders of these two countries, particularly in Africa, Asia, and across the Global South. Veteran journalist Jane Perlez joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the new season of her popular podcast, "Faceoff: The U.S. vs. China" and the key trends policymakers everywhere should focus on. SHOW NOTES: Listen to Faceoff: U.S. vs. China on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque  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

    46 min

  4. FEB 19

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

    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 world. While countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, among other regions, are no doubt selling more raw materials to China, critics contend, though, that this trade pattern isn't healthy and mostly in China's favor.  This week, Eric, Cobus, and Géraud debate whether Chinese trade is helping or hurting developing countries and whether China's role as the world's manufacturer is also the primary reason why poor countries remain stuck at the bottom of the industrial value chain. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque  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

    59 min

  5. FEB 13

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

    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 this week and said, "the South Africa situation is very dangerous and very bad for a lot of people." The president and his supporters are angry over South Africa's opposition to Israel in the Gaza War, Pretoria's close ties with Washington's rivals in Tehran and Moscow, and the country's multifaceted relationship with China — including its longstanding memberships in the BRICS and the Belt and Road Initiative.  Johannesburg-based political analyst Nkateko Mabasa joins Eric & Cobus to discuss how South Africans, namely President Cyril Ramaphosa, are responding to the intense pressure from the United States and what it means for the Rainbow nation's ties with China. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque  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

  6. FEB 6

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

    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 continent's vast reserves of oil, minerals, and timber. The narrative that frames the Chinese as the aggressors and Africans as the victims has largely been defined by U.S., European, and Indian entities over the past several decades and fits neatly into African historical traumas that help explain why so many people feel this way even though it doesn't comport with the evidence. This week, Eric, Géraud, and Cobus discuss why these narratives are so durable and then explore the sensitive issue of who should be empowered to tell the China-Africa story. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque  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

    1h 5m

  7. JAN 31

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

    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 Department's "stop work" order has led to the immediate termination of hundreds of aid programs across the continent, notably the hugely successful AIDS mitigation initiative known as PEPFAR. Governments are now scrambling to try and find other sources of funding in a bid to salvage some of these programs. Now, with the U.S. pulling back from its decades-old humanitarian assistance programs in Africa, China may be among the few beneficiaries. Paul Nantulya, a senior research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, and Paa-Kwesi Heto, a policy analyst at the University of California, Irvine, join Eric & Cobus to discuss how the Trump administration's strategy may be good politics at home but potentially counterproductive in countering China abroad. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque  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

    1h 1m

  8. JAN 28

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

    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 election last November, the President has been relentless in pressuring the government in Panama City and shows no signs of backing down until all Chinese entities have been expelled from the canal zone. Alonso Illueca, an associate law professor at the Universidad Santa María La Antigua and a specialist in China-Panama relations, joins Eric & Cobus from Panama City to discuss the escalating crisis and why the government doesn't have a lot of options to push back against the U.S. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque  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

    46 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    The China-Global South Project
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2025
  • Episodes
    299
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    The China in Africa Podcast

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