Podcasts about china africa cooperation focac

The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) marks a pivotal moment in China-Africa relations, with the relationship now viewed as the strongest in history. But why is this the case? In this episode, we'll break down the key takeaways from the summit and explore how this deepened partnership is shaping the future of China-Africa cooperation.

China is now Africa's biggest trading partner, with 20% of exports going to China and 16% of imports coming from there, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). At the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting earlier this month, President Xi Jinping promised $50 billion for African development, including military support and new jobs. While this partnership boosts development, it's also raising worries about debt, dependency and power imbalances. BBC Africa Daily's Alan Kasujja spoke to experts Dr. Faith Mabera and Dr. Folashadé Soulé to break down these complex relations.

Nigeria is at a pivotal moment in its journey toward growth and development. As part of the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) agreements, Nigeria has secured critical partnerships with China that promise to revamp its infrastructure, energy sector, and human resources. In this episode of our daily podcast, we'll delve into the strategic implications of these agreements, analyzing how Nigeria's deepening relationship with China could shape the country's future.

Aubrey Masango chats to Thembisa Fakude, a Senior Research Fellow at Africa Asia Dialogues and Chief Executive Officer at the Mail & Guardian about the President Cyril Ramaphosa's participation in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 African countries over the next three years. Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled the customary mega pledge as part of a ten-point action plan that will guide China's relationship with the continent through 2027.  In this special double episode of the show, Eric, Géraud, and Cobus discuss key events from this year's FOCAC summit and why it's best not to focus too much on that big financial package. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP 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

Can Africa's leaders gathering in Beijing for the Forum on the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) get more out of the relationship than in the past? Historically, China has imported African raw commodities with little or nothing added to the value of the metals and minerals. Now, with demand on the rise for Africa's vast supply of critical metals and minerals that are vital for the transition to net zero carbon emissions, the continent's leaders could demand greater benefits for their own economies. We ask COBUS VAN STADEN, of the China Global South Project, what to expect.Oxitech, a British biotech firm, has begun releasing genetically modified mosquitos in Djibouti in a bid to curb the surge in malaria cases there. We ask the firm's CEO, GREY FRANDSEN, whether it is actually possible to create a 'friendly' mosquito.ASMAA HAMZAOUI has become Morocco's first female master of gnawa music - a genre that dates back centuries and was introduced by West African slaves. Asmaa tells us how she's been received by her fellow gnawa masters who are, and always have been, men. And for those who are unfamiliar with gnawa, Asmaa explains it and we see her perform with her all-female band, Bnat Timbuktu.DONU tells us about the Africans who have volunteered to fight in the Ukrainian army against Russia.And PATRICK has been to Portugal to assess the official review of its colonial past, and the movement to counter that rosy narrative with a far less flattering account of Lisbon's exploits in its former colonies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit begins today, with China and African nations poised to sign fresh cooperation agreements under the Belt and Road Initiative. The three-day summit aims to strengthen partnerships across Africa, focusing on achieving more substantial outcomes. For expert analysis on the bilateral and geopolitical implications, Elvis Presslin spoke to Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, who is attending the summit in China

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, African governments are under mounting economic and social pressures. These challenges are prompting Chinese and African scholars to wonder aloud whether it's time to introduce new reforms into the FOCAC process, particularly more transparency and accountability. Last month, University of California at Irvince scholar Paa-Kwesi Heto and Paul Nantulya, a researcher at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C., convened an independent working group of some of the world's foremost Africa-China scholars to discuss this week's FOCAC summit. Normally, these gatherings are conducted off the record, but this time, the participants agreed to allow CGSP to record the discussion and share some of the highlights for the podcast. In this special bonus edition, you'll hear insights from: Li Hangwei, Senior Researcher, German Institute of Development and Sustainability Pamela Carslake, Executive Director, Sin-Africa Centre of International Relations Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Global Dialogue Cliff Mboya, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Johannesburg Centre for Africa-China Studies Frangton Chiyemura, Lecturer in International Development Education, The Open University JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP 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  

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 critical time in the relationship between these two regions. African leaders are looking for ways to move their economies up the value chain in a bid to capture more revenue and generate higher rates of employment, particularly among young people. But to do that requires infrastructure, especially energy. So, they'll be looking to China for financial and technical assistance. But those requests will come at a sensitive time for the Chinese whose economy has slowed considerably over the past 10 years. Beijing is no longer writing those big checks to pay for large-scale infrastructure projects in Africa. So, it will be critical for African countries to have robust strategic plans going into this year's FOCAC summit, according to Sanusha Naidu, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue in Cape Town. Sanusha joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the need for African strategic thinking towards China and why it's so important. SHOW NOTES: China's Agenda at FOCAC 2024: https://bit.ly/focac9_china Africa's Priorities at FOCAC 2024: https://bit.ly/focac9_africa JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @sanushanaidu Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP 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 CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth  

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit is now less than a month away. Chinese President Xi Jinping will host dozens of African leaders in Beijing in the first week of September for the triennial gathering that comes at a critical time for African countries and China. Africa needs China's support for continued infrastructure financing and to buy more of its goods, while China is looking to Africa as a vital supplier of critical resources and to develop new markets for its cars, solar panels, and other products that are increasingly shut out from G7 countries. But with very little visibility into the negotiating positions of the various stakeholders, it's difficult to tell what will emerge from this year's summit. Development Reimagined Policy Analyst Ovigwe Eguegu is closely following African preparations for FOCAC and joins Eric & Cobus to share some of his insights on what to expect. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @ovigweeguegu | @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP 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 CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

This week on Sinica, I'm joined by Eric Olander, host of the outstanding China in Africa Podcast and the indispensable China-Global South Podcast, and creator of the China-Global South Project. Eric's detailed and very current knowledge of China's relations across the developing world is on display in this whirlwind tour that takes us from the troubled waters of the South China Sea to China's diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, on to Subsaharan Africa and how Washington has struggled to create policies that can match what China offers, and to Latin America. He then zooms out and talks about what it all means in aggregate. Don't miss this show!Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter! Go to sinicapodcast.com to sign up! And if you want to support my work and access premium content, please be sure to become a paying subscriber.2:39 The situation with the Philippines and the Second Thomas Shoal, and the U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty — the potential challenges in activating it on the U.S. side and President Marcos' changing standards for invoking it 15:50 ASEAN's difficulty in reaching consensus, and Myanmar as another ASEAN priority 18:53 China's role as convener in brokering a “unity deal” for Palestine23:02 The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 30:20 Why Africa is so hard to fit onto the U.S. foreign policy agenda and the lack of a forward-looking American vision for Africa 37:56 Geraud Neema's disappointment with Washington's talk about battery metals and critical minerals42:22 The pushback from Mexico's finance minister and Mexico's concern over the growing number of imports from China46:48 The trade surplus number and long-term concerns for China's exports 49:35 Brazilian President Lula hints at willingness to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) 51:51 How it all fits together, and how China has leveraged the Global South's frustration over the U.S.-European-led international order Recommendations:Eric: Matt Pottinger's The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan, and Anne Stevenson-Yang's Wild Ride: A Short History of the Opening and Closing of the Chinese EconomyKaiser: Will Durant's books from The Story of Civilization, especially The Age of Faith and The Reformation, as well as the audiobook versions read by Stefan Rudnicki See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chinese and African governments are beginning to negotiate the agenda for the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit that will take place in Beijing later this fall. Development finance, infrastructure, and green technology are all expected to be prominent themes, but this year's event will be considerably different than previous summits, given that it comes at a time of considerable economic uncertainty for both China and African countries. Hannah Ryder, CEO of the international development consultancy Development Reimagined, recently co-hosted an African ambassadors retreat in China that brought together senior officials from both sides. Hannah joins Eric, Cobus, and Géraud to share a few insights from that retreat and what to expect in the run-up to the FOCAC summit. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @hmryder Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP 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 CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth  

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed this week the triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) conference that will take place later this year in Beijing will, in fact, be a leaders summit. Before the FOCAC summit, Latin American and Caribbean leaders will take part in a similar gathering known as the China-CELAC forum. It's rather unusual that both are taking place in the same year and that's got some analysts suggesting representatives from African and Latin American countries would benefit a lot if they got together to compare notes on their deals with China. Leland Lazarus, associate director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute of Public Policy at Florida University in Miami, and Paul Nantulya, research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., recently co-wrote an article that explains why this kind of South-South dialogue is so important. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @aseanwonk Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP 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 CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

The second Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Agriculture was held in mid-November. What were the outcomes from the forum? How can China further assist Africa's Agriculture Modernization? Professor Justice Norvienyeku from School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, and Zhang Jin, associate professor with the African Studies Center, Shanghai Normal University give us more insights.

Since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1947, Africa has been crucial to China's foreign policy. First, China supported several African liberation movements during the Cold War. Second, in November 2003, the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was created to improve cooperation between China and African states and third, Xi Jinping announced China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, which aimed to reinvigorate the old silk trading route along the East African coast. Furthermore, a relatively unknown fact is that China has made significant investments in Africa's digital space. In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Giuseppe Porcaro is joined by Alicia García-Herrero and Iginio Gagliardone to talk about China's image and digital influence in Africa. They discuss specific examples of successful and unsuccessful media narratives built by China and assess the role that Europe plays in relation to China and Africa's digital influence. Relevant publication: The Belt and Road Initiative transformation makes it a more – not less- useful tool for China Imperial Remains and Imperial Invitations: Centering Race within the Contemporary Large-Scale Infrastructures of East Africa Comparing North-South technology transfer and South-South technology transfer: The technology transfer impact of Ethiopian Wind Farms This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly analysis of China in the world, as seen from Europe. Sign up now to receive it in your mailbox! This is an output of China Horizons, Bruegel's contribution in the project Dealing with a resurgent China (DWARC). This project has received funding from the European Union's HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions under grant agreement No. 101061700.

Development Reimagined (DI) brings a cross-cultural understanding and gap support to international agencies and governments that wish to work with China to cultivate and share knowledge for the public good. CEO Hannah Ryder and Senior Policy Analyst Patrick Adam joined us to dissect Africa's working relationship with China.We begin the conversation by enquiring from our guests about the foundations of anti-China sentiments in the world and explore what makes China a complex player in our world's geopolitical and economic interplays. Patrick focuses on the blueprint document he led, "From China-Africa to Africa-China: A Blueprint for a Green and Inclusive Continent-Wide African Strategy towards China," to explain the approach African leaders should take in dealing with China and how to maximise the best outcomes for their nations through the lens of trade, infrastructure and human capital. Patrick underscores how the formation of trade relations between Africa and China through establishing The Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was first an African-borne initiative and how that difference may differ from other such bloc partnerships.Hannah believes Africa should be focused on adding value to raw materials and building better regional infrastructure if aspirations like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are to be fully realised. While African nations may not always have the depth of information that development partners in China need, organisations like DI assist in bridging such gaps. Ultimately, DI's opposition is that these initiatives must also be green and sustainable to avoid future transitions like China's. Hannah argues against the popular opinion that Africa is debt trapped and believes it needs even more debt (quality debt focused on value-addition) to power its developmental gaps that cannot be financed internally. We explore the dilution of Africa's narrative in the hands of other actors and how to take on more agency in determining how the world sees the continent.Hannah advocates for a public China strategy (and similarly for the Western bloc) that engages the public on the vision of such collaboration on the needs of the country and its citizenry. We conclude by exploring innovative ways to rethink developmental finance around the idea of "group lending" at a multilateral level. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chinese and African political leaders met last year in Senegal for the eighth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). On January 19, USIP hosted a discussion on the key takeaways from FOCAC 2021, China's long-term strategy in Africa's peace and security landscape, how China's bilateral relationships in Africa affect conflict dynamics — for example, in Ethiopia, where China has played an outsized economic role — and what it all means for U.S. foreign policy. Speakers Lise Grande, opening remarks President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace Abdul Hakeem Ajijola Chair, African Union Cyber Security Expert Group  Garth le Pere Professor, University of Pretoria; Senior Associate, Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection Heather Ashby, moderator Senior Program Officer, Strategic Security and Stability, U.S. Institute of Peace Joseph Sany, closing remarks Vice President, Africa Center, U.S. Institute of Peace   For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/peace-and-security-issues-forum-china-africa-cooperation  

The recently-concluded Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting in Dakar, Senegal, generated surprisingly little international press coverage — except for a few stories that seized on what looked, at first blush, like a significant decrease in Beijing's overall investment commitment on the continent. If Beijing sees a concerted effort by the U.S. and Europe to diminish, tarnish, or counteract China's position in Africa, it might well be excused: Its triannual Sino-African love fest, after all, didn't receive nearly as much attention as two problematic stories did: one centering on the alleged Chinese seizure of Uganda's Entebbe Airport, and another claiming that China plans to build a military base in Equatorial Guinea — a base that could threaten the East Coast of the United States, as reports suggested.And then there's the U.S.-led "Build Back Better World" (B3W) initiative, which was launched at the G7 summit in June, and the European Commission's own answer to China's Belt and Road Initiative: the Global Gateway Strategy, which was announced on the final day of FOCAC. This week on Sinica, Kaiser and Jeremy speak with the Nairobi-based development economist Anzetse Were and Eric Olander, host of the China in Africa Podcast. They both have a lot to say about FOCAC coverage, media narratives on China in Africa, and the likelihood that programs like B3W and Global Gateway can move the needle when it comes to China's position on the continent.5:08 – Major takeaways from FOCAC 20217:19 – Just how much money did China commit this time?15:57 – FOCAC 2021 as an inflection point in China-Africa relations19:05 – Media disconnects on the China-Africa story and "psychological self-soothing"23:33 – The mistaken reports on China's alleged seizure of Entebbe Airport in Uganda30:28 – The Wall Street Journal's report on China's alleged plans to build a military base in Equatorial Guinea44:55 – China's vaccine diplomacy in Africa52:12 – B3W (Build Back Better World) and Global Gateway as counters to the BRIA transcript of this episode is available on SupChina.comRecommendations:Jeremy: Political Pilgrims: Western Intellectuals in Search of the Good Society by Paul HollanderAnzetse: Market Power and Role of the Private Sector by the China-Africa Business Council; and "Africa's economic transformation: the role of Chinese investment," by Linda Calabrese and Xiaoyang TangEric: "Guānxì: Power, Networking, and Influence in China-Africa Relations," by Paul NantulyaKaiser: Beware of Pity, a novel by Stefan ZweigSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Africa Aware, Professor Tang Xiaoyang examines Beijing's vision of China-Africa relations and its approach to debt relief in the context of post-pandemic domestic economic adjustments. Fergus Kell outlines a new Chatham House project on infrastructure-linked debt sustainability in Africa and discusses the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Dakar, Senegal.

This year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) conference will take place amid considerable uncertainty in the global economy and profound economic changes underway in China. As such, it's widely expected that the outputs from the upcoming forum will be very different from previous FOCACs. Gone will be the large mega-loans to build massive infrastructure projects across the continent and instead, observers expect a series of smaller, more targeted initiatives centered on new priorities in digital, health, and green energy development.Many of those forecasts of what to expect in Dakar were outlined in a recent collection of articles published by the LSE IDEAS China Foresight team at the London School of Economics "FOCAC at 21: Future Trajectories of China-Africa Relations." Stephen Paduano, executive director of the LSE Economic Diplomacy Commission, and Mzukisi Qobo, head of the Wits School of Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, both contributed to the LSE report and join Eric & Cobus to discuss the key economic issues that will frame this year's FOCAC conference.SHOW NOTES:LSE IDEAS China Foresight: FOCAC at 21: Future Trajectories of China-Africa Relations: https://bit.ly/3m04jg2 PALGRAVE MACMILLAN: The Political Economy of China-US Relations - Digital Futures and African Agency by Mzukisi Qobo: https://bit.ly/3p0uPGzJOIN THE DISCUSSION:CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque |@stephenpaduanoJOIN US ON PATREON!Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug!www.patreon.com/chinaafricaprojectSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit is just weeks away now and speculation is now starting to build as to what will be on the agenda. As of now, very little is known as to what's going to happen, not even the specific dates when the event will take place in Dakar, Senegal.Nonetheless, expectations are high that the forum will produce tangible outcomes for Africa on issues related to debt relief, infrastructure financing, and public health among others.Folashadé Soulé, a senior research associate at Oxford University, spoke with diplomats, policymakers and civil society stakeholders in several West African countries to find out what they're hoping to achieve at FOCAC. Folashadé joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what they said and to her predictions of what she thinks will be on the agenda.SHOW NOTES:SAIIA: Mapping the Future of Africa–China Relations: Insights from West Africa: https://bit.ly/3Bj6VL2 LSE IDEAS: FOCAC at 21: Future Trajectories of China-Africa Relations: https://bit.ly/3m04jg2AFRICA CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation at 21: Where to Next?: https://bit.ly/2Zh8YSc JOIN THE DISCUSSION:CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @folasouleJOIN US ON PATREON!Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff including our Week in Review report, invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug!www.patreon.com/chinaafricaprojectSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Competing in Africa: China, the European Union, and the United States.. The China-in-Africa story may be increasingly familiar, but its complexity cannot be overstated. As China's domestic growth began to surge at the end of the last century, demand for natural resources and job creation forced China to look for markets abroad. Africa was a willing partner, due to its abundance of commodities and need for infrastructure development. China's role on the African continent has been defined by the financing of more than 3,000, largely critical, infrastructure projects, according to the AidData Project. China has extended more than $86 billion in commercial loans to African governments and state-owned entities between 2000 and 2014, an average of about $6 billion a year. In 2015, at the sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion in commercial loans to the region, which would increase lending to at least $20 billion a year if that pledge is fulfilled. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/Teddy-G/support

China’s approach to agricultural assistance in Africa differs markedly from those of other donors from Japan, Europe and the United States. While other countries frame their development programs under the larger of “aid,” the Chinese instead go out of their way to insist that what they’re doing in the African agricultural space focuses on technology-oriented market-based solutions. In fact, back in 2006 at one of the first Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summits, when former President Hu Jintao unveiled Beijing’s new agricultural initiative in Africa right up front he said it was part of China’s “Eight Non-Aid Measures.”It took a few years after that FOCAC Summit for China’s agriculture programs in Africa to take shape but by 2008-2009 the first Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers, or ATDCs, started to materialize.Today there are 14 ATDCs across Africa with 11 more in development.Whereas much of Chinese engagement in Africa is state-led, the ATDCs are actually quite different in that respect given that private companies play a very important. This is, in essence, a public- private partnership.The idea here is that the Chinese government provides the financial backing, builds the facilities and manages relations with the host government while Chinese companies engage local stakeholders to deliver training programs, assist with business models and develop partnerships local farmers that hopefully become financially sustainable.That’s the plan. But does it work?Celso Tamele says even though it’s hard to measure, there are a lot of merits to the commercial-focus of China’s agricultural development strategy in Africa. Celso is a Maputo-based Program Director at the international non-profit TechnoServe who helps run the ATDC in Mozambique.He joins Eric and Cobus to discuss his experience at an ATDC and whether China’s approach is more or less effective than those of other donor countries.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesqueSUPPORT THIS PODCAST. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT.Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news.2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.comSubscribe today and get two-weeks free: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

This episode explores the evolving relationship between China and Africa, especially the 53 African states that participate in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Our guest, Professor Chris Alden, joins us to discuss the outcomes of the most recent FOCAC Summit, as well as China’s role as an infrastructure financier on the continent. He also examines the growing importance of security issues in Sino-African relations and envisions how the China-Africa relationship may develop in the future. Professor Chris Alden is a Professor in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and is a Senior Research Fellow with the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). He has written numerous books and articles in internationally recognized journals, and most recently co-edited China and Africa – Building Peace and Security Cooperation on the Continent. Prof. Alden has held fellowships at institutions including Cambridge University, the Institute of Social Science, and the University of Tokyo.

Listen to the Sat. Sept. 8, 2018 edition of the Pan-African Journal: Worldwide Radio Broadcast hosted by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire. The program features our regular PANW report with dispatches on the recent statement by former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and First Lady Grace saying they want to mend relations with the current administration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa; the African National Congress (ANC) ruling party in the Republic of South Africa issued a report on its engagement with Agric SA on land reform; People's Republic of China President Xi Jinping has met with African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat after the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing; and Republic of Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has held talks with his Ugandan counterpart President Yoweri Museveni on the South Sudan peace process. During the second hour we look at the literary contributions of Langston Hughes. Finally in the last hour we rebroadcast a speech by novelist and essayist James Baldwin delivered in 1963 on The Fire Next Time. 

Listen to the Sun. Sept. 3, 2018 special edition of the Pan-African Journal: Worldwide Radio Broadcast hosted by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire. Our program features our regular PANW report with dispatches on the ongoing Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) being held in Beijing; South Africa has been the scene of an explosion near a munitions factory; Uganda Member of Parliament Bobbi Wine has delivered a statement claiming he was tortured by the security forces; and Britain has pledged funds for the continuation of the AMISOM mission in Somalia. In the second hour we will listen to a rebroadcast of an interview with host Abayomi Azikiwe aired over KPFA radio in Berkeley, California over the Africa Today program. Finally we look back on more than two weeks of commemoration surrounding the transition of Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin.

With the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit now just weeks away, international press coverage of the event is now ramping up. Over the past several weeks, Eric & Cobus have done a number of interviews with journalists around the world about what to expect at the upcoming summit and a few discernable themes that emerged from their questions. This week, Eric and Cobus discuss the media perceptions of China in different parts of the world that will likely shape how people interpret the outcomes of next month's FOCAC summit. Join the discussion? Do you agree that different parts of the world view China in sharply different ways? What are the perceptions of China, the Chinese and FOCAC in your community? Let us know what you think? Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque  Email: eric@chinaafricaproject.com  Be sure to join our weekly email newsletter mailing list for a carefully curated selection of the week's top China-Africa news. Sign up here.

The opening of China's first overseas military base located in Djibouti is the most visible example of China's expanded security interests in Africa. However, behind the scenes, Chinese officials are moving to expand their relationships with African militaries across the continent.   Earlier this summer, 50 African military leaders spent two weeks in Beijing to attend the inaugural China-Africa Defense and Security Forum. The event was organized by the Chinese government in preparation for the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) leaders summit that will take place in Beijing in September.    Wake Forest University China-Africa scholar Lina Benabdallah is among a growing number of experts who are carefully monitoring China's rapidly evolving security ties in Africa. Lina joins Eric & Cobus to talk about how China's military strategy in Africa differs so much from that of the United States and why she thinks African militaries are increasingly eager to work with their counterparts in the People's Liberation Army.   Join the discussion. What do you think of China's expanded military presence in Africa? Are you happy to hear that Beijing is stepping up its contribution to multinational peacekeeping on the continent or worried that yet another foreign power's armies will misbehave in Africa? Let us know what you think.   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadeneseque | @LBenabdallah Email: eric@chinaafricaproject.com   Read Lina's Washington Post column: China-Africa military ties have deepened. Here are 4 things to know.   Be sure to join our weekly email newsletter mailing list for a carefully curated selection of the week's top China-Africa news. Sign up here.

In the run-up to September's Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing, the Chinese government is sponsoring a series of forums to bring together different sectors. Last month, hundreds of journalists and African media leaders from 42 countries were in Beijing to take part in the 4th forum on China-Africa media cooperation. That was followed by a two-week long China-Africa defense and security forum that was attended by 50 African military chiefs. And this week, it was policy analysts' turn to visit Beijing to take part in a FOCAC-sponsored think tank forum.  Cobus, in his role as Senior China-Africa Researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs, was invited to attend this year's think tank forum. He joins Eric from Beijing to discuss some of the key themes that were raised among Chinese and African scholars and whether we should expect to see some of these key messages emerge at the FOCAC leadership summit in September. Join the discussion. Let us know what you think about this week's show. Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque Email: eric@chinaafricaproject.com  And be sure to sign up for our weekly email news digest that features a curated selection of the top China-Africa stories. Click here to sign up.

More than 50 African leaders are expected to be in Beijing in September for the upcoming Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit. While Africa’s largest and most strategically important countries will likely do very well, receiving huge financial packages, aid programs and more, smaller countries will have to fight for everything they get. In this episode, Eric & Cobus speak with Dr. Hodan Osman Abdi, an advisor in China to Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, on how she plans to ensure that Somalia's voice is heard at FOCAC.   Join the discussion. Is it healthy for China to have this summits every three years where the expectations are increasingly focused on ‘how much money will Beijing give this time?’ Let us know what you think.   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject   Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque |@DrHodanOsman   LinkedIn: Follow Eric for daily China-Africa discussions   Recommended Reading: Somaliland Press: Global Powers Race for Position in Horn of Africa This Day Live: FOCAC Beijing Summit Will Benefit China Nigeria Cooperation Xinhua: Zambia seeks more Chinese funding at upcoming FOCAC summit

Lina Benabdallah is an assistant professor of political science at Wake Forest University in North Carolina who recently completed a Ph.D. focusing on South-South cooperation. Much of her research was on the ties between China and countries in Africa. She sat down with Kaiser and Jeremy for a live podcast at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, to discuss the state of China-Africa relations and how they have evolved over the past several years. At the 2006 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, international media and many in academia became fixated on a striking new phenomenon: an unprecedented uptick in ties in economics, migration, and diplomacy between China and many African countries. Since then, discussion of the Africa-China relationship has been generally locked in a dichotomy between those who believe China is “colonizing” Africa in some significant way, and those who believe pure intentions and great benefits are directed to and from both sides. It’s much more complicated than that, so Jeremy and Kaiser asked Lina to talk about issues such as the perception of Chinese investment projects on the African continent, China’s involvement in security in Africa, model farms projects, media cooperation, racism, and more. Recommendations: Jeremy: The 99% Invisible podcast, which focuses on a range of stories related to design, specifically its recent episode on Ponte City, a high-rise apartment building in Jeremy’s hometown of Johannesburg. At the time the tower was built, South Africa was a highly segregated society, and the building became one of the first places in Johannesburg where different races could rub shoulders. Lina: Guangzhou Dream Factory, a documentary made by Christiane Badgley and Erica Marcus. It documents the lives of African entrepreneurs in Guangzhou, China, in a highly realistic way — sharing stories of opportunity, success, and challenges, including racism. Kaiser: Read Lina’s review of Guangzhou Dream Factory, published on the blog Africa Is a Country. Also check out the novels of Adam Brooks, a former BBC correspondent in China who quit his job and started writing spy fiction based in China. Kaiser recommends his book Night Heron.

The Illegal ivory trade, is a quite contentious issues in Africa-China relations. There are merely and estimated 470,000 elephants remaining on the African continent today, a sharp decline from 1.2 million in 1981. Poaching of elephants for their ivory is a key driver of this crisis, with about 20-30 thousand elephants each year killed. Data from the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species or CITES shows that China is a major market for this ivory. There are reasons to be optimistic however. In September 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barrack Obama jointly committed to enact nearly complete bans on ivory import and export. During the eighth session of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue back in June of this year, China announced that it will set a timetable to phase out commercial trading in ivory by the end of 2016. We actually discussed on episode 62 that one of outcomes of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) were strong pledges by China to help curb poaching activities in Africa. Today we bring back to the pod Mr. Zhou Fei, head of TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade research network, to discuss a brand new report titled “An Act to Save African Elephants: A Ban on Commercial Ivory Trade in China: A Feasibility Study Briefing.”

At the 4th Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Conference, held in Nairobi, Cowries and Rice and the Sino Africa Centre for Excellence Foundation found time to interview one of the greatest Chinese diplomats who helped shape the China-Africa relationship - Amb. Shu Zhan, China's former ambassador to Eritrea and Rwanda and unsung architect behind the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). If you ever wanted to know about the arc of China-Africa relations from the side of China's diplomats, or even how FOCAC started in the first place, this episode is for you.

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) just ended on December 4-5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. For historical context, FOCAC was initiated in 2000 in Beijing in order to sketch out a three-year cooperation plan between China and the countries of Africa. Since then, the triennial meetings have alternated between China and an African country. Hosts Winslow Roberson and Lina Benabdallah (Yiting Wang was unable to join) wanted to assess FOCAC's sustainability and environmental initiatives and brought back on the pod Ms. Li Nan and Ms. Louise Scholtz from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) China and WWF South Africa respectively, as well as a new guest from TRAFFIC China. Ms. Li Nan is policy manager of China's Green Shift Initiative at WWF China; Mr. Zhou Fei: head of TRAFFIC China, the wildlife trade research network; and Ms. Louise Scholtz is manager for the policy futures unit at WWF South Africa.

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) just ended on December 4-5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. For historical context, FOCAC was initiated in 2000 in Beijing in order to sketch out a three-year cooperation plan between China and the countries of Africa. Since then, the triennial meetings have alternated between China and an African country. Hosts Winslow Robertson, Lina Benabdallah, and Yiting Wang wanted to assess FOCAC in relation to the 2012 iteration and brought Dr. Bob Wekesa back on the pod to share his thoughts. Dr. Wekesa received his PhD in international communications at Communication University of China and is currently a Research Associate at University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, as well as a founding research coordinator at the African Communication Research Centre at the same university. His journalism experience spans reporting, editing and leadership across multiple media platforms; in addition to numerous articles, Wekesa is the author of two books and his third, on China-Africa, is forthcoming.

Prof. Deborah Brautigam is one of the foremost China-Africa scholars in the world, perhaps most famous for her 2010 book The Dragon's Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa, published by Oxford University Press. She is the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies' Bernard L. Schwartz Professor in International Political Economy, as well as Professor of International Development and Comparative Politics, and Director of the International Development Program and the China-Africa Research Initiative (SAIS CARI). She recently published a wonderful myth-busting book on China-Africa agriculture, titled "Will Africa Feed China?" and published again by Oxford University Press, which is available now for purchase. Hosts Winslow Robertson, Lina Benabdallah, and Yiting Wang, discuss Brautigam's book, her research, and how agriculture fit into the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit concluded in Johannesburg on Saturday amid an almost giddy atmosphere. All sides in this relationship seemingly walked away with more than what they anticipated. Africa provided a welcome relief for Xi Jinping's embattled foreign policy that has struggled in recent weeks following the killing of a Chinese national at the hands of ISIS in Syria, the murder of three Chinese executives at the hotel siege in Mali and tensions with its several of its Asian neighbors along with the United States over disputed islands in the South China Sea. FOCAC, instead, allowed China the opportunity to position itself as a incontrovertible force for good. In the run up to the December summit, a number of African states worried aloud about whether China would remain committed to the continent amid a slowing economy at home and an increasingly fragile economic environment across much of the continent. Furthermore, a number of countries including Mozambique and Angola among others, are also beginning to show strains under the weight of billions of dollars in Chinese loans. They in turn hoped Beijing would use the FOCAC summit to provide some desperately needed financial relief. On all counts, China delivered. The high-point of the summit came with Xi's keynote address where he unveiled an unprecedented $60 billion financial package that includes money for industrialization, infrastructure, poverty reduction and security among other areas. This was a significant increase over the $20 billion China committed at the previous FOCAC conference in 2012. Not surprisingly, the African delegations were elated with the news. After all, China's 'no strings attached' engagement strategy is far more preferable for many of these governments compared to the more stringent conditional assistance offered by the west and the international institutions it leads. Although the political elites who attended FOCAC were obviously pleased with the outcome, a number of civil society actors have expressed alarm over what wasn't addressed at this year's summit. The environment, wildlife conservation in particular, had been expected to play a much more prominent role than it did, receiving only a passing mention in the final communiqué. Other concerns related to corruption, illegal Chinese immigration and the growing prevalence of counterfeit Chinese goods were largely brushed aside (not surprisingly, of course). On this week's show, Eric & Cobus discuss FOCAC from two distinct perspectives with Lily Kuo, the Nairobi-based correspondent for the online business news site Quartz, and Walter Ruigu, Managing Director of China Africa Merchants Advisors Limited (CAMAL).

Note: This episode was recorded live over lunch, and has considerable ambient noise which we were unable to remove. We are continuing to discuss the Sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) for the rest of the month. FOCAC will be held in three weeks, December 4-5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. For historical context, FOCAC was initiated in 2000 in Beijing in order to sketch out a three-year cooperation plan between China and the countries of Africa. Since then, the triennial meetings have alternated between China and an African country. This week, hosts Winslow Robertson and Lina Benabdallah examine China-Africa security issues with Amb. David Shinn, who was U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of International Affairs at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, and co authored China and Africa: A Century of Engagement with Prof. Joshua Eisenman, which was published in 2012 by the University of Pennsylvania Press. In addition, he recently published a non-China-Africa book: Hizmet in Africa: The Activities and Significance of the Gulen Movement.

We are continuing to discuss the Sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) for the rest of the month. FOCAC will be held in three weeks, December 4-5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. For historical context, FOCAC was initiated in 2000 in Beijing in order to sketch out a three-year cooperation plan between China and the countries of Africa. Since then, the triennial meetings have alternated between China and an African country. Hosts Winslow Robertson and Lina Benabdallah connect FOCAC to the idea of rising powers: what FOCAC means to South Africa and what these summits do for China as a member of the Global South, the developing world, or whichever nomenclature one may prefer. Joining them is Dr. Sven Grimm, a political scientist who has worked on external partners’ co-operation with Africa since 1999. He is a Senior Researcher and the Coordinator of the Rising Powers program at The German Development Institute (DIE) in Bonn. Since 2006 his research has focused on emerging economies’ role in Africa, and specifically China-Africa relations. He obtained his Ph.D. from Hamburg University in 2002 with a thesis on E.U.-Africa relations. He has previously worked with the London-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and was the former head of the Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa.

Note: This episode was recorded live in a cafe, and has considerable ambient noise which we were unable to remove. In addition, we could not properly edit in a typical intro, recommendation, and contact section for all the speakers and hope to add them in at a later date. We are continuing to discuss the Sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) for the rest of the month. FOCAC will be held in three weeks, December 4-5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. For historical context, FOCAC was initiated in 2000 in Beijing in order to sketch out a three-year cooperation plan between China and the countries of Africa. Since then, the triennial meetings have alternated between China and an African country. Hosts Winslow Robertson and Lina Benabdallah managed to meet up with Prof. Tang Xiaoyang, Resident Scholar at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy and an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University, and Sun Yuzhou, an MA student in African Studies at the University of Oxford and asked them both to share their thoughts regarding the role of Chinese researchers in FOCAC. This was an impromptu podcast so please be aware it did not follow the typical format.

We are continuing to discuss the Sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) for the rest of the month. FOCAC will be held in three weeks, December 4-5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. For historical context, FOCAC was initiated in 2000 in Beijing in order to sketch out a three-year cooperation plan between China and the countries of Africa. Since then, the triennial meetings have alternated between China and an African country. This week, hosts Winslow Robertson and Lina Benabdallah hope to discuss how how FOCAC will engage with sustainable development and have three guests from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Kenya, WWF China, and WWF South Africa respectively to explore the linkages between FOCAC and sustainable development: Jackson Kiplagat is the Interim Policy & Research Lead - Africa for WWF Kenya, Nan Li is Policy Program Manager for China's Green Shift Initiative at WWF China; and Louise Scholtz is Manager: Special Projects: Policy Futures Unit of WWF South Africa.

Leading scholars, journalists and activists convened in Johannesburg last week for the annual Wits China-Africa Reporting Project's annual roundtable discussion. This year's conference focused on reporting challenges related to the upcoming Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit that will be held in Johannesburg in December. The FOCAC meetings occur every three years, typically alternating venues in both China and Africa. In past FOCAC conferences, the mood has been largely upbeat as China showered African leaders with investment and development cash. Now, amid a dramatic slowdown in the Chinese economy, a a plunge in PRC FDI in Africa and the ongoing slump in global commodity prices, a very different tone is expected at this year's summit of African and Chinese leaders. Barry van Wyk of the China-Africa Reporting Project organized this year's conference on the Wits University campus and he joined Eric & Cobus to discuss whether this year's FOCAC represents at turning point in China's engagement strategy in Africa.

South Africa is hosting the sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) this December. FOCAC was initiated in the year 2000 and in Beijing in order to sketch out a three-year cooperation plan between China and the countries of Africa. Since then, the triennial meetings have alternated between China and an African country - and this time, will mark the first instance that FOCAC is held at a summit (instead of ministerial) level in an African country. To discuss FOCAC today as well as its media permutations, hosts Winslow Robertson (and Lina Benabdallah in spirit) invited Dr. Bob Wekesa on the show. Dr. Wekesa received his PhD in international communications at Communication University of China and is currently a Research Associate at University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He is a leading expert on all things relating to China-Africa media, and he actually attending the previous FOCAC in 2012, held in Beijing.

The 6th Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that will be held in December in Johannesburg comes at critical time in the Sino-African relationship. The combination of China's slowing economy, a major slump in global commodity prices and a dramatic 84% YOY plunge in Chinese investment in Africa will no doubt loom over the meeting of president Xi Jinping and his African counterparts. In previous FOCAC events, there's been an atmosphere of levity, even excitement, as China whipped out its massive check book to buy friends and influence on the continent. While it's expected that Beijing will likely unveil more multi-billion development and investment programs in December, some analysts wonder whether this money will actually be new funds or simply a repackaging of existing commitments. Other issues expected to be on the agenda at this year's FOCAC include wildlife protection (ivory), an expansion of Chinese private sector investment and infrastructure development in eastern and southern Africa. Dr. Sven Grimm is a leading Africa-China scholar with the German Development Institute where he is a Senior Researcher and coordinator of DIE's "Rising Powers" program. He is also the Editor-in-chief of the academic journal "African East-Asian Affairs." Dr. Grimm joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what impact China's changing economy will have on its Africa policy and how this will likely play out at the FOCAC summit.

While the recent economic turmoil in China is prompting a number of African countries to reconsider their growing economic dependence on the PRC, not so in South Africa. Both the government and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party have seemingly found their geopolitical soul mate in China. South Africa's leadership speaks glowingly of China's political system that fuses the interests of the ruling party with that of the government. Now, Pretoria is working closely with Beijing to import many of the Chinese governing practices back to South Africa. This Sino-South African collaboration is happening across a number of different levels that range from Pretoria considering how it can reform its state-owned enterprises based on the Chinese model to the ANC working with the CCP to build a new training academy to the government integrating Mandarin language studies into the country's national curriculum. This blooming bilateral relationship will be on full-display when South Africa hosts the 6th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit on December 4 and 5 in Johannesburg. Together with visiting Chinese president Xi Jinping, Zuma will co-host the event that almost every African head of state is expected to attend. On one level, the relationship makes total sense: after all this is the world's second largest economy aligning itself with Africa's second largest market. Sure. That said, something else just doesn't seem right about how this is all playing out. South Africa appears to be ignoring any sense of caution with its unconditional embrace of China -- both politically and economically. Johannesburg-based Mail and Guardian Associate Editor Phillip de Wet has been reporting extensively on the new Sino-South African 'love affair.' He joins Eric & Cobus to discuss how many of the South African leaders who seem so taken with China, don't know actually know that much about the Chinese.