Podcasts about china africa project

This week on Sinica, we kick off the new network show, the China-Global South Podcast, with a conversation with the show's hosts and co-founders of the China-Global South Project (formerly the China Africa Project), Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden. Kaiser chats with them about where the show is going, and common misconceptions about China's role in the Global South.1:45 – Reasons for launching the new China-Global South Podcast13:50 – What Washington's framing of China's activity in the Global South gets wrong19:24 – Explaining the lack of China expertise in Africa and the Global North25:27 – The unresolved history of Western colonialism in Africa28:44 – How Chinese statecraft navigates Africa's colonial legacy36:00 – The infantilization of African agency45:03 – The limited development options of African stakeholders47:33 – China's environmental impact on the Global South57:13 – How small states can effectively navigate great power politicsA transcript of the podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:Eric: Following Gyude Moore, Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development: @gyude_moore; Hannah Ryder; CEO of Development Reimagined: @hmryder; Ovigue Eguegu; Policy Analyst at Development Reimagined: @ovigweeguegu; and Christian-Geraud Neema; and Francophone Editor at the China-Global South Project: @christiangeraudCobus: The Specter of Global China: Politics, Labor, and Foreign Investment in Africa by Ching Kwan LeeKaiser: Chinese traditional bow maker AF Archery; The Way of Archery by Gao Ying, translated by Jie Tian and Justin MaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You may have heard of China's ‘Belt and Road Initiative', but what actually is it? And what are Beijing's underlying motivations? Jelena Sofronijevic speaks to Eric Olander, co-founder and managing editor of The China Africa Project, and Raffaello Pantucci, a co-author of Sinostan - China's Inadvertent Empire, to uncover the truth about Chinese economic investment abroad.    “The BRI, in many respects, is like a Rorschach test, where you can see anything you want into it.” - Eric Olander “If you had to boil it down to one central idea that defined the BRI, I'd have to say connectivity.” - Eric Olander “The BRI is China's way of expressing its foreign policy.” - Raffaello Pantucci “China's saying, let's all just make money together. And underlying that, there's an idea that has worked at home, that if we can make everyone rich and prosperous we can all get stability.” - Raffaello Pantucci “What bothers me a lot about the discourse surrounding Belt and Road, is that we take all the agency out of the host country.” - Raffaello Pantucci “China looks at Africa in far more political terms than economic terms.” - Eric Olander https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast     Written and presented by Jelena Sofronijevic. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Assistant Producer: Elina Ganatra. Audio production by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Olander is the co-founder of the China Africa Project, an independent, non-partisan media initiative dedicated to exploring every facet of China's engagement in Africa. Eric is a fluent Mandarin speaker and a longtime China-watcher with more than 25 years of journalism experience at many of the world's leading media companies including CNN, the BBC, and FRANCE24 among others.We will discuss general misconceptions about China's role in Africa, African attitudes toward China, and the recent FOCAC developments.Please support our patreon.  For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip  ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on Youtube Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog)

Kenya's National Treasury has resumed debt repayments to China after a 6-month debt deferral period expired in June. The Kenyan government had hoped to be able to extend that through the end of the year but Chinese creditors, namely the China Exim Bank, did not like that idea at all.Apparently, things got so bad that Chinese creditors halted disbursements for projects that are underway right now in Kenya.... bringing construction to a halt in some cases.Kenya's Foreign exchange reserves dropped by $249 million dollars between July 15 and the 21st. No one has explained where that money went but it's presumed that was the first debt payment sent to China this year. And this is only the beginning. For the 2021-2022 fiscal year that just started, Kenya is scheduled to transfer $1.1 billion to meet its debt servicing obligations with China.The China Africa Project's new Africa Editor, Cliff Mboya, joins Eric & Cobus this week from Nairobi to discuss the resumption of Kenya debt payments to China and what it says about the current state of China-Africa relations more broadly.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @c4mboyaPurchase a copy of Lina's book: Shaping the Future of Power: Knowledge Production and Network-Building in China-Africa RelationsSUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECTYour subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-FTry it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2021 has been a busy year so far for China's technology giants as they look to expand their international operations and appear to have their sites set on expanding in both the African and Arabian markets. JD, Didi, iQiyi, and Tencent are among those who've all made announcements in the past few weeks.Tech journalist Alexandria Williams closely follows Chinese e-commerce and technology companies from Nairobi where she's now writing a weekly Tech Digest column for The China Africa Project. Alexandria recently to move to Kenya from China where she worked wrote about tech. She joins Eric & Cobus to give an update on what's new in the Chinese tech space in Africa.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @alexandriasahaiSUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTERYour 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.comTry it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

A series of high-profile recent incidents including the use of blackface on Chinese TV, discrimination against Black residents in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, and widespread racial insensitivity on Chinese social media sites like Weibo have sparked a vibrant discussion about anti-Black racism in China.While these conversations have done a lot to advance our collective understanding of the complexities of this issue, too often, though, Chinese voices are under-represented in the conversation.A group of young Chinese scholars is hoping to change that by engaging both domestic and international stakeholders in a far more nuanced discourse on race and identity in China. Last August, they published a controversial analysis on the prevalence of anti-Black racism on Weibo. Later, they translated some of their findings into English and published it on The China Africa Project. The scholars have chosen to remain anonymous out of concern that the sensitive nature of the topic will provoke a dangerous backlash from online trolls. Two of those researchers join Eric & Cobus to explain what they feel is missing from the debate about Chinese-Black race relations in China. They also invited five of their academic colleagues to share their perspectives on the issue as well.SHOW NOTES:Anti-Black Racism on the Chinese Social Media Network Weibo by Anonymous: https://bit.ly/2Quv66L我们分析了五万条种族歧视账号微博，发现了这些: https://bit.ly/3jQIkphJOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque SUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTERYour 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.comSubscriptions start at just $7 a month. Use the promo code "Podcast" and get a 20% lifetime discount on your annual subscription: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

On today's episode of Inside the War Room, I had the pleasure of speaking with Eric Olander of The China Africa Project. In my opinion, it is the best site covering the intersection of China and Africa. If you are interested in their work, you can subscribe here. Eric's bio: Eric Olander is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience reporting, producing and managing newsrooms for some of the world's leading editorial organizations including CNN, FRANCE 24 and the BBC World Service among others. He has an extensive background working in newsrooms and doing content production in the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia. China, though, has been the central focus of Eric's professional career. He first went to China in 1989 and spent more than a decade of combined time living, studying and working there. Eric is fluent in both French and Mandarin Chinese. He received his undergraduate degree in East African history from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master's of International Public Affairs with a focus on Chinese foreign policy from the University of Hong Kong. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at warroommedia.substack.com/subscribe

This week's episode begins with the advice New Zealand’s Trade Minister Damien O’Connor attempted to offer Australia on how to manage bilateral relations with China. Was it helpful, and regardless does Australia have something to learn from the way New Zealand conducts its diplomacy and foreign policy? And what explains the starkly different trajectories of the bilateral relationships Canberra and Wellington have with Beijing? The military has taken power in Myanmar—again—and Allan offers a sorrowful perspective on the state of the country to which he was first posted as a young diplomat. Meanwhile, Darren wonders what the Biden administration will do, and wonders whether there is merit in the US looking to support some key Southeast Asian governments in their response, rather than necessarily attempting to lead at a time when their own democratic credentials are diminished. Is "ASEAN solidarity" still in the interests of all of its member states?  Regular podcast listeners will know how much stock Allan and Darren place on speeches, and this week they focus on the speech given by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the World Economic Forum. How is reading and analysing a speech from a Chinese leader different to that of an Australian PM or US president? What were the notable takeaways from this speech, and who was its primary audience? Finally, Australia has a brand new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Malaysia. Perhaps an example of “fresh thinking” in Australian foreign policy? We thank AIIA intern Mitchell McIntosh for his help with research and audio editing and Rory Stenning for composing our theme music. Relevant Links Weizhen Tan, “Nationalism ‘is not the way forward’: New Zealand minister calls for more trade relationships” CNBC, 27 January 2021: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/27/new-zealand-trade-minister-on-trade-deal-with-china-china-australia-tensions.html “New Zealand’s Foreign Minister speaks on how New Zealand tackled the pandemic”, ABC 7:30 report, 28 January 2021: https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/pause-in-travel-bubble-with-new-zealand-extended/13100700 Marise Payne, “Statement on Myanmar”, 1 February 2021: https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/statement-myanmar Economist Intelligence Unit, “Democracy Index 2020: In sickness and in health?”: https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2020/ Xi Jinping, “Let the Torch of Multilateralism Light up Humanity's Way Forward”, Speech to the World Economic Forum, 26 January 2021: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-01-25/Full-text-Xi-Jinping-s-speech-at-the-virtual-Davos-Agenda-event-Xln4hwjO2Q/index.html Cobus van Staden, “What did Xi Jinping Really Say at Davos?”, China Africa Project, 26 January 2021: https://mailchi.mp/0f0b40daa599/what-did-xi-jinping-really-say-at-davos?e=832ad9dc70 “Joint Statement on a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and Malaysia”, 27 January 2021: https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/malaysia/joint-statement-comprehensive-strategic-partnership-between-australia-and-malaysia John Blaxland, “Behind the Australia-Thailand strategic partnership”, East Asia Forum, 27 January 2021: https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/01/27/behind-the-australia-thailand-strategic-partnership/ Sinica podcast, “A new U.S. strategy in East Asia, from the Quincy Institute”, 21 January 2021: https://supchina.com/podcast/a-new-u-s-strategy-in-east-asia-from-the-quincy-institute/ Robert Atkinson and Michael Lind, “National Developmentalism: From Forgotten Tradition to New Consensus”, American Affairs Volume III, Number 2 (Summer 2019): https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2019/05/national-developmentalism-from-forgotten-tradition-to-new-consensus/

Back in 2007, China led an ambitious program to eradicate malaria in the Comoros Islands, a small island nation off the coast of Mozambique in southeastern Africa. And, for the most part, they were successful but it wasn't easy and, not surprisingly, the Chinese medical teams leading the effort encountered a lot of challenges. Experts today are now studying the Chinese program there to see if there are lessons that can be applied to the broader anti-malaria effort on the African mainland.Malaria continues to be one of the leading causes of death in Africa where the mosquito borne disease claims at least 400,000 lives a year, mostly children under the age of five. Now, amid the COVID-19 outbreak, public health stakeholders are becoming increasingly concerned that the fight against malaria will suffer given how much of the attention and funding have been shifted to combat the ongoing pandemic.Esther Ajari, founder and director of The TriHealthon, a Nigeria-based youth-led nonprofit that conducts research and promotes health equity in Africa, detailed some of those take aways from the Chinese malaria effort in the Comoros Islands in a recent article that was published on The China Africa Project. She joins Eric & Cobus from her home in Nigeria's southern Delta state to discuss her findings and what lessons can be applied from the fight against malaria to COVID-19.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @esther_ajariSUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER FOR JUST $3 FOR 3 MONTHS.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.comTry it out for just $3 for 3 months: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

Since 2010, the China in Africa Podcast has brought balanced, wide-ranging conversations about one of the most consequential developments in the global economy and geopolitics to a worldwide audience. Today, in honor of the 500th episode, Kaiser and Jeremy chat with the show’s co-founders, Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden, about its history and the major trends in Sino-African relations that they've seen in a decade of focusing on China's expanding presence in Africa.Subscribe to the China in Africa Podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher 10:43: Does Africa need aid or trade? 18:21: Beware binary tropes on China-Africa relations39:47: China’s high-risk vaccine diplomacy in Africa45:03: How Chinese international development efforts are shifting away from sub-Saharan AfricaRecommendations:Jeremy: I Didn’t Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation, by Michela Wrong. Cobus: A partner of the China-Africa Project: the Africa-China Reporting Project at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, a source for investigative reporting on China-Africa issues. Eric: The Twitter feed of Gyude A. Moore, former Minister of Public Works in Liberia, and an article written by Moore in the Mail & Guardian titled A new cold war is coming. Africa should not pick sides. Kaiser: Avast, ye swabs. Kaiser is studying up on pirate lore. He recommends The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down, by Colin Woodard.

The fourth annual Africa Week event will take place in Beijing from July 20 to July 25. Africa Week is a unique series of seminars, excursions, and film screenings, and it always concludes with a start-up competition for local African entrepreneurs in China.Normally, this event is entirely local, which means that you have to be in Beijing to participate. But this year, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, organizers have moved some of the activities online, which provides a wonderful opportunity for people everywhere to either take part live via Zoom or watch the discussions online later.It's important to note that Africa Week is very different from the countless other webinars that now regularly take place. First of all, this one actually takes place in China, which is different from most other conferences. But more importantly, Africa Week is all about young professionals who are mostly from Africa and China, a constituency that is often underrepresented within the broader discourse.Africa Week organizer Miatta Momoh, co-founder of the Beijing-based social enterprise Kente & Silk, and Nairobi-based technology executive Stephany Zoo, who will be moderating some of the panels, join Eric and Cobus to discuss the upcoming event and why this kind of gathering is so important, especially now.Show Notes:Buy tickets for all of the events and learn more about the different activities.Stay up to date with all aspects of black life in Africa via Blacklivity.com and on Twitter at @BlackLivityCNJOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @curiouszooSPECIAL AFRICA WEEK 2020 SUBSCRIPTION SPECIAL:Subscribe to The China Africa Project to receive a daily brief, access the China-Africa Experts Network and stay on top of all the latest developments with the CAP's News Feed.Sign up with the promo code KENTESILK for a special $49 rate (that's $100 off). This offer expires on July 31, 2020.Subscribe today and get two-weeks free: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

One of the most prominent themes to emerge from all those Africa summits that take place around the world is the importance of replacing traditional aid programs with new private-sector-led trade and investment initiatives, specifically public-private partnerships (PPPs).The Japanese said they want to do it, so do the French, British, Japanese and, most of all, the United States. Part of their motivation is to use PPPs as a way to differentiate their approach in Africa against China’s state-led development model. The problem with that thinking, though, is that it overlooks the fact that the Chinese are also starting to build new PPPs in Africa as well.The Chinese, admittedly, are new at this in Africa and really don’t have a lot of experience doing these multi-stakeholder partnerships elsewhere in the world either. So, they’re basically starting from scratch which often means there’s a very steep learning curve.Xinqing Lu, an Associate Program Officer at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, experienced that firsthand as one of the partners in a Chinese-led PPP in the Mozambican rice sector. She shared some of the key learnings from that experience in an essay published recently on the China Africa Project and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the obstacles the different parties encountered and how they overcame those challenges to build a successful program.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectTwitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @Xinqing_Lu

How do the Chinese government and companies engage with the public in Africa? Nillah Nyakoa (journalist at China Radio International), Eric Olander (managing editor of The China Africa Project), and Maria Repnikova (assistant professor of global communications) join host Aladin Farré to explore the different ways China sells, and fails to sell, its story to an entire continent.Like the podcast? Take a few minutes to fill out this survey.Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions. If you have a China-themed cultural project, please get in touch!With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves for graphic design and Sean Calvo for music support.Recommendations:The TV series Mao Doudou and Her Sweet Days (媳妇的美好时代 2009), which was dubbed in Swahili.Two Chinese vloggers, Zhao Huiling and Fyjo Molly, who travel throughout Africa.The short-video app Vskit, which is made by the Shenzhen-based mobile phone manufacturer Transsion.

My guest this week is George Rzepecki, the found and managing partner Raba, an Africa focused investment firm. George is making investments across Africa in early-stage companies. Africa represents a fascinating opportunity: a huge and diverse population and enormous room for per capita GDP growth. We cover all aspects of investing in the continent, including unique potential rewards and risks. Please enjoy our conversation. For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag   Show Notes 1:18 – (first question) – Interest in emerging markets and the tech landscape in Africa 4:57 – Similarities across all of the different metro markets across Africa 8:05 – Why has the continent lagged behind the rest of the world 10:49 – What is the history and landscape of capital in the African continent 13:32 – The market opportunity given the demographics 15:44 – US investment/involvement in Africa 18:06 – Kinds of companies that he likes to invest in 23:26 – Initiatives and investments that could help lift the population out of poverty: finance 29:33 – The public marketplace landscape in Africa 31:49 – Capacity on the private side 34:24 – How the valuation of deals compares to other markets 36:13 – Unique risks in the investments they are making 38:28 – Most exciting trends or changes he is seeing 40:22 – The professional investor environment 43:25 – How to learn more and get involved             43:49 – China Africa Research Initiative             44:17 – China Africa Project             44:38 – Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think   Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag

My guest this week is Eric Olander, who has been a journalist in China off and on since 1989. His most recent incarnation has been with the China Africa Project, in which he reports on China's huge and growing influence across that continent. And through that lens, Eric can talk eloquently and knowledgeably about many aspects of journalism today.

My guest this week is Eric Olander, who has been a journalist in China off and on since 1989. His most recent incarnation has been with the China Africa Project, in which he reports on China’s huge and growing influence across that continent. And through that lens, Eric can talk eloquently and knowledgeably about many aspects of journalism today, including issues of bias; censorship; his relationship with the public online; the relationship between officials and the online media; and the way in which China's soft power is being felt in places like Africa and beyond.  Since Eric has so many interesting things to say, it was very difficult to keep the interview short. So apologies for going a bit long on this episode, I hope you'll agree it was worth the few extra minutes.  See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (www.instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

How should the United States respond to China’s rapidly expanding footprint in Africa? Host Judd Devermont (CSIS) teams up with the co-hosts of the China in Africa Podcast, Cobus van Staden and Eric Olander, as well as Yun Sun (Stimson Center) to discuss how the U.S. government can develop a more pragmatic and effective policy to manage China’s activities in Africa. A review of President Ramaphosa’s progress in South Africa and Zambian President Lungu’s crackdown on anti-China politicians serve as episode preludes. This episode is a joint production with the China in Africa Podcast, hosted and produced by the founders of the China Africa Project, Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden. Click here to listen to the China in Africa Podcast edition of the program. Subscribe to the China in Africa podcast on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe to the China Africa Project email newsletter.

How should the United States respond to China’s rapidly expanding footprint in Africa? Host Judd Devermont (CSIS) teams up with the co-hosts of the China in Africa Podcast, Cobus van Staden and Eric Olander, as well as Yun Sun (Stimson Center) to discuss how the U.S. government can develop a more pragmatic and effective policy to manage China’s activities in Africa. A review of President Ramaphosa’s progress in South Africa and Zambian President Lungu’s crackdown on anti-China politicians serve as episode preludes.   This episode is a joint production with the China in Africa Podcast, hosted and produced by the founders of the China Africa Project, Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden. Click here to listen to the China in Africa Podcast edition of the program. Subscribe to the China in Africa podcast on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe to the China Africa Project email newsletter.

This week on Democracy That Delivers, our host is Lars Benson, Regional Director of Africa for CIPE. We are joined by co-host Ryan Musser, Program Officer for Africa at CIPE, and Eric Olander, the founder of the China Africa Project (CAP). CAP is an independent, non-partisan media initiative dedicated to exploring every facet of China’s engagement in Africa. The CAP is now followed by more than a million people around the world, especially among policymakers in Beijing and Washington. Eric is also the co-host of the weekly China in Africa podcast that is now among the top-10% most downloaded shows worldwide. Eric provides nuanced insights into China and its actions both in Africa and around the world, and the three discuss China’s “corrosive” investments across the continent.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser and Jeremy are joined by Eric Olander, host of the China in Africa Podcast from the China Africa Project, and by Anzetse Were, a developmental economist based in Nairobi. They explore questions related to Kenyan debt and development, as well as Sino-American competition in East Africa. What to listen for on this week’s Sinica Podcast: 10:33: When did China begin to put concerted diplomatic effort into relations with African countries? What were the optics of China’s push into the African continent? Anzetse highlights three examples that led to China’s success in dealing with businesses and governments: “[Chinese diplomats] are quite humble in their articulation, certainly to African people, saying, ‘While this has been the Chinese experience, we don’t know what you want, what you can learn and what you don’t want to learn.’ So they’re not prescriptive. But of course the biggest thing that African governments like is that they don’t lecture about anything.” 19:05: Is China leading African countries into “debt traps”? What are the primary causes for concern regarding the debts of African governments, and the wider international community? Anzetse explains that it’s a confluence of factors, including transparency issues and the effects of kindling trade relationships with new partners: “There is concern in the global north, particularly Europe and North America, as to reexposure in African governments to debt…and their concern is that they’re doing it with a party that the world does not really understand in terms of how it deals with debt defaults and how it deals with repayments owed. I think that Europe and North America were much more comfortable when debt owed was in their hands, obviously because they had [control], but I think because they had a common understanding on how this would be addressed. They do not know how the Chinese are going to do this.” 42:21: America is restructuring the way it provides aid to the rest of the world through the International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) and the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act (BUILD Act), in an attempt to compete with China in the developing world. How effective is this restructuring? Eric provides some insight: “It’s not challenging China at all. It’s not intended to challenge China. Instead, they actually complement each other very, very well. So, a country like Kenya can turn to China for infrastructure and massive loans from the Chinese for a public sector type of development. But then, IDFC and the U.S. come in to fund American business and Kenyan business that can’t get funding anywhere else.” 49:36: What effect is the Belt and Road Initiative having in Africa? What about the African countries that are excluded from the plans, as China has made inroads, for the most part, on Africa’s eastern seaboard? Anzetse states: “I think the Chinese began to understand, ‘We do not want to start dividing African sentiments on China, we’re going to find a way to make sure all the regions in Africa are represented in this Belt and Road Initiative. Whether it will be practical is not clear.” Recommendations: Jeremy: I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation and In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu's Congo, both by Michela Wrong. Eric: Competing against Chinese loans, U.S. companies face long odds in Africa, an article in the New York Times by Ed Wong. Anzetse: Rhinocéros, by Eugène Ionesco. Kaiser: Lake Success: A Novel, by Gary Shteyngart.

In this episode we continue our conversation from https://changingscripts.podbean.com/e/ep-8-eric-olander-from-english-to-mandarin-chinese/ (episode 8) with Eric Olander about his 33 year Mandarin Chinese language learning experience. Eric is a Journalist, Blogger, Media Executive, and Co-Founder and Managing Editor of the China Africa Project which includes the China in Africa Podcast, which he co-hosts weekly with Cobus Van Staden.More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage/24 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage/14) Support this podcastSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/geopats/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyCheck it out: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/stephfuccio

In this episode we continue our conversation from https://changingscripts.podbean.com/e/ep-8-eric-olander-from-english-to-mandarin-chinese/ (episode 8) with Eric Olander about his 33 year Mandarin Chinese language learning experience. Eric is a Journalist, Blogger, Media Executive, and Co-Founder and Managing Editor of the China Africa Project which includes the China in Africa Podcast, which he co-hosts weekly with Cobus Van Staden. More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage/24 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage/14) Support this podcast

Walter Ruigu, Managing Director of Beijing-based China-Africa Merchant Advisors, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the current state of Sino-African trade relations. In particular, he explains why the data that indicates a dramatic slowdown in two-way trade is misleading due to distortions related to Chinese purchases of African oil.   Join the discussion. Are you concerned about the state of China-Africa trade and how Chinese products are pouring into African markets? Or do you share Walter's optimism that China presents a tremendous opportunity for African exporters? Let us know what you think.   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @wruigu 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.   For more information about Eric & Cobus and the China Africa Project, click on our new About page for details.

U.S. president Donald Trump signed the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development, also known as the BUILD Act, into law on October 5th, creating a powerful new development finance organization that is aimed at challenging China’s dominance in lending to developing countries. The law combines two existing organizations, the United States Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and USAID’s Development Credit Authority to a form a new entity called the International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) with $60 billion in its coffers.   Washington, D.C.-based Africa analyst at the Atlantic Council and an avid IDFC supporter Aubrey Hruby joins Eric & Cobus to provide a high-level introduction to the IDFC and how its lending strategy will differ markedly from what the Chinese are doing in Africa and other emerging markets.   Join the discussion. Are you happy that the U.S. is now getting into the development finance game to provide a new financing alternative for African businesses? Or do you think it’s a bit “too little, too late” from the United States after the Trump administration’s questionable commitment to Africa (remember what he said about those s***hole countries and when he made up a country called “Nambia”?). Let us know what you think.   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject  Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @AubreyHruby 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.   For more information about Eric & Cobus and the China Africa Project, click on our new About page for details.

This week Eric and Cobus discuss the recent surge of anti-Chinese sentiment in Zambia where public anger is on the rise against politicians in both Lusaka and Beijing. Critics accuse both governments of not being sufficiently transparent about debt and whether core Zambian infrastructure assets are at risk. The heightened anxiety about the Chinese in Zambia is also reflected in the growing number of sensationalist, rumor-fueled news and social media stories about supposed Chinese transgressions. Join the discussion. What do you think is behind the rise of anti-Chinese sentiment in Zambia? Legitimate concerns about debt and transparency or do you think false news stories and foreign government agendas may also play a role? Let us know. 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.    For more information about Eric & Cobus and the China Africa Project, please click here on our new About page.

Eric Olander, founder of the China Africa Project and co-host of the weekly China in Africa Podcast, discusses the common misunderstanding of racial relations in China. In this second part of our two part interview, Eric discusses how those differ from situations in the US, specifically how Africans are portrayed in Chinese media. He also weighs in on how China's exhibition of soft power is perceived by other states.Credits:Coco Yim for producing, hosting and editingDavid Raban for engineeringSpecial thanks to Eric Olander.

Eric Olander, founder of the China Africa Project and co-host of the weekly China in Africa Podcast, discusses the common misunderstanding of racial relations in China. In this second part of our two part interview, Eric discusses how those differ from situations in the US, specifically how Africans are portrayed in Chinese media. He also weighs in on how China's exhibition of soft power is perceived by other states.Credits:Coco Yim for producing, hosting and editingDavid Raban for engineeringSpecial thanks to Eric Olander.

Eric Olander, founder of the China Africa Project and co-host of the weekly China in Africa Podcast, breaks down assumptions about US-Africa relations and China-Africa relations. In this first part of our two part interview, Eric discusses what the Belt and Road initiative means for African countries and what the US and European governments missed when interpreting China-Africa relations.Credits:Coco Yim for producing, hosting and editingDavid Raban for engineeringSpecial thanks to Eric Olander.

Eric Olander, founder of the China Africa Project and co-host of the weekly China in Africa Podcast, breaks down assumptions about US-Africa relations and China-Africa relations. In this first part of our two part interview, Eric discusses what the Belt and Road initiative means for African countries and what the US and European governments missed when interpreting China-Africa relations.Credits:Coco Yim for producing, hosting and editingDavid Raban for engineeringSpecial thanks to Eric Olander.

In this episode, I answer to Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden from The China Africa Project podcast episode named: Why "Nambia" is so important to the China-Africa narrative. They both couldn't understand why African countries seem to somehow always refer to colonialism or post colonialism to explain their current situation and have a fatalist / victim narrative; whereas Asian countries actually use colonialism as a motivation to improve their situation and create a rebirth narrative. link to the episode of The China Africa Project: https://soundcloud.com/chinatalkingpoints/why-nambia-is-so-important-to-the-china-africa-narrative

The China Africa Project is now the largest multimedia journalism project in the world dedicated to exploring all facets of China's engagement in Africa. With over 600,000 followers across its various platforms, including 30,000 downloads a month of this podcast, the CAP has developed a sizable audience since it launched in 2010. Every month, CAP co-founders Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden receive multiple inquiries about who is behind the project, how it's funded and if there is any hidden agenda. In this week's episode, Eric & Cobus take you behind the scenes for an introduction to the hosts, our back-story and future plans for The China Africa Project. Join the conversation. We always welcome feedback from our listeners on what you think of the show and what we can do to improve the content. If you have specific questions about The China Africa Project or China-Africa relations in general, please don't hesitate to contact us. Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque  

In this bonus episode, the China Africa Project's Eric Olander speaks live with Thabo Mdluli on Johannesburg talk radio station Power 98.7 to take listener call-in questions on whether "China is a predator or partner in Africa." Join the discussion? Do you agree with Eric that it is impossible to classify China as either partner or predator but a little of both? Share your thoughts: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque

The Chinese government is spending billions of dollars around the world to expand its already massive global media footprint. Africa is a major destination for a lot of that investment. Although it is not clear how much money the Chinese have spent to develop Africa-focused economy, the sums are no doubt in the millions of dollars.    The communist party-run CCTV has a production in Kenya, the official China Daily newspaper prints local editions from South Africa and China Radio International (CRI) is broadcast on the local FM dial in a number of a countries across Africa.   While officials in Beijing are expert in building vast media distribution networks, such as what is now available in Africa, the Chinese have been far less successful in creating compelling content that people actually want to consume. Since there are no reliable pan-African TV ratings data that are publicly available, it's impossible to know just how many people really watch CCTV's news programs or listen to their news shows on CRI in some countries. The Chinese, like other international broadcasters, will play with the numbers by implying that just because their content is available in millions of homes  that means a similar number of people are genuinely watching it, which of course is fantasy (or just propaganda).   In the United States, for example, CCTV is available across the country on satellite and cable TV systems. Unlike in Africa, the US has much more reliable TV ratings data that CCTV does not subscribe to because its audience ratings numbers are likely so it will not even register. This highlights that even though the Chinese government may spend a lot of money to produce content, it is extremely difficult to build an audience for that programming.   Movies   While China's state-funded, Communist party-run media outlets may struggle to find a mass audience for its content in Africa and elsewhere around the world, a certain genre of Chinese-language movies, by contrast, have been popular for decades. Hong Kong-produced Kung Fu movies, most notably those featuring martial arts legend Bruce Lee, have been staples in Africa's pirated video bazaars dating back to the 1960s and 70s. Even today, in the DVD markets of Cairo or bars in Kinshasa to cable TV channels in Johannesburg, Hong Kong's martial arts films remain an extremely popular form of entertainment.   Sure, there is a universal appeal to one a single beating up dozens of rivals with amazing dexterity. Everyone loves a great action movie. However, for Africans there is an additional appeal to those early Bruce Lee movies where the hero in colonial Hong Kong who openly fights back against his white British overlords. In places like South Africa, that type of insurrection was resolutely banned by the then apartheid government for fear that oppressed black residents would be inspired by Bruce Lee's battle for dignity and honor.   In a new research paper published for the Journal of African Cultural Studies, the China Africa Project's own Cobus van Staden examines why Kung Fu movies became so popular in South Africa during the 1960s and 70s. In this week's show Eric and Cobus also discuss what lessons China's media strategists can learn from Hong Kong's wildly successful film producers who, unlike CCTV and the China Daily for example, have been able to generate huge audiences and tremendous profits.   Join the discussion. What do you think of Hong Kong's legendary Kung Fu movies and why are so popular across Africa? Let us know what you think.   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque

At the 4th Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya, Cowries and Rice teamed up with the China Africa Project and the Sino Africa Centre of Excellence Foundation to produce a rare triple-podcast looking at the role of media in knowledge production in the Sino-Africa relationship.

The Chinese presence in Africa has been so sudden and so all-encompassing that it's left a lot of people confused. Chinese farmers now compete for space and customers in Lusaka's open-air markets, Chinese textiles are undercutting Nigerian manufacturers, tens of thousands of Africans now work for Chinese companies and hundreds of thousands, even millions of Chinese now call Africa home. This has all happened in just the past decade, leaving people little time to adjust and understand the cultural, political and economic changes that have been set in motion by the Chinese. So it's understandable that people have questions, and not always polite, politically correct questions about one another: Why are Chinese so racist towards black people? Why do Chinese bosses think African workers are lazy? Why do the Chinese import workers when there are so many unemployed people already here? Over the past six years a growing number of people have directed those sensitive question towards us at The China Africa Project where every week we receive a growing amount of DMs, PMs and emails from curious listeners and social media followers. Since many of these questions deal with incendiary issues of race, stereotypes and caricatures, Cobus & Eric would discretely provide one-to-one replies. However it became apparent that these are in fact the key issues that are on everyone's minds and that it's critical that they get seen by a wider audience. Beginning May 2016, The China Africa Project launched a new site "Africa-China Q&A"  that tackles head-on the hardest, most sensitive issues in the China-Africa relationship. Every week, a new Q&A column will be posted and distributed to newspaper sites and popular portals in the United States, Africa and soon in China as well (translated into Chinese). If you have a question or comment and would like to join the discussion, just send us an email at questions@chinaafricaproject.com, message us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject or DM us on Twitter: @eolander | @standenesque.

Every couple of years we like to take a break from our usual routine of discussing the week's leading China/Africa news or interviewing analysts in order to take our listeners behind the scenes at The China Africa Project. Every month, Eric & Cobus receive quite a bit of feedback on the show via email, Twitter, Facebook and even Weibo in Chinese. While we do try to respond to each correspondence, we also enjoy sharing some of the comments and questions with all of our listeners (including the occasional harsh negative critiques). Join us for a behind the scenes look at The China Africa Project including a discussion on the sensitive racial and cultural issues related to reporting on both Africa and China. We always love to hear from you so if you would like to join the discussion or contact us directly, here's how: FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject TWITTER: @eolander and @stadenesque WEIBO (Chinese): @dabizilaowai EMAIL: eric@chinaafricaproject.com

Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden discuss the impact in Africa of China's faltering economy and how Chinese officials are prompting a new, somewhat counter-intuitive message that the PRC's economic slowdown may actually be a good thing for Africa. Share your thoughts on today's show and follow the very latest China-Africa news at www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject. Stay on the top of the week's most important China-Africa news with the China Africa Project's weekly email newsletter. Sign up here: http://on.fb.me/1W3fEpr Follow us on Twitter: Eric: @eolander Cobus: @stadenesque This podcast is a production of the China Africa Project: www.chinaafricaproject.com

It's a bit counterintuitive to think that a country supposedly run by a communist workers party would be so hostile to labor unions, which is the case in China. Although there are no independent Chinese unions and the few official unions there are do not have the ability to strike or organize against their employers as is common elsewhere. Nonetheless, China's officials unions think they have something to offer their African counterparts and are reaching out to work together. Part of the effort is to help smooth the increasingly tense relations between Chinese employers and African workers on the continent. The China Africa Project's newest contributor Maddalena Procopio, a Phd candidate at the London School of Economics, is our special guest to discuss Sino-African labor union cooperation.

In this episode we continue our conversation from https://changingscripts.podbean.com/e/ep-8-eric-olander-from-english-to-mandarin-chinese/ (episode 8) with Eric Olander about his 33 year Mandarin Chinese language learning experience. Eric is a Journalist, Blogger, Media Executive, and Co-Founder and Managing Editor of the China Africa Project which includes the China in Africa Podcast, which he co-hosts weekly with Cobus Van Staden. More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage/24 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage/14) Support this podcastSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/geopats/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy