Podcasts about sino african

In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, we explore China's evolving role in Africa's energy landscape with Fikayo Akeredolu, a DPhil candidate at Oxford specializing in the political economy of energy in Nigeria.We discuss:China's growing influence in Africa's renewable energy sector and its long-term implications.The complexities of Sino-African climate diplomacy and Africa's role in shaping China's environmental agenda.The challenge of balancing economic growth with sustainability in Africa's energy sector.How African nations can assert their interests in China-led infrastructure and energy projects.The risks of debt distress and how green energy investments can be structured sustainably.Join us as we analyze the opportunities and challenges shaping Africa's energy future and the strategic role China plays in this dynamic space.  The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors, this weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe's top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies. Dominic's 20+ years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his role as a public speaker and university lecturer, make him uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organizations can navigate them.The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.Follow us on LinkedIn for all our great updates.Tell us what you liked!

In this  episode, we are joined by the insightful  Mr. Mikatekiso Kubayi, a distinguished voice from South Africa and a renowned thinker on global power dynamics. Mr. Kubayi wears many hats: researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD) associated with UNISA, fellow at the Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation (IPATC) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), and a PhD candidate at UJ. His expertise spans the intricate web of power in the international system and the ever-evolving global political economy of finance.Together, we traverse the intricate world of Sino-African relations—exploring its history, its influence on infrastructure and investment, sovereignty, the BRICS, and more! The International Risk Podcast is a weekly podcast for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. In these podcasts, we speak with experts in a variety of fields to explore international relations. Our host is Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe's leading risk consulting firms. Dominic is a regular public and corporate event speaker, and visiting lecturer at several universities. Having spent the last 20 years successfully establishing large and complex operations in the world's highest-risk areas and conflict zones, Dominic now joins you to speak with exciting guests around the world to discuss international risk.The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.Follow us on LinkedIn for all our great updates.Tell us what you liked!

A bonus episode from The Global Jigsaw podcast. “China is not buying Africa, it is building Africa” is the view from Beijing. How is this landing with local audiences? There have been hints of a cooling down of Sino-African friendship. For this episode, the team travels to the Kenyan capital Nairobi to get a sense of Chinese influence on the ground, and understand why Beijing has chosen it as a hub for its media operation in Africa. For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globaljigsaw or search for The Global Jigsaw wherever you get your BBC podcasts.Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg

“China is not buying Africa, it is building Africa” is the view from Beijing. How is this landing with local audiences? There have been hints of a cooling down of Sino-African friendship. For this episode, the team travels to the Kenyan capital Nairobi to get a sense of Chinese influence on the ground, and understand why Beijing has chosen it as a hub for its media operation in Africa. Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg

“China is not buying Africa, it is building Africa” is the view from Beijing. How is this landing with local audiences? There have been hints of a cooling down of Sino-African friendship. For this episode, the team travels to the Kenyan capital Nairobi to get a sense of Chinese influence on the ground, and understand why Beijing has chosen it as a hub for its media operation in Africa. Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg

In the winter of 770 the Chinese poet Du Fu wrote his final words, ‘Excitement gone, now nothing troubles me…/ Rushing madly at last where do I go?' Looking back at his life and work, the historian Michael Wood retraces Du Fu's journeys across China. He lived through war and famine, but his poetry found beauty and grandeur in the minutiae of everyday life and the natural world. Michael Wood tells Tom Sutcliffe how Du Fu's poetry has the timeless quality of Shakespeare or Dante. The travel writer Noo Saro-Wiwa goes on a different journey into China, finding out about the lives of Africans living there today. In Black Ghosts she traces the waves of immigration from the 1950s onwards, which benefitted African students and economic migrants who found Europe closed to them. As she meets those from all walks of life – from visa-overstayers to top surgeons – she considers the precarity of their lives, and the ultimate power imbalance in Sino-African relations. China is Africa's largest trading partner and in the past China has lent huge sums for infrastructure in its Belt and Road project. But as China's economy begins to falter, the economist and China specialist George Magnus looks at the implications. Abroad many African countries are deeply indebted, and at home after 40 years of China's seemingly irrepressible rise, the country is now facing a surge in urban youth unemployment and signs of deflation. Producer: Katy Hickman

As China looks for resources to benefit its growing consumption, African countries are looking for funds for development. We're now seeing Chinese state-owned firms building large scale infrastructure within the continent in exchange for access to minerals and oil. In 2000 Sino-African trade was 10 billion dollars. Just fourteen years later, this grew to 220 billion dollars. How did this happen? Is China looking to be in their words “friends of Africa” or are they a new set of colonisers? Ahmed Salami: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-62975584 Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter: itsacontinent. It's a Continent (published by Coronet) is available to purchase: itsacontinent.com/book We're on Buy me a Coffee too: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/itsacontinent Visit our website: itsacontinent.com Hosts: Chinny: Twitter/IG: chindomiee Astrid: IG: astrid_mbx Artwork by Margo Designs: https://margosdesigns.myportfolio.com Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg Warm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Sources for further reading: Angola/China 2004 R4I contract China's Power in Africa: A New Global Order China Africa Trade: Chinese have Replaced Britishers as our Masters! China, the Neo-colonial power in Africa The worst thing about Kenya's new power plant isn't that Chinese workers are being brought in to build it The racist face of the Chinese presence in Africa China in Africa: Implications of a Deepening Relationship

The modern Sino-African relationship dates to the Second World War and has since seen substantial growth. What started as $1 billion of trade in the 1980s has expanded to $128 billion in 2016. This trade relationship has grown despite claims of the West that the actions are predatory and that they are the result of Chinese influence. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/you-betterknow4/message

The modern Sino-African relationship dates to the Second World War and has since seen substantial growth. What started as $1 billion of trade in the 1980s has expanded to $128 billion in 2016. This trade relationship has grown despite claims of the West that the actions are predatory and that they are the result of Chinese influence. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/you-betterknow4/message

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.

Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949, it has had a special focus on Africa.  Referred to often as 'African Brothers' (非洲兄弟), the PRC sought new markets, new communist comrades, and international recognition, in the emerging continent. In order to gain this they freely sent arms, aid and propaganda, hoping to imbue Africa with some Chinese characteristics of its own. In this periodic series, we'll attempt to touch on every major Sino-African relationship, from 1949 to the present day.In this Episode, we discuss Tanzania, and China's involvement in it, from the Cultural Revolution inspired social movements, to the impressive works of infrastructure development. 

The Next wave of Innovation - Opportunities for AI in Africa - Dr Jacques Ludik - GCAAI & China Tech Blog Webinar - 3 August 2020 Video: https://youtu.be/yJEFyXW_Gig  Glad to host Dr. Jacques Ludik, a leading African AI expert & entrepreneur with 20+ years industry experience, at our next webinar. We will discuss the AI & tech ecosystem in Africa, as well as opportunities for Sino-African collaboration. Dr Jacques Ludik, AI Expert & Entrepreneur., jacquesludik.com Dr Jacques Ludik is a South African smart technology entrepreneur, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Expert, investor, ecosystems builder, and award-winning AI leader with a PhD in Computer Science and 25+ years' experience in AI & Data Science and its applications in multiple industries across the globe. FOUNDER, CEO & EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, CORTEX GROUP FOUNDER & CEO, CORTEX LOGIC FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, MIIA LinkedIn: https://za.linkedin.com/pub/jacques-ludik/1/286/b2 Cortex Group - https://cortexgroup.ai Cortex Logic - https://cortexlogic.com Machine Intelligence Institute of Africa (MIIA) - https://miiafrica.org Host: Marco Brizzolara, Chairman GCAAI Beijing Marco is working in the Monetization Strategy Team of Bytedance. Before that, Marco was Senior Manager at Horizon Robotics. He co-founded chinatechblog.org covering technology in China and graduated from Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University GCAAI The German-Chinese Association of Artificial Intelligence (GCAII) is a cross-cultural association for exchange and networking on the arising field of AI. Among its members are students of computer vision, machine learning, data mining, instructors for IT and professionals working in related fields.

Sino-African relations may have slowed in the past year on the back of the pandemic - but The Economist Intelligence Unit expects ties to remain strong in 2021 with new frontiers of co-operations being explored. Prime Time's Rachel Kelly spoke to Pat Thaker, Editorial Director for the Middle East and Africa to find out where the growth opportunities are. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode we explore what opportunities that China offers to African countries.

  Episode Summary In this episode of Create Your Life Series, Kevin directs the focus onto Bridget Boakye’s personal experiences and how things might have gone differently if not for one moment of divine intervention.  Bridget provides advice on entrepreneurship, becoming an ex-pat in Ghana, goal setting, and much more.  You’ll also learn more about Kevin as Bridget turns the microphone and asks him questions about his experiences.  Packed with motivation and inspiration, you will want to listen to this episode again and again.   Kevin Y. Brown Kevin Y. Brown is a National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center For Public Trust (CPT) “Being A Difference” award recipient, international speaker, entrepreneur, and author.  The former MTV Networks host and NYC fashion marketer has created an international following as a speaker on personal excellence, effective communication, and leadership.  Kevin has been featured by Black Enterprise magazine as a “Modern Man of Distinction” and highlighted in various publications for his self-help speaking work and helping students graduate college debt-free.  Recognized for his commitment to empowering foster care youth and as a foster care system alumnus, he has also delivered the keynote address at the International Foster Care Organizations Conference in Sydney, Australia, and Osaka, Japan.  Kevin is currently the creator/host of Sirius XM’s “Create Your Life” series, a fellow in the New York Chapter of the Startup Leadership Program, and an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.    Bridget Boakye Bridget Boakye is a data scientist, entrepreneur, and writer on a mission to bridge the gap, to connect people, businesses, and, most importantly, perspectives on the African continent and in the Diaspora. Having grown up in both the U.S. and Ghana, Bridget has a deep connection to the movements in both places and she uses this privilege of perspective to share experiences, trends, and insights that move both the continent and Diaspora forward. On the day to day, Bridget works as a data scientist and consultant, using data to improve business and economic/social-welfare outcomes. She also writes data-driven articles to influence and inform public opinion. On her website, www.boakyeb.com, you can find her newest featured works and her latest blog posts.  She is also the co-founder and chief strategist for Africans on China where they advocate for and elevate the African voice on Sino-African relations, and Women’s Corner GH, a collective to strengthen women’s voice in content creation and storytelling in Ghana. Bridget is passionate about data/technology, education, economics, development, history, women’s rights, as well as pop culture, music, travel, and health/fitness. She is a proud member of the Global Shapers Accra Hub of The World Economic Forum.   Insights from this episode: Benefits of reading on personal growth and perspective. Bridget’s secret to staying motivated and how she continues to find inspiration and renewal. Strategies for becoming an expat in Ghana now and how that may change in the future. Details on how Bridget is creating her best life. Reasons why Kevin moved on from the Debt-Free College Academy and what he learned from the experience. Kevin’s secret to maximizing potential by constantly learning and evolving.   Quotes from the show: “Reading allows me to gain greater perspective about who I am as a person in this world.” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #181 “The people who support you most are not the people you grew up with or are not related to you.  Friends are the family you get to choose.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode #181 “For me, the biggest challenge has been myself.  What I tell myself I can do in this world.” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #181 “Realizing what is momentary and fleeting versus what your actual purpose requires of you or is going to demand of you is really key.” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #181 “You honestly don’t fail until you quit.” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #181 Bridget’s motto: “Do what scares you.” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #181 On legacy: “I understood my responsibility as a black man, but I didn’t understand how deep the roots are.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode #181 “It’s fascinating to learn of other people’s cultures, the way that they do things, why they do things, and to really go deep because there is so much to learn.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode #181 On maximizing potential: “It’s not just learning who you are; it’s also evolving, being in an eternal state of evolution.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode #181   Resources The 4-hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss The Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe Debt Free College Academy   Stay Connected:   Create Your Life Series Facebook: Create Your Life Series Instagram: Create Your Life Series   Kevin Y. Brown Website: www.kevinybrown.com Instagram: kevinybrown Twitter: kevinybrown Facebook: kevinybrown Email: kevin@podcastlaundry.com   Bridget Boakye Website: www.boakyeb.com Twitter: @Boakye_B Instagram: @boakyeb LinkedIn: Bridget Boakye   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on  iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher and www.createyourlifeseries.com/podcast   This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)

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.

  Episode Summary In this episode of Create Your Life Series, Bridget Boakye talks about moving from Ghana to New York at the age of ten and how those dual life experiences provided her with the discipline and motivation to become a writer and advocate for Africa.  Bridget and Kevin discuss the artificial construct that has been created to portray Africa to the world and the ways they are creating a new narrative to effect powerful change.  Listen in to learn about China in Africa, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and more.   Kevin Y. Brown Kevin Y. Brown is a National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center For Public Trust (CPT) “Being A Difference” award recipient, international speaker, entrepreneur, and author.  The former MTV Networks host and NYC fashion marketer has created an international following as a speaker on personal excellence, effective communication, and leadership.  Kevin has been featured by Black Enterprise magazine as a “Modern Man of Distinction” and highlighted in various publications for his self-help speaking work and helping students graduate college debt-free.  Recognized for his commitment to empowering foster care youth and as a foster care system alumnus, he has also delivered the keynote address at the International Foster Care Organizations Conference in Sydney, Australia, and Osaka, Japan.  Kevin is currently the creator/host of Sirius XM’s “Create Your Life” series, a fellow in the New York Chapter of the Startup Leadership Program, and an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.    Bridget Boakye Bridget Boakye is a data scientist, entrepreneur, and writer on a mission to bridge the gap, to connect people, businesses, and, most importantly, perspectives on the African continent and in the Diaspora. Having grown up in both the U.S. and Ghana, Bridget has a deep connection to the movements in both places and she uses this privilege of perspective to share experiences, trends, and insights that move both the continent and Diaspora forward. On the day to day, Bridget works as a data scientist and consultant, using data to improve business and economic/social-welfare outcomes. She also writes data-driven articles to influence and inform public opinion. On her website, www.boakyeb.com, you can find her newest featured works and her latest blog posts.  She is also the co-founder and chief strategist for Africans on China where they advocate for and elevate the African voice on Sino-African relations, and Women’s Corner GH, a collective to strengthen women’s voice in content creation and storytelling in Ghana. Bridget is passionate about data/technology, education, economics, development, history, women’s rights, as well as pop culture, music, travel, and health/fitness. She is a proud member of the Global Shapers Accra Hub of The World Economic Forum.   Insights from this episode: Benefits Bridget received from transitioning from Ghana to the United States and back to Ghana and how those experiences helped shape her future. How Bridget maintained her identity while navigating cultural expectations in Ghana and America. The secret for developing the discipline to accomplish your goals. How to change the narrative of Africa that was created by American Imperialism by using social media.  Details on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how it is impacting African resources and innovation.   Quotes from the show: “I must say that some of my formative experience, in terms of defining who I am as a person now, definitely came from my educational experiences in the [United States].”  – Bridget Boakye, Episode #180 On being an African immigrant in America: “I’ve always had this sense that I’m navigating a dual identity.” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #180 What compelled Bridget to write: “Creating another million-dollar business isn’t going to change another person on the continent’s perception about what it is, what’s going to change it is the narrative we tell ourselves about who we are.” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #180 “In order to develop discipline you have to care about the thing you’re doing.” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #180 On China positioning themselves in Africa: “If Africans don’t believe they’re not inferior to Chinese, who cares what a Chinese person has to say?” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #180 On the narrative of African inferiority: “Part of that is who has the ability to amplify the voice of whether someone is inferior or superior.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode #180 “I’m Black-American. We have the most dominant culture in the world, but we don’t own it.”  – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode #180 On social media versus mainstream media: “There is nothing CNN can show that is going to move the needle in the way that our own people are going to move the needle when they have the access (to social media).” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #180 “Africa doesn’t need to be saved.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode #180 “There’s this idea that there’s a lot of talent on the (African) Continent but there’s not enough opportunity or enough access.” – Bridget Boakye, Episode #180     Stay Connected:   Create Your Life Series Facebook: Create Your Life Series Instagram: Create Your Life Series   Kevin Y. Brown Website: www.kevinybrown.com Instagram: kevinybrown Twitter: kevinybrown Facebook: kevinybrown Email: kevin@podcastlaundry.com   Bridget Boakye Website: www.boakyeb.com Twitter: @Boakye_B Instagram: @boakyeb LinkedIn: Bridget Boakye   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on  iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher and www.createyourlifeseries.com/podcast This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)

16 July 2020 The discussion of Sino-African relations continues to be dominated by China’s economic activities and aspirations. However, the People's Republic has been working for more than a decade to establish itself as a serious actor in security policy on the African continent and has already made significant progress. Former MERICS Academic Research Fellow Tom Bayes joins MERICS Experts to present his new report “China’s growing peace and security role in Africa: views from West Africa, implications for Europe” published by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Mercator Institute for China Studies. He talks about challenges of doing fieldwork in the security sector and outlines China’s growing security activities in Africa, their background and objectives, perceptions among West African stakeholders and implications for Europe.

For much of the past two decades, China’s engagement in Africa has been steady, rather predictable and largely uneventful. That is, until this year.The China-Africa relationship is facing an unprecedented mix of challenges today across a wide range of issues including the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic on the continent to the crisis in Guangzhou to how Beijing will respond to Africa’s calls for debt relief.Given how quickly events on the ground are changing, it’s really too early to tell how all of this will impact the future course of ties between these two regions.For some perspective on the Chinese outlook on the current state of Sino-African ties, China’s former ambassador to Sierra Leone and the African Union, Kuang Weilin, joins Eric and Cobus from Shanghai for a wide-ranging discussion on all the key issues confronting policymakers.

#Trade #relations #China became the world's largest trading nation in 2013, as measured by the sum of imports and exports.[208] By 2016, China was the largest trading partner of 124 other countries.[209] In 2017, China exported $2.26 trillion in goods while it imported $1.84 trillion.[210] In recent decades, China has played an increasing role in calling for free trade areas and security pacts amongst its Asia-Pacific neighbours. China became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 11 December 2001. In 2004, it proposed an entirely new East Asia Summit (EAS) framework as a forum for regional security issues.[211] The EAS, which includes ASEAN Plus Three, India, Australia and New Zealand, held its inaugural summit in 2005. China is also a founding member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), along with Russia and the Central Asian republics. China has had a long and complex trade relationship with the United States. In 2000, the United States Congress approved "permanent normal trade relations" (PNTR) with China, allowing Chinese exports in at the same low tariffs as goods from most other countries.[212] China has a significant trade surplus with the United States, its most important export market.[213] In the early 2010s, US politicians argued that the Chinese yuan was significantly undervalued, giving China an unfair trade advantage.[214][215][216] Since the turn of the century, China has followed a policy of engaging with African nations for trade and bilateral co-operation;[217][218][219] in 2012, Sino-African trade totalled over US$160 billion.[220] China maintains healthy and highly diversified trade links with the European Union. China has furthermore strengthened its ties with major South American economies, becoming the largest trading partner of Brazil and building strategic links with Argentina.[221][222] China's Belt and Road Initiative has expanded significantly over the last six years and, as of 2019, includes 137 countries and 30 international organizations.[223] --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/vegansteven/message

Keisha Brown is an assistant professor of history at Tennessee State University and a fellow in the Public Intellectuals Program at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. In this episode, she explains the history of Sino-Black relations, tells the story of influential African-American individuals like W. E. B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes and their ties to China, and the changing perceptions of race and identity in China.For self-care, Keisha recommends being kind to yourself, and not allowing toxic thoughts of others to affect your own mentality. Cindy recommends therapeutic writing for yourself and outside the pressures of deadlines. 11:03: African Americans drawn to China15:28: The performativity of race23:42: The civil rights movement and the Chinese Communist Party35:22: Perceptions of Africans and African Americans in ChinaRecommended reading:An interview with Hu Xiangqian; Samuel Fosso: Emperor of Africa; Bridging the gap: Blackness and Sino-African relations; Murals of North Nashville Now; The North Nashville Heritage Project; and Navigating the Pacific: 20th century Afro-Asian relations.

Dr. Jodie Sun holds a D. Phil in History from the University of Oxford. She specializes in African History, with a focus on the history of Sino-African relations. She joins the show to discuss the history of China's relationship with Africa from the Cold War to present, tracing its evolution from solidarity in anti-imperialism to the economic symbiosis that drives the relationship today.

China's investment in the African continent is increasing at a steady rate, with the country announcing the provision of $60 billion in financial support to Africa at the 2018 China–Africa Cooperation Forum. As China plays an increasingly key role in the continent, we explore the future of Sino–African development relations. In particular looking at the impact and implications of opportunities generated by Chinese investment, such as lending practices by Chinese stakeholders. We also focus on the Belt and Road Initiative in the East African context, looking at how it is financed by state actors and private investors who seek access to Belt and Road opportunities.

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.

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.

It wasn't that long ago when most China-Africa scholars were white professors based in European or U.S. universities. That is no longer true anymore. A recent academic conference in Brussels showcased the new face of Sino-African academia that is younger, more ethnically and geographically diverse. One of the conference organizers, Solange Guo Chaterlard, a well-known China-Africa scholar herself, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why this recent conference was so notable and her advice for students considering a career in academic research. Join the discussion. Have you noticed that China-Africa scholarship has become more diverse among both faculty and students? 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.

Fifty-two African leaders will meet with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing this September for the triennial Forum on China Africa Cooperation summit. This fall’s FOCAC gathering comes at a critical time in the Sino-African relationship as Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) gains momentum, putting new pressures on Chinese trade and investment flows to Africa as PRC companies increasingly diversify their investment portfolios in other regions.   Typically the big headline that emerges from FOCAC summits focuses on how much money will the Chinese provide Africa in loans, grants and other financial assistance. The figure has steadily increased over the years from $5 billion in 2006, to $10 billion in 2009, and to $20 billion in 2012. At the 2015 summit in Johannesburg, Beijing tripled its previous financial commitment to an eye-popping $60 billion. But a growing number of analysts are wondering now if Beijing will, or even should offer these staggeringly-large financial packages.    Now that the BRI is up and running, the Chinese are spending huge amounts of money on infrastructure development in central Asia, the Persian Gulf, South Asia and pretty much everywhere along the Belt and Road trade route. Africa, particularly Kenya, Egypt and Djibouti, are no doubt significant points along the route, but they’re definitely not central to the broader plan. So that has some wondering if Beijing will begin to divert funds away from places like Africa to other destinations along the Belt and Road trade route.   The more difficult question to consider is whether China should offer African countries these vast sums of money. Remember that a lot of the funds in these packages are not unconditional grants, they’re interest-bearing loans that have to be re-paid. With surging debt levels, largely to Chinese lenders, in places like Kenya, Uganda, Angola and Ghana among others, there are real worries African countries are taking on too much debt that will be difficult, if not impossible, to repay. For their part, policymakers in these countries refute these concerns by pointing out that most of these Chinese loans are being used to build vital infrastructure that will ultimately help spark economic growth, thereby making it possible to pay back the loans. It’s a big gamble but one these lawmakers say they have no choice but to take given the bulging population of young people who need to be employed.   Although little is known about the FOCAC agenda in advance, based on previous summits it’s safe to assume the 2018 forum will cover a wide range of issues including academic exchanges, aviation laws, wildlife conservation and more. This week, Eric & Cobus offer their view on what either will likely be on the agenda or should be even if some of the issues are not explicitly discussed by the dozens of presidents and prime ministers in attendance.   Join the discussion. What do you want African and Chinese leaders to talk about when they get together in September? Corruption? Trade? Investment? Job training? Labor policies? Let us know what you think.   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject   Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque   Email: eric@chinaafricaproject.com   LinkedIn: Eric | Cobus

For much of the past twenty years, China's strategy in Africa could easily be summarized in two words: invest and extract. Today, that is no longer the case as China's agenda in Africa, and throughout much of the global south, has broadened significantly in pursuit of Beijing's military, humanitarian and geopolitical interests. While investment and resource extraction still play an important role in China's African policy, these economic motivators are definitely not as important as they were even just a few years ago. Evidence of this can be found in the Sino-African trade and FDI data that reveal steady declines over the past several years. Whereas five to ten years ago, Chinese companies didn't have as many options on where they could invest, so Africa's relatively open markets were rather appealing. Now, with the development of Beijing's hugely ambitious One Belt, One Road (OBOR) global trade initiative, the government is "encouraging" (read: pressuring) Chinese companies to diversify their investments to support OBOR in other parts of the world including Central and South Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe among other regions. Although China may be losing some interest in Africa in terms of trade and economics, that does not necessarily mean that the continent's overall importance to Chinese foreign policy is diminishing. The recent state visits in Beijing of leaders from Cameroon, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, all in just the past month, suggests that Chinese president Xi Jinping places a high degree of importance on his government's relations with Africa, both at the national and regional levels. "I would say the political-military relationship is the emerging area of interest that I think we are going to see more in the future," said Joshua Eisenman, a China-Africa scholar at the University of Texas in Austin and a senior fellow for China studies at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, D.C. Professor Eisenman is among a growing number of scholars who are carefully watching the evolution of China-Africa relations in the new Xi Jinping era. He joins Eric & Cobus to talk about what to expect in the coming months as both Africans and Chinese officials prepare for the upcoming Sino-Africa mega-summit, the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, that will take place in Beijing in September. Join the discussion. Are you encouraged or more concerned about the evolving Chinese strategy in Africa that is shifting away from economics to focus more on political/military issues? Let us know what you think. Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @joshua_eisenman Email: eric@chinaafricaproject.com Get a curated digest of the week's top China-Africa stories delivered straight to your inbox with our weekly email newsletter. Click here to subscribe.    

Zoe Huang is a researcher and development director at the independent non-profit organization China House Kenya that works to help bridge the divide between Chinese companies and African stakeholders. Last fall, she co-authored a column for the Chinese newspaper Global Times on how Chinese companies can “Tell a Better Story in Africa" and specifically on how they can better communicate with local communities and the press on their activities across the continent.    Uncharacteristically for a Chinese Communist Party controlled news outlet, Zoe’s column included a number of critical reflections on Chinese corporate behavior in Africa. Among her recommendations include:   1) Chinese companies need to do more to understand the needs of local communities 2) Chinese companies largely do not understand how to effectively work with African media outlets 3) Chinese companies and embassies in Africa do not spend enough time to understand the needs of what local NGOs require, when sometimes it’s not actually money but support and positive engagement with the Chinese community.   Zoe joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the various social and cultural challenges that continue to bedevil Sino-African relations and how a new generation of younger Chinese expats in Africa is bringing badly-needed change.    Join the discussion. Do you think Chinese companies and embassies in Africa are effectively communicating their positions? How much of it just boils down to language and culture differences and how much do you think may be related to other motives like profit. Let us know.   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject   Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque   Show Notes: Global Times: How to tell a better China story in Africa by Huang Hongxiang and Zoe Huang Deutsche Welle: China-backed Kribi port project in Cameroon leaves locals frustrated

  Beijing-based investment attorney Kai Xue joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why he thinks Africa is no longer appealing to Chinese companies. Kai Xue is a longtime Sino-African affairs analyst and carefully monitors trade, FDI and migration data between the two regions. He is among a growing number of Chinese analysts who are now increasingly bearish in their outlook on trade ties with Africa.  Kai Xue joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the key factors pushing down China-Africa trade volumes and what's driving more Chinese companies to invest elsewhere in the world. Join the discussion. How will African countries react if China begins to dis-engage, shifting its trade and investment to other parts of the world? Let us know what you think. Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque    

The election of Donald Trump has introduced a new era of uncertainty in global politics, especially in Africa where the president-elect has said nothing about his foreign policy agenda for the continent. Not surprisingly, Trump’s unpredictable, provocative-style is sparking widespread concern across the continent as to whether the United States plans to remain engaged in Africa.    China, by comparison, is moving in the opposite direction. Beijing’s New Year’s announcement to finally outlaw its domestic ivory trade, although long overdue, was widely praised an important step in the struggle to save Africa’s embattled elephant population. Also in January, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, will make his customary first overseas trip of the year that always begins in Africa where he will visit five countries. All of this is set amid the backdrop of surging Chinese investment in Africa as part of president Xi Jinping’s 2015 $60 billion/5 year financial package and the roll out of China’s ambitious global trading strategy known as “One Belt, One Road” which passes through a number of countries in Northeast Africa where the Chinese are now spending billions of dollars to build out new civilian and military infrastructure.   Janet Eom, Research Manager at the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University has been closely following the presidential campaign and the run-up to Donald Trump’s inauguration with an eye on how this will all impact Sino-African ties. Janet joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what’s ahead in U.S.-China-Africa relations.   Join the conversation. Do you think that the Trump presidency will benefit the Chinese in Africa or does it even matter? Trump has promised an “America First” agenda to his constituents and so what if U.S. influence falls in some parts of the world. We’d like hear from you.   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque

After years of relatively trouble-free development, 2016 marked a turning point in the China-Africa amid turbulent changes in the global economic and political order. China increased its deployment of combat troops to the continent, suffering some its first casualties in South Sudan and Mali, while trade between the two regions decreased for the first time in years. Meantime, China dangled promises to finally outlaw ivory as Africa's elephants suffered another brutal year at the hands of poachers. Eric & Cobus look back at an eventful year in Sino-African ties and discuss what's ahead in 2017 and how the presidency of Donald J. Trump in the United States could impact China's engagement in Africa. Join the discussion. What are your top China-Africa stories for the year? Do you foresee difficulties ahead in this important geopolitical relationship or will Trump's antics help to push Chinese and Africans even closer together. Let us know what you think: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque

One of the many simple, widely-believed narratives about the Chinese in Africa is that PRC businesses fuel corruption across the continent. That caricature, although overly-simplistic, is amplified by China's insistence there be no transparency in most of its government and corporate dealings in Africa. So the combination of a Chinese veil over its business dealings with the prevalence of corruption that already exists in African societies createas a potentially toxic mix. Chinese corporate corruption in Africa is well documented. From allegations of paying off corrupt officials in the Republic of the Congo to illegally log protected rain forests to reportedly paying officials in the DR Congo a staggering $350 million as part of off-book fees to facilitate the multi-billion dollars mega-mining deal known as Sicomines. Then there is the man known as "Sam Pa." Although few people know his actual identity, what is known, according to Financial Times correspondent Tom Burgis who documented much of this man's notorious history in Africa in the 2015 book "The Looting Machine," is that billions of dollars flowed through his network as part of shady operations throughout Africa to secure oil drilling rights, mining deals and countless other Sino-African business arrangements.  Pa was notorious for fueling corruption, so much so, that the scope and scale of his allegedly-illegal dealings in Africa went too far. Pa is now sitting in a Chinese jail on corruption charges, swept up as part of Xi Jinping's vast anti-corruption campaign. The case of Sam Pa and the billions allegedly doled out by Chinese corporations in places like the DR Congo exemplify the kind of corruption that many people associate with the Chinese presence in Africa. However that is only part of the story. While some major Chinese corporations have been linked to these kinds of illegal activities, smaller Chinese businesses throughout the continent often operate on the other end of the spectrum: as the victims of corruption. Zander Rounds, Research Manager at China House Kenya in Nairobi, recently published a paper on the role that small-to-medium sized Chinese enterprises play in Kenyan corruption. Rounds conducted interviews with 25 Chinese business leaders in Kenya over a 10 month period, and what he learned over the course of his research is that as new immigrants in a country where they are forced to operate in an unfamiliar culture, language and legal system, Chinese business owners are easy targets for bribes. Rounds' research complicates the narrative that Chinese businesses are typically the instigators of corruption in Africa. He joins Eric & Cobus to discuss his findings and also to explore what, if anything, can be done to help correct the problem in Kenya. Join the discussion. What do you think can be done to reign in corruption in Africa and what role do you think Chinese businesses can play? Share your thoughts and ideas with us: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque

Remember when the BRICS were going to power the global economy? Well, the past few years have not been kind to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. With the exception of India, the other members of this once elite diplomatic club are struggling in many different ways. So while China and other emerging markets have pared back their investments in Africa, this has opened an opportunity for new players to step in to the market. Although Turkey's annual trade with Africa is just a tenth of China's, the Turks are making a big push in the strategically important areas in North Africa. As a Muslim country, Turkey has also has a number of key advantages when competing in this region, particularly against the Chinese who are still relative new-comers operating in predominantly Islamic cultures. Former US ambassador David Shinn is an expert on Sino-African relations but recently he has turned his focus to Turkey's investment in Africa. As a former US diplomat and now an adjunct professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., ambassador Shinn is uniquely qualified to place Turkey's engagement in Africa in the broader context of what the US and Chinese diplomatic and economic engagement in the region. Ambassador Shinn joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the changing landscape of foreign investment in Africa. Join the discussion. What do you think of Turkish economic engagement in Africa? Tell us what's on your mind: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque

How foreign journalists report on the China-Africa story is often determined by the national origin of their news organization. While there are no doubt exceptions, the US news media frequently frame China as the neo-colonial aggressor and Africa as the persistent victim of foreign agendas. The French, for their part, too often simply ignore the story and the Chinese frame Sino-African ties in almost exclusively positive terms that echo official policy positions. These so-called "embedded narratives" run deep, particularly among older journalists, but a new generation of young foreign correspondents in Africa is challenging some of these dated caricatures. Zhang Zizhu is a Special Correspondent in Nairobi for the Hong Kong-based global TV news network Phoenix Info News Channel. Zizhu is an unusual position as Chinese journalist based in Africa who does not work for any of the official Chinese Communist Party-run media like Xinhua or CCTV Africa. As an independent journalist reporting for a privately-owned TV channel, Zizhu has much more flexibility in the stories she covers and how she frames her reports. Zizhu joins Eric & Cobus to reflect on the benefits of covering the Chinese in Africa with the benefit of being a Mandarin-speaking ethnic Chinese herself. However, she adds, that even with those advantages, Zizhu still faces many of the same obstacles that frustrate other foreign reporters assigned to report on China's engagement in Africa. What do you think of the news media's coverage of the Chinese in Africa? Join the discussion: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque Web: www.chinaafricaproject.com

Given its experience of colonialism, Africans have long been suspicious of Chinese intentions on the continent. Recent allegations of unprecedented Chinese state-sponsored acquisitions of African farmland have alarmed many who now fear that Africa, with its large tracts of untouched arable land, will enter a new colonial era. In her book, Will Africa Feed China?, leading expert and National Committee director Deborah Bräutigam analyzes the nature of Chinese agricultural investment in Africa. After conducting research in several African countries, Dr. Bräutigam discovered that despite claims of a calculated Chinese plan to control rural Africa for its own purposes, Chinese agricultural investment in Africa has been remarkably limited; in fact, China exports more agricultural goods to Africa than it imports.  The concern is not limited to agriculture; Chinese investment throughout Africa has generally been viewed through a neocolonial lens. The widespread suspicion calls into question the foundation of Sino-African relations. Dr. Bräutigam discussed her book, and Chinese policy in Africa at the first installment of our 50th Anniversary special series, China and the World, on February 25, 2016 in New York City. This interview was conducted by National Committee President Stephen Orlins.  Dr. Deborah Bräutigam is the Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of Political Economy, director of the International Development Program, and director of the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Her most recent books include The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Will Africa Feed China? (OUP, 2015). Before joining SAIS in 2012, she taught at Columbia University and American University. The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations is the leading nonprofit nonpartisan organization that encourages understanding of China and the United States among citizens of both countries.

It hasn't even been a month since Chinese president Xi Jinping was in South Africa for the triennial FOCAC confab where he unveiled a massive $60 billion financial package. Oh how those were innocent, halcyon days. There was a still a prevailing sense of optimism that everything would be OK. In just a few short weeks, so much has changed. Today, the news is bad and getting worse. The slowing, sometimes faltering Chinese economy is sending shock-waves throughout the developing world and no where are those reverberations being felt more acutely than in Africa. This week, the South African rand plunged 9% to its lowest levels since 2008 due to mounting investor concern over the country's dependency on trade with China. Currencies elsewhere on the continent faced enormous pressure as the Chinese yuan devalued against the dollar despite robust efforts from the Chinese central bank to hold the line. With every downward tick in value, the weakened RMB makes Chinese imports even cheaper for African consumers which puts added pressure on local manufacturers who have long struggled to compete with a flood of low-cost Chinese imported goods. If the value of the yuan stays low for much longer, those African producers will have to start to cut costs (jobs) if they want to survive. Separately, new data also came in this week that revealed the depth of the Chinese pull-back from Africa. Chinese customs authorities reported that commodity imports from Africa fell 38% in 2015 compared to 2014. This combined with an equally dramatic fall in Chinese investment in Africa last year reveals that the Sino-African economic relationship is most definitely a new, more austere phase. Few observers predicted the extent of this downturn with as much precision as Beijing-based attorney Kai Xue, who back in July 2014 outlined in precise detail all that is happening today. Kai Xue is astute China-Africa analyst through his work advising Chinese enterprises who invest in Africa and abroad. Kai Xue joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the current downward economic trends and what to can expect from the Chinese-African economic relationship in 2016.

Environmental and conservation issues have long been secondary priorities in the Sino-African relationship, lagging far behind economic development. Pollution, over-fishing, poaching and other ecological problems were all seen as the necessary downsides of economic modernization. Now, however, mounting public pressure on leaders from both sides appears to be nudging these issues higher up the agenda. Although environmental issues did not figure prominently at last year's China-Africa summit in Johannesburg, receiving only passing-attention in the final communiqué, 2015 will nonetheless go down as a turning point for Sino-African environmental politics. The Chinese now appear to committed to stop the domestic ivory trade, imposing a series of temporary trading bans that are widely expected to lead up to an outright trade prohibition in early 2017. Chinese private enterprises are also stepping up their corporate social responsibility initiatives on the continent and there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of Chinese news coverage about environmental issues in Africa. While the Chinese and African governments are finally saying the right things when it comes to environmental protection, the real question is whether all this new rhetoric will actually lead to effective policies that limit the spread of carbon emissions, protect the continent's wildlife and crack down on illegal natural resource trade. Given pervasive corruption across Africa, it's likely that it will take years, if not decades, for meaningful reform to take root. In Beijing, a number of key policy battles are underway that will likely have a big impact across Africa. Issues ranging from the off-shoring of Chinese manufacturing to cracking down on the illegal wildlife trade will be on the domestic Chinese policy agenda in 2016. Li Nan, policy manager at China's Green Shift Initiative with the Worldwide Wildlife Fund for Nature in China and Zhou Fei the wildlife research network TRAFFIC in China, join Eric & Cobus to discuss Sino-African environmental politics and their forecast for the year ahead.

Among the most durable myths surrounding the China-Africa relationship is the fear that the Chinese government and private enterprises are buying vast tracts of African farm land and have plans to transplant millions of Chinese peasants to live and work on the continent. Over the years, these rumors have been fueled by prominent news publications in the West, politicians and, on occasion, by the Chinese themselves. The fears of Chinese agribusiness effectively colonizing portions of Africa is often well-received by many Africans who are understandably skeptical about the intentions of large foreign powers in light of their historical experience. In her new book "Will Africa Feed China?", Johns Hopkins University professor Deborah Brautigam seeks to definitively debunk this narrative. Together with other Sino-African scholars, professor Brautigam traveled across Africa in search of any evidence to support the allegation that the Chinese enterprises are making massive investments in African agriculture. Not only is there no evidence whatsoever to suggest the Chinese are making any such inroads in the African land market, Dr. Brautigam discovered the entire story is actually upside down. Not only are African governments reaching out to the Chinese to invest more in their agricultural sectors, it's Chinese agriculture that's actually feeding Africa! Well, not exactly. However, given that Africa produces only 13% of the food that it consumes, it must rely on imports for the rest, including rice and other processed foods from China among many other countries. Professor Brautigam structures her book around four tenants that define the Chinese land grab myth in Africa: 1) The Chinese have acquired large areas of farmland in Africa. 2) The Chinese government is leading the effort through state owned companies and the country's powerful sovereign wealth funds. 3) The Chinese are growing massive amounts of grain in Africa to export back to China. 4) The Chinese have sent (or plan to send) large numbers of Chinese farmers to settle in Africa. Professor Brautigam joins Eric & Cobus this week to discuss her new book and why the mythology of Chinese land imperialism in Africa is so persuasive.

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.

The US-based online news site Quartz is among a growing number of international media companies that is investing resources to better cover Africa. The company launched Quartz Africa (qz.com/africa) in June 2015 with the opening of a new bureau in Nairobi and the deployment of a small team of journalists. Among those assigned to Kenya was Lily Kuo who previously reported for Quartz from Hong Kong. As a former China-based journalist who now lives and reports on Africa, Lily is among the first reporters on the continent with a distinctive background in Sino-African relations. Although she doesn't focus exclusively on China-Africa stories, it is most definitely a prominent theme of her coverage. Lily joins Eric & Cobus to talk about the opportunity and challenges of covering the China/Africa story.

A decade ago China announced it would develop of a series of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Africa to boost trade and industrialization. Given the phenomenal success of China's SEZs that helped to spark the PRC's three-decades of history-making economic growth, not surprisingly, hopes ran high in Africa for similar results. Initially, there were plans for 50 such economic zones to be built across the continent but to date only six have actually opened, and of those, few are coming anywhere close to meeting those once lofty expectations. The SEZs were intended to provide Chinese companies with special tax incentives, improved infrastructure and a more streamlined regulatory system to help drive trade between the host country and China. To date, the only zone that is fully operational is at the Suez Canal in Egypt while the five others are bogged down in bureaucracy and bilateral disputes. The Jinfei Special Economic Zone in Mauritius highlights the problems that SEZs have had in getting off the ground in Africa. James Wan, Editor of the Royal African Society's editorial site African Arguments, recently visited the Jinfei SEZ in his native Mauritius to find out what went wrong there and to find out why this once ambitious plan to jump start Sino-African trade is now being cast aside a failed policy experiment. James joins Eric & Cobus to discuss this week to discuss the seemingly dim outlook for Chinese SEZs in Africa.

In Mark Kapchanga’s view, the West, particularly the media, really don’t understand what the Chinese are doing in Africa. Kapchanga, a provocative Nairobi-based journalist and columnist, isn’t shy in arguing his case that on balance China’s presence in Africa is net plus for the continent and its people. The West, he says, just doesn’t have its priorities right in Africa, whereas Beijing’s massive infrastructure spending across the continent is the kind of engagement that has a direct impact on peoples’ lives. Kachanga writes a regular column in the fiery Chinese state-owned newspaper The Global Times that unsurprisingly takes a stridently pro-PRC stance. Although the Kenyan journalist does have some critical views of Chinese policy in Africa, few if any of those opinions make it past the newspaper’s censors. So while Kapchang’s outlook on Sino-African relations in print may be filtered, he doesn’t hesitate in the least when he joins Eric & Cobus for a full debrief on his views about the state of the Chinese in Africa.

This Congo Live episode features opportunity in ‪Congo‬ and across the continent in the areas of business, technology, politics, and art. Our guest, Mr. Ngozu Kulya, is a Congolese businessman, analyst, and art collector based in the Washington, DC area. Mr. Kulya specializes in topics such as Sino-African relations, African governance, African art, and business and technology investment on the continent.

China is steadily expanding its military footprint in Africa, highlighted by the recent deployment of 700 combat-ready troops to join a multinational peacekeeping operation in South Sudan. In all, the People's Liberation Army and Navy now have an estimated 2,700 soldiers, sailors, engineers and medical staff stationed across the continent. The number of troops deployed in Africa is extremely small, even insignificant, in the broader context of the massive Chinese military. However, a discernible trend is becoming increasingly apparent as Beijing expands the range of operations that its forces are engaged in Africa to include post-conflict stabilization (Mali), medical humanitarian missions (Liberia), on-going conflict stabilization (South Sudan) and anti-piracy operations (Somalia) among others. In all, Chinese military personnel are now involved in 7 out of 9 UN peacekeeping operations on the continent, the most of any permanent Security Council member. Although it will be a long time, if ever, that China's small military footprint will rival those of the United States and European countries in Africa, the steadily rising number of PLA/PLAN forces on the continent may indeed have profound consequences. Africa appears to be the theater of operations that is testing two bedrock principles of Chinese foreign policy: 1) The long-held non-interference doctrine and 2)no overseas military bases. Former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, David Shinn, who is also a prominent Sino-African scholar at the George Washington University's Eliott School of International Affairs in Washington, D.C., is to publish a new research paper that explores what's motivating the Chinese military push in Africa and how it's being received by both Africans and the international community at large. Ambassador Shinn joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the new geopolitics of Chinese force projection in Africa.

Leaders in both China and Africa have articulated new visions for their respective regions that project a strong sense of confidence, renewal and a break from once-dominant Western ideologies. In both cases, argues East is Read blogger Mothusi Turner, Chinese and Africans are using these new slogans to define themselves as something other than victims of their shared colonial pasts. Mothusi joins Eric & Cobus to discuss how these two ideologies converge and why this new intellectual framework is so important for both sides of the Sino-African relationship.

Annie Hou (侯艺筱) is a third year high school student at Sudan International School in Shanghai who recently spent several weeks in Kenya as part of a program with the Chinese corporate social responsibility NGO China House Kenya. While in Nairobi, Annie had the opportunity to do research on Chinese management and labor practices at construction projects and to learn firsthand about the challenges facing Chinese companies operating in Kenya and Africa as a whole. She joins Eric and Cobus to talk about her experience in Kenya and the perspective of the next generation on the future of Sino-African relations.

2014 marked another landmark year in Sino-African relations as bilateral trade between the two regions broke new records while political/diplomatic/military ties all strengthened across the board. Yet despite the tangible progress made this year, this burgeoning relationship also began to encounter some of its most significant obstacles as both governments and publics across the continent showed significant frustration with Chinese environmental, labor and corporate social responsibility practices. In this special edition, Eric and Cobus reflect back on the most important milestones of 2014 and look forward to 2015 in China-Africa relations.

Dr. Yoon June Park is among the most well-known Sino-Africa scholars in the field. Dr. Park has taught and done research on China-African affairs for over 20 years at universities in both the US and Africa. Now based in Washington D.C., where she co-founded the Chinese in Africa/Africans in China research network, Dr. Park reflects on the challenges and opportunities of pursuing an academic career in Sino-African studies.

South African-native and Jeremy Goldkorn is an outspoken commentator, blogger and podcaster. Jeremy is the founder of the media research blog danwei.com and the co-host of the popular Sinica podcast with Kaiser Kuo. He is among the most insightful, provocative commentators on contemporary China and In this episode of the China in Africa podcast, Jeremy joins Eric and Cobus for a free-wheeling discussion on what the Sino-African relationship looks like from Beijing.

Thousands, maybe even millions of African women, are wearing hair extensions made in China. What they probably don't know is that hair may not be, well, from humans. BBC contributor Sam Piranty recently reported from China's factory zones on the complexities of the Sino-African hair trade and how in a small way this industry represents the best and worst of China's engagement in Africa.

Trade between China and Africa will break another new record this year as it's expected to top $200 billion. As trade continues to grow, officials from both regions frequently point to these figures as evidence of steadily improving ties. However, Beijing-based attorney Kai Xue warns that while the trade stats are indeed impressive, they also mask emerging difficulties in the Sino-African relationship.

There is a growing sense among Africans and Chinese alike that their once heady romance is now entering a new, more pragmatic phase. Across Africa, people and politicians are becoming visibly more concerned about the surging trade deficits, massive loan debts, persistent labor rights violations and a changing immigrant demography that may be beyond their control. China, for its part, is uncharacteristically humble in its assessments of the situation, describing it as "growing pains" and admitting that some of its people in Africa are undermining bilateral ties. Nairobi-based Sino-African consultant Huang Hongxiang joins us to talk about new challenges ahead.

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.

A marriage boom of sorts is underway in China where a growing number of African men are tying the knot with Chinese women. While these new families are breaking long-held cultural stereotypes, they are also confronting a whole set of new challenges in the form of China's byzantine legal system. The South China Morning Post's Jenni Marsh joins us to discuss her reporting on these new unions and the difficulties ahead for these Sino-African newlyweds.

The Chinese and African media narratives of one another are significantly different than what one reads/watches/hears in the West. Sino-African media scholar Bob Wekesa joins us to discuss how each side in this burgeoning geopolitical relationship views each other through their respective media.

ALERT: This is a Mandarin-language episode! Host Andy Shuai Liu of China Open Mic spoke with China Going Out's Hongxiang Huang (who was a Cowries and Rice guest back in October of 2013) to talk about his newest project: China House. China House looks to help open-minded Chinese citizens integrate better with African societies and promote a more mutually beneficial Sino-African relationship. If you were curious as to what effective Chinese non-governmental organizations or corporate social responsibility would look like, please listen to this episode!

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang wrapped up his four-nation tour of Africa where he set out to broaden Beijing's diplomacy on the continent beyond natural resource extraction. Li was well-received in each stop along his journey and seemingly received high marks for China's new, more ambitious agenda in Africa. Eric & Cobus look at the key trends to emerge from this visit and how it might affect the broader Sino-African engagement.

Sino-African relations is too often viewed in the context of how the relationship benefits China. This week, Dr. Daouda Cissé from Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa, joins us to share his views on a pan-African view of this vital relationship. In particular, we explore the critically important role of African governance and whether the continent's leaders are serving their people well when negotiating trade and investment agreements with the Chinese.

While China's economy shows more evidence that it is slowing down, there hasn't been any noticeable impact on trade with Africa. In fact, bilateral trade is expected to break another record this year, smashing through the $200 billion level. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean everything is going smoothly. Dr. Daouda Cissé from the Center for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University is an expert in Sino-African trade and says that although the economic relationship remains strong, serious problems are now beginning to emerge.

China-Africa public diplomacy is largely dominated by the presence of heads of state however over the past month three ambassadors from three different countries have hit the airwaves to speak out on the development of Sino-African relations. Representatives from the US, South Africa and Germany all shared their views, which not surprisingly, were quite divergent from one another.

The first signs of an embryonic Chinese policy for Africa date back to 1955 t the Bandung Conference in Indonesia where foreign minister Zhou Enlai articulated many of the key tenants of China's African policy objectives that are still relevant today. So, to fully understand the current state of Sino-African ties, it is critical to look back at what happened in Bandung.

The 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia is seen as among the most important historical milestones in Sino-African ties as it marks the first time that China appears to have had anything close to an Africa policy. Author and scholar Francis George Stevens joins us to discuss his news book, China and Africa Love Affair" and why he argues that the strength in today's Sino-African engagement is rooted in what happened in Bandung all those years ago.

In just the past few years Chinese shopping malls have sprouted up across South Africa. These new retail centers are open every day of the year and offer rock-bottom prices. Consumers love them but competitors feel they are undermining the domestic economy. Sino-African scholar Romain Dittgen joins us to discuss this increasingly controversial retail trend.

The cost and difficulty of doing business in Africa is going up for the Chinese, prompting new concerns that the era of endless flows of Chinese cash may now be coming to an end. Beijing-based attorney and Sino-African investment advisor Kai Xue joins us to discuss why he foresees a major slow-down in Chinese outbound investment towards Africa.

China's presence in African media has increased dramatically in recent years but the presence of Africans and Africa as a whole remains extremely limited on Chinese television. This week, Sino-African media scholar Bob Wekesa joins us to discuss Chinese media perceptions and news coverage of Africa.

The New Yorker's former China correspondent Evan Osnos wrote that China's foreign policy agenda is undergoing a radical overhaul as it appears to be moving away from its emphasis on soft power towards a harder, more aggressive militarized agenda. Nonetheless, Sino-African scholar Bob Wekesa contends in this episode that while that may be the case in Asia, in Africa, China will continue to invest heavily in media and other tools of public diplomacy.

Nelson Mandela's first made contact with China in the 1950s when he was ANC militant. Over the decades, the former South African leader maintained his China connection, even leading his country to the historic decision to switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan to the PRC. Sino-African scholar Bob Wekesa is our special guest this week to discuss Mandela's little know, yet critically important, China connection.

Is China good or bad for Africa? Is it benevolent or neo-imperial? Well, it all depends on who you ask and what 'narrative' they subscribe to. One of the world's leading Sino-African scholars, Solange Chatelard, joins us to discuss the different, often conflicting, narratives used to describe China's engagement in Africa.

It's been 15 years since China and South Africa established diplomatic relations. Today, the two economies are increasingly inter-connected as South Africa serves as an African gateway for Chinese business and China is now Pretoria's largest trading partner. What's next for this important Sino-African relationship?

The triumphant debut of the Cowries and Rice Podcast, the second-best China-Africa podcast you ever heard! Join host Winslow Robertson and others as they discuss all aspects of the China-Africa relationship. Join host Winslow Robertson with (possibly permanent) co-hosts Dr. Nkemjika Kalu, Elle Wang, and Andy Liu as they discuss perceptions of China-Africa relations.

Nigeria's Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi's warning that his country and the entire continent should regard China as an aggressive competitor sets the tone for a new stage of Sino-African ties, one where African leaders may become far more assertive | The upcoming BRICS summit in Durban South Africa | China's new president Xi Jinping will be accompanied by his celebrity wife, Peng Liyuan, on his inaugural overseas visit | The state of Sino-African scholarship.

A Chinese small-business owner shares his compelling first-hand perspective on the sensitive issue of Sino-African labor relations | A UK-based environmental group reports on massive Chinese illegal logging in Mozambique | China's seemingly insatiable demand for ivory is fueling illegal elephant poaching in ZImbabwe. The key issues for both logging and elephant is who is responsible and what, if anything, is possible to limit the environmental damage?