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PODCAST

The China in Africa Podcast

The China-Global South Project

Twice-weekly discussion about China"s engagement across Africa and the Global South hosted by journalist Eric Olander and Asia-Africa scholar Cobus van Staden in Johannesburg.

news politics

All Episodes

54:10

What's It Like to Study China-Africa Relations at...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/10/06

Only a handful of universities around the world teach area studies courses in China-Africa relations. It's a field that was once quite popular but less so today as interest in studying Chinese affairs more broadly has fallen precipitously. Student enrollment, for example, in Chinese language classes in U.S. and European universities has plunged by at least 20% over the past ten years and is still largely non-existent in most higher education programs in the Global South. But if you're one of the

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53:11

Africa at the Intersection of Three Megatrends:...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/09/29

Dramatic scenes this week in Italy where 7,000 people, mostly from Africa, came ashore after making the dangerous trek across the Mediterranean. It was a similar situation along the U.S.-Mexico border where 9,000 people crossed in a single day. Poverty, in many cases, is fueling this latest migration surge due in part to the worsening economic conditions in many of these countries, particularly in Africa which is now the epicenter of twin climate and debt crises. David McNair, executive director of

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52:51

[GLOBAL SOUTH] How China's Economic Slowdown Impacts...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/09/26

The Chinese economy is in trouble. Exports, manufacturing output, and investment are all down. Unemployment, particularly among young people is up. Provincial debt is now at a record $8 trillion while a burgeoning property crisis has eliminated a once reliable source of revenue for local governments. The financial difficulties that China is now experiencing have direct implications on dozens, if not hundreds of developing countries around the world that have come to rely on Chinese demand to bolster

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51:34

Chinese Lending to Africa Plunges to 20-Year Low

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/09/21

Chinese lending to African countries plunged to below a billion dollars in 2022, the lowest level in two decades, according to new data from the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University. The findings confirm that the era of Beijing financing large-scale infrastructure projects on the continent is now officially over. Instead, Chinese creditors are focusing on smaller, more sustainable initiatives in green energy and telecommunications, among others. But this new, austere engagement

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50:39

[GLOBAL SOUTH] The Downward Spiral of China-India...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/09/18

There was a glimmer of hope last month that China and India would pull back from their increasingly contentious standoff when military commanders concluded talks along their disputed border on a somewhat optimistic note. The hope was that these talks would pave the way for leaders from both countries to meet while they were together at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did meet briefly in South Africa but it did nothing to stall

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40:39

WEEK IN REVIEW: AU in G20 and the New "Chinese...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/09/15

The Chinese Foreign Ministry was among the first major governments this week to welcome the African Union as the newest member of the G20. The big question now is what will the AU do now that it has a seat at the table? Plus, Kenya's already dire economic situation gets worse and a new big-budget Chinese medical drama set in a fictitious African country released this week on major Chinese streaming platforms, the latest installment in the burgeoning genre of "Chinese savior" narratives. JOIN THE

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50:49

[GLOBAL SOUTH] BRI @ 10: Lessons From Cambodia About...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/09/12

China's Belt and Road Initiative marked its 10th anniversary this month, prompting a lot of discussion about what's next for Beijing's controversial development agenda. While BRI spending in Africa and the Americas has plummeted in recent years that is not the case closer to home in Southeast Asia. Cambodia, in particular, stands apart from other countries in terms of its growing dependence on Chinese economic engagement -- both from government-backed BRI projects and private investors who have

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01:14:24

Why Boosting Africa-Southeast Asian Trade &...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/09/07

There's been a surge of activity in Africa-ASEAN relations in recent weeks highlighted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo's recent African tour and the Singapore-Africa Business Forum that took place earlier this month in the Lion City. Closer trade and investment ties make sense for both regions as the traditional engines of economic growth in China and Europe continue to slow. Amit Jain, director of the Centre for African Studies at Nanyang Technological University, joins Eric & Cobus from

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50:27

China's Indispensable Role in Africa's Railway...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/09/01

Over the past 20 years, tens of thousands of kilometers of new railway lines have been built across Africa - much of it constructed and financed by China. But the days when Beijing paid big bucks to build these kinds of large-scale infrastructure projects in Africa have come to an end. Today, China's development priorities on the continent are focused more on fostering industrialization and building smaller, greener projects mostly in the energy and telecommunications sectors. But even without the

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55:47

[GLOBAL SOUTH] China and the Politics of Global...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/08/29

The failure of G20 countries last month to agree on a plan to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 highlights a key problem in the ongoing debate over how to respond to climate change: the institutions that are designed to help solve this problem are failing. It's not clear what China's role was in that debate at the G20 but elsewhere Beijing's actions on combatting climate change are somewhat contradictory. While China is by far the world's leader in renewable energy and green transportation,

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01:20:23

Africa's Prominent Role in the New "BRICS6"

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/08/25

The once lifeless BRICS bloc got a big boost of energy this week with the addition of six new members including two additional African states from Egypt and Ethiopia. Together, African countries will now account for nearly a third of the 11-member group -- far more than any other international multilateral organization. The announcement to enlarge the bloc came at the end of a high-profile three-day leaders summit in Johannesburg. Adhere Cavince, a Nairobi-based China-Africa researcher, spent much

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01:00:38

[GLOBAL SOUTH] China's New, Slimmed-Down Belt & Road...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/08/22

China's critics contend the Belt and Road Initiative is dead or dying due to a mix of gross mismanagement and hubris. The data, however, reveals a very different story. While lending has definitely decreased considerably from its peak in 2016, the BRI is very much alive -- it just looks very different today than it did even a few years ago. Instead of expensive large-scale infrastructure projects in Africa, the Americas, and Asia, Chinese lenders are now focusing more on smaller initiatives related

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55:39

BRICS Summit Preview

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/08/18

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed President Xi Jinping will travel to South Africa to attend the upcoming BRICS summit, the first time he'll visit Africa since 2018. Xi will be joined by three other of the group's leaders along with Russian President Vladimir Putin who will attend remotely. The two main priorities at this year's gathering will be expanding the bloc's membership to include any of the two dozen countries that have applied to join and the creation of a new BRICS currency as an

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01:01:50

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Pivot to Asia: Why the Near Abroad is...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/08/15

For much of the past 20 years, China sought to radically expand its presence beyond its traditional spheres of influence to new regions in Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East. China lent billions to countries in these regions and devoted considerable diplomatic capital to building political influence there as well. But now, in this new era of Great Power competition with the United States and Europe, China is once again shifting its focus, this time closer to home in Asia. Its so-called "near

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42:28

China's Low-Key Response to the Niger Coup

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/08/11

The Chinese government has been noticeably quiet in response to the turbulent events in Niger where President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed last month in a military coup. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued three pro-forma statements about what happened in Niamey that are very different in both tone and substance to Beijing's response to a similar uprising in Guinea in 2021. CGSP's Francophone Africa Editor Geraud Neema joins Eric to explain why Beijing's reaction to this latest is far more

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49:16

Nigerians' (Misplaced) Anxiety About Chinese Debt

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/08/03

For years, Nigerian politicians and media reports have issued breathless warnings about the dangers of becoming too indebted to China, fearing the dreaded "debt trap" and the risk of surrendering the country's strategic assets. While the economic risks associated with taking on too much debt are indeed relevant in Nigeria today where the government now owes creditors more than $100 billion, China, though, is not the problem. Chinese loans, in fact, account for just around 4% of total public debt. So

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53:18

[GLOBAL SOUTH] Is China Setting the Agenda for Global...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/08/01

In June, Zambia reached what's been described as a landmark debt restructuring deal that for the first time brought together the country's bilateral creditors including China, traditional Paris Club lenders and bondholders. While the deal is no doubt unprecedented, it also reveals that China was very effective in successful in getting the parties to agree to many of its demands. Matt Mingey, a senior analyst at the consultancy Rhodium Group, is among the world's foremost experts on Chinese lending

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51:35

What a Railway in Kenya Reveals About How China...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/07/27

The Kenyan government's controversial decision to end certain subsidies and raise taxes sparked days of violent protests in Nairobi. While the move sparked a massive backlash, President William Ruto nonetheless clearly felt he had no other choice if he wanted to avoid defaulting on the country's ballooning national debt. A sizable portion of that debt, around 10%, is owed to Chinese creditors for the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), Kenya's largest-ever infrastructure project. Now,

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44:56

China's Tactics and Methods to Influence African Media

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/07/20

Confucius Institutes (CIs) were once known only for teaching Mandarin language and culture classes but the organization's mission has evolved recently to now include "training" sessions for African journalists on how to cover China. CIs are now part of a robust Chinese toolkit that Beijing uses to try and frame media narratives in Africa on certain international issues related to human rights, sovereignty, and its escalating feud with the United States among others. Emeka Umejei is a longtime

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28:44

Mapping the Chinese Cobalt Supply Chain in the DR Congo

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2023/07/13

The China-Global South Project is proud to announce the first-ever mapping of the Chinese cobalt supply chain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. CGSP launched a new interactive map this week that includes a full breakdown of mining data by Chinese and other firms, an overview of the main logistics routes, and five years of export data that details precisely where the cobalt goes when it leaves Africa. CGSP Francophone Editor Geraud Neema led this pioneering research initiative that took nine

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433 results

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