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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.

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All Episodes

55:53

FOCAC 8 Preview: The Economic Agenda

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/11/19

This year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) conference will take place amid considerable uncertainty in the global economy and profound economic changes underway in China. As such, it's widely expected that the outputs from the upcoming forum will be very different from previous FOCACs. Gone will be the large mega-loans to build massive infrastructure projects across the continent and instead, observers expect a series of smaller, more targeted initiatives centered on new priorities in

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01:11:53

Why Pragmatism, Not Ideology Drives Chinese Economic...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/11/16

In these contentious times, China is often accused of exporting its statist economic model to Africa and other developing regions as part of a broader ideological agenda to create a new Sinocentric international order. But Tsinghua University Professor Tang Xiaoyang argues in his new book published earlier this year that interpretation is a gross misunderstanding of what actually motivates Chinese economic engagement on the continent. Professor Tang joins Eric & Cobus from Beijing to make the case

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46:15

What Does the U.S. Need To Do to Effectively Compete...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/11/12

Technology is expected to be one of the main pillars of discussion at the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference that will take place in Dakar at the end of the month. And the stakes for both sides are very high. With its access to markets in the Global North contracting as more governments impose barriers on Chinese technology products and services, Beijing will need to lean more on its already sizable presence in developing regions like Africa. Similarly, African governments are

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51:18

Why Perceptions of China Vary So Much Depending on...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/11/05

[PLEASE NOTE THAT FROM TIME TO TIME THERE IS SOME AUDIO STATIC THAT APPEARS INTERMITTENTLY DURING SOME OF JOANNA'S ANSWERS. IT DOESN'T LAST LONG AND WE TRIED TO MINIMIZE IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. OUR APOLOGIES FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.] Public perceptions of China vary markedly depending on where you live in the world. In wealthy advanced economies in the Global North, negative sentiment towards China is now at all-time highs and getting worse. But it's a very different story in many developing countries

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50:22

A Left Perspective on China-Africa Relations

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/11/03

In the run-up to Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference that will take place later this month in Dakar, CAP is speaking with a wide spectrum of activists, analysts, and other thought leaders about what they think should be on the agenda when Chinese and African ministers convene. This week, Mikaela Nhondo Erskog, a researcher at the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research joins Eric & Cobus from Johannesburg to share a leftist, socialist perspective on Sino-Africa engagement and why

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47:41

Week in Review: Sudan Coup, Glasgow Climate Summit &...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/10/29

This week Eric & Cobus discuss the Chinese response to the military coup in Sudan and how it differs from Beijing's reaction to September's coup in Guinea. Plus, Cobus explains why he's not optimistic about the outcomes for developing countries from the upcoming Glasgow climate summit and should African countries expect much regarding debt relief from this weekend's G20 leaders summit in Rome. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander |

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56:53

Anzetse Were on the Current State of China-Africa...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/10/26

China-Africa trade figures for the first eight months of the year are in and they look solid. So good, in fact, that the two sides appear on track to surpass last year's $187 billion in two-way trade. But those big numbers conceal some deeper problems, everything ranging from the large trade deficits in most African countries to high levels of debt in other states. Anzetse Were, a Nairobi-based development economist who's been closely following China-Africa economic ties for more than a decade, is

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01:04:09

Folashadé Soulé on West Africa's Priorities at FOCAC 8

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/10/22

The triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit is just weeks away now and speculation is now starting to build as to what will be on the agenda. As of now, very little is known as to what's going to happen, not even the specific dates when the event will take place in Dakar, Senegal. Nonetheless, expectations are high that the forum will produce tangible outcomes for Africa on issues related to debt relief, infrastructure financing, and public health among others. Folashadé Soulé, a

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46:34

The Messy Politics of Building a Railway in Kenya...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/10/20

Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is the showcase in Africa for China's debt-led infrastructure development drive. While critics accuse China of saddling Nairobi with unsustainable levels of debt to build the rail line that goes from the port of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi and then on to Naivasha in the Rift Valley, the reality is actually a lot more complicated. It turns out that Kenya lawmakers worked hard to circumvent their own laws, conceal the terms of the deal and, most likely, pocketed

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55:50

Lightning Round: Africa-France Summit, FOCAC & UK...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/10/15

An often contentious leaderless summit took place last in Montepellier where African youth activists did not hold back in telling French President Emmanuel Macron what they thought needed to be done to improve ties between the two regions. Eric & Cobus look at what lessons China, the U.S., and others can take away from the heated exchanges that took place. Plus, a preview of what might be on the agenda at the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit that is expected to take place next month

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54:28

China's Role in Zambia's Unfolding Debt Crisis

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/10/13

Zambia owes at least 18 Chinese creditors $6.6 billion, nearly twice as much as previously stated, according to a new report published by the China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at Johns Hopkins University. And that figure may be even higher as it doesn't account for penalties accrued by various Zambian borrowers who've fallen behind in their payments. While these latest findings confirm Zambia indeed has a very serious Chinese debt problem, the CARI report, however, details why the situation

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52:07

China's Love-Hate Relationship With Coal

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/10/08

If you're confused about China's stance on the use of coal, well, you're definitely not alone. This week, China went on a global coal buying binge in a frantic effort to put a stop to rolling blackouts that have afflicted millions of residents, factories, and businesses in at least nine provinces over the past several weeks. But just two weeks earlier, President Xi Jinping told everyone at the United Nations General Assembly that Beijing planned to phase out the use of dirty fuels as part of an

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50:56

China's Role in Ghana's Unfolding Fishing Catastrophe

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/10/04

While the Ghanaian government took decisive action earlier this year to crack down on illegal mining known as Galamsey where Chinese illegal mining interests have been active for years, Accra has done absolutely nothing to combat persistent illegal fishing in its waters. Foreign fishing companies, predominantly from China, operate with impunity in full view of the government who together are contributing to an ecological and humanitarian catastrophe, according to the findings from a recent report by

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01:08:00

Key Takeaways From AidData's New Report on How...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/10/01

AidData, the development research lab at William & Mary College in Virginia, published a landmark report this week that provides the most comprehensive overview to date of Chinese financing of projects along the Belt and Road. Researchers pored through 13,247 projects in 165 countries worth $843 billion from 2000 through 2017. The report sparked a torrent of media coverage this week, mostly on the news about $385 billion of so-called "hidden debts." But the data in this report tells a much more

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43:36

Lightning Round: US-Africa, DRC-China and...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/09/28

This week's scheduled guest didn't show, so Eric & Cobus went back to their roots by producing a Lightning Round Podcast where they hashed out three of the hottest topics in the news this week. Join the guys for a fast-paced discussion on U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to not meet with any African leader last week, the latest in the China-DRC mining saga and why the opening of the four day China-Africa Trade Expo in the central Chinese province of Hunan is kind of a big deal. SUBSCRIBE TO THE

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01:06:51

Is China Exporting Authoritarianism Around the World?

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/09/24

The Chinese and U.S. Presidents spoke on the same day this week at the United Nations General Assembly with each offering a different vision for the future. Joe Biden challenged critics who contend that democracy is in retreat while Xi Jinping warned "the world is once again at a historical crossroads" and pushed back on a U.S.-led international order. And there's a lot at stake for developing countries in Africa and elsewhere in this debate as both major powers seek to align others to their

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01:01:17

Update on the China-DR Congo Mining Contracts Dispute

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/09/21

After months of negative media coverage, Chinese mining companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are pushing back against the perception they aren't fulfilling their contractual obligations to provide social services and build infrastructure for the local communities where they operate. There's been a recent flurry of news coverage, social media posts, and even ministerial visits to mining sites to bolster their position. DRC mining and policy analyst Christian-Geraud Neema Byamungu has

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01:04:32

The Complicated, Confusing Nature of China's Ties...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/09/17

China has deftly managed its relations in the Middle East across sensitive sectarian and geopolitical landscapes but now that Beijing is moving to become more engaged in the region, it risks falling into many of the same pitfalls that have bedeviled other major powers. Nowhere is this more on display than in Israel where Beijing has enjoyed steadily improving relations with the Jewish State over the past thirty years but now confronts unprecedented new geopolitical challenges. Tuvia Gering, a China

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53:44

Why Food Security & Agriculture Issues Need to Be...

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/09/14

A growing number of people in Africa are facing acute shortages of food due in part to disruptions brought on by COVID, climate change, and, in some countries, conflict. Solving the problem today is not going to be easy given how much of the continent depends on imported food supplies. China at once is both a contributor to the problem, especially given its role as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and a key part of the solution. Ama Brandford-Arthur, a senior partnerships officer in

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58:08

China's Role in the Burgeoning Debt Challenge in Africa

The China in Africa Podcast ·

2021/09/10

The debt situation in Africa is changing very quickly as some countries race to negotiate urgent bailouts with the IMF while others are struggling to service their debts amid the ongoing pandemic. Pretty much every country across the continent is struggling right now. And China is a key player in every part of this story, whether it's as a major player in the G20's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) or as the primary bilateral creditor to at least ten countries that are now confronting rising

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434 results

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