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PODCAST

The China-Global South Podcast

The China-Global South Project

A weekly discussion on Chinese engagement in the developing world from the news team of The China-Global South Project (CGSP). Join hosts Eric Olander in Vietnam and Cobus van Staden in South Africa for insightful interviews with scholars, analysts, and journalists from around the world. You"ll also get regular updates from CGSP"s editors in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

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All Episodes

32:14

China Drives Indonesia’s Push for Clean Energy and...

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/10/21

China sits at the heart of Indonesia’s energy paradox — driving the country’s ambitious shift toward renewables while remaining deeply entrenched in its coal economy. Chinese financing and technology are accelerating Indonesia’s clean energy buildout, from nickel refining to electric vehicles and solar manufacturing. Yet the same Chinese firms are also behind large swathes of Indonesia’s coal infrastructure, including off-grid plants that power the smelters fueling its industrial boom. Kevin Zongzhe

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35:58

Trump, China and the New Power Politics in Asia

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/10/14

Chinese exports are booming—but ties with the U.S. are collapsing. Across Asia, from Beijing to Manila, Washington’s shifting strategy under Trump is reshaping alliances and testing security guarantees that have underpinned the region for decades. Eric speaks with James Crabtree, a distinguished visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and the Asia Society, about how Asia’s leaders are adapting to a world in flux: China’s mix of confidence and anxiety amid its own economic

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36:02

How China is Displacing U.S. Economic Power in Latin...

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/10/05

For centuries, the United States was the undisputed hegemonic power across the Western Hemisphere; however, that is no longer the case today. China is now the largest trading partner for the majority of countries in Latin America and is quickly filling the void left by a decades-long U.S. retrenchment. In his new book, "Economic Displacement: China and the End of U.S. Primacy in Latin America," Francisco Urdinez, an assistant professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, argues that

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57:06

China's Play for Global Governance Leadership

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/09/30

In the weeks since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the new Global Governance Initiative (GGI) during a speech at the SCO summit in Tianjin, Beijing's propaganda apparatus has been working overtime to build support for the new plan, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and other developing regions. The GGI is the latest in a series of Chinese global initiatives that also focus on development, human rights, and security, which it's using to stake a larger claim for international leadership at

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35:56

China-India Relations Remain Fragile Despite Warming...

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/09/23

It wasn't that long ago when the leaders from India and China couldn't even look at each other when they were in the same room. Today, the situation is very different. Ties between the two Asian powers have improved dramatically from a few years ago, when a violent conflict along their disputed border sent relations into a deep freeze. But even though China and India have resolved a number of their differences in recent years, serious problems persist, none more so than their disputed border that

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35:01

Why Chinese Companies Are Pouring Money Into Brazil

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/09/16

China’s economic ties with Brazil are booming, and 2024 saw a stunning 113% jump in Chinese investment, totaling $4.2 billion across 39 projects, the highest number ever, according to a new report by the Brazil-China Business Council. From renewable energy and oil to mining and automotive manufacturing, Chinese companies are pouring capital into Brazil’s economy. This investment boom, though, comes at a sensitive time as China is moving aggressively to reduce its reliance on the U.S., particularly

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40:05

India-China Reset? Modi and Xi Test a Fragile...

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/09/10

The reset between India and China appears to be holding. Nearly two weeks after President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Tianjin, five years of frigid ties between the two Asian powers are steadily thawing. However, it will take more than summits and statements to rebuild trust, particularly among Indian policymakers who remain wary of China's close ties with Pakistan and Beijing's broader ambitions across South Asia. Constantino Xavier, a

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38:11

The Trump, Xi Foreign Policy Duel in Southeast Asia

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/09/09

Two sharply contrasting foreign policy visions emerged this week from China and the United States. In Beijing, President Xi Jinping outlined an agenda in talks with fellow BRICS leaders that directly challenged Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine, urging instead for stronger multilateral cooperation. Meanwhile in Washington, reports surfaced of a potential overhaul in U.S. security strategy, shifting the Pentagon’s focus away from countering China abroad toward reinforcing defenses at home and

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37:09

China's Small State Diplomacy Strategy in Latin America

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/09/04

While most of the world's attention at this week's Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin was on Xi Jinping's meetings with leaders from the big powers, namely India and Russia, the Chinese President also spent considerable time with heads of state from many of the world's smallest countries, like the Maldives and Nepal, among others. This is part of China's longstanding small-state diplomacy strategy, where Beijing cultivates relationships with these countries in the Global South

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42:04

SCO Summit Review: Xi, Modi & Putin Present a United...

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/09/03

This week's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin signaled China’s ambition to redefine global governance. Leaders from more than 20 countries endorsed the Tianjin Declaration, pressing for a multipolar order, tighter security cooperation, and expanded economic integration. The joint statement also went further than past communiqués, condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and reflecting the bloc’s growing willingness to weigh in on global conflicts. Eric & Cobus discuss the powerful

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37:24

SCO Preview: Modi Heads to China Amid U.S. Tariff Shock

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/08/29

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left Northeast Asia this week, embarking on a two-stop trip that includes Japan and then China, where he will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which begins on Sunday. The PM's visit comes amid a full-scale implosion of India's ties with the United States, following Washington's imposition this week of a massive 50% tariff on all Indian exports to the U.S., the highest duties on any country in Asia, except China. Derek Grossman, a

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44:47

China and the Middle East: The Future in Three Scenarios

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/08/28

China's rapidly expanding presence in the Middle East has sparked a mix of anxiety and excitement, depending on one's perspective. Washington regards Beijing's support of Iran and the Palestinian cause, among other things, as key threats to its strategic interests. While Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and other regional actors see Beijing as a valuable economic partner. A new book by two leading China-Mideast scholars, Mohamed Alsudairi at the Australian National University and Andrea Ghiselli from the

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41:58

China Moves to Bolster Pakistan Ties Amid U.S....

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/08/20

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for a three-day visit, following a high-level stop in India earlier in the week, where he met both Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His trip to Pakistan comes at a pivotal moment. Islamabad has recently repaired relations with the United States after more than a decade of estrangement, just as Washington’s ties with India have soured. Eram Ashraf, a UK-based China-Pakistani relations scholar and author

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44:20

China's Happy With Its Iran Ties Just the Way They Are

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/08/06

There's been a lot of speculation in the aftermath of the brief U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran that Beijing would step in to bolster its longtime partners in Tehran. Rumors have been bouncing around that China will sell Iran advanced fighter jets and help rebuild the country's ballistic missile program, among other things. There is no evidence, though, to support any of those claims. Instead, China seems to be taking a more hands-off approach, providing Iran with bountiful moral support while

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40:12

Belt and Road Investment Surge Shatters Expectations

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/07/26

For much of the past two years, we've been told to expect a slimmer, more austere Belt and Road under the new "Small Yet Beautiful" mantra. The days of Chinese mega deals across the Global South were over... or so we thought. Turns out that Chinese firms, largely from the private sector, are continuing to invest heavily in energy, mining, and construction projects in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, according to new data from Australia’s Griffith University and the Green Finance & Development

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45:53

Why Vietnam Will Never Join a U.S. Coalition Against...

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/07/21

Listen in on many of the foreign policy discussions about Vietnam that take place at think tanks and government seminars in Washington, D.C., and you'll hear this sense of optimism that "Hanoi is on our side." They see Vietnam's historical suspicions of China and the country's ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea as key indicators that Hanoi will eventually join a U.S.-led coalition to counter China. Those presumptions, however, are wrong, according to Khang Vu, a leading Vietnamese

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44:33

China's Middle East Math

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/07/16

There was widespread disappointment in Iran that China didn't do more to help Tehran during the recent 12-day war with Israel and the United States. Beijing, for its part, offered robust rhetorical and moral support, but little else. The calculus for Chinese policymakers is that Iran just isn't as strategically important to its foreign policy as other countries in the region, namely Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Jonathan Fulton, an associate professor at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi

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32:47

What Next for China-Israel Ties After the Iran War

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/07/02

In the first few months of this year, it seemed that China's ties with Israel were on the mend after entering into a deep freeze following the October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas. China had begun to soften some of its rhetoric, and Israeli officials were keen to re-engage Beijing on economic issues. That momentum stalled in mid-June, though, when Israel launched an attack on Iran that prompted a strong rebuke by China at the United Nations. Now that the fighting has stopped and a tense ceasefire

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55:39

China Forced to Regroup After Israel-Iran War

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/06/26

China is emerging from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in a much weaker position. For years, Beijing counted on Tehran to serve as a bulwark against Washington. Today, though, that's no longer possible as the Iranian government and its proxies across the Middle East have been neutralized, at least for now. The conflict also exposed a major Chinese vulnerability following threats that Iran might close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the attacks on its nuclear facilities. This would be

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58:58

How Middle Powers Are Navigating the U.S.–China Rivalry

The China-Global South Podcast ·

2025/06/18

In this new era of surging instability and geopolitical uncertainty, so-called "Middle Power" states are rapidly diversifying their foreign policies to deepen engagement with other countries in the Global South, while reducing their exposure to the U.S. and China. But the approach taken by these middle power countries varies a lot. A new report by the Körber Foundation in Germany surveyed foreign policy experts from India, Brazil, and South Africa, revealed sharp divergences in how these countries

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