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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.

The China in Africa Podcast

As China's economic influence expands, so does its ambition to shape the very system that once constrained it.
 
In this episode of The China-Global South Podcast, Eric speaks with Greg Chin and Kevin Gallagher from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center about their new book that details China's transformation from a "rules taker" within the Bretton Woods system to a "rules maker" who's now reshaping the international development finance architecture.
 
Greg and Kevin explore the country's growing role in the IMF and World Bank, its creation of new institutions like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB), and what this means for developing nations navigating between Western and Chinese-led finance.
 
CHAPTERS:
 
• Introduction – A brief calm in U.S.–China tensions
 • Rule Taker → Rule Maker – China's rise inside global finance
 • Building Alternatives – Creating the AIIB and NDB
 • Two-Way Countervailing Power – Leveraging inside–outside influence
 • Green Finance and "Next Practices" – Raising the bar on development norms
 • Debt and Diplomacy – How China handles restructuring
 • Institutional Layering – Shaping without dismantling
 • Washington's Dilemma – Anxiety over losing control
 • The Global South's New Agency – More options, more leverage
 • A New Multilateral Moment – Uncertain future for global governance
 
SHOW NOTES:
 
 • 📚 
Read the book (free download) 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH & SPANISH: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

China's Evolution from "Rules Taker" to "Rules Maker" in Development Finance

The Kenyan Treasury last month announced a breakthrough in its years-long effort to restructure billions of dollars still owed to the China Exim Bank that were used to build the Standard Gauge Railway.
 
The two sides agreed to convert the remaining $3.5 billion of debt from higher-interest-rate U.S. dollar-denominated loans to more affordable yuan-denominated loans, which would potentially generate $215 million in savings for the Treasury.
 
Both Ethiopia and Indonesia are also in talks with Chinese creditors doing the same kind of currency swap to restructure billions of dollars of railway loans.
 
Yufan Huang, a pre-doctoral fellow with the China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University and one of the world's leading experts on Chinese debt restructuring, joins Eric to discuss Kenya's new swap and why the promised savings could be illusory.
 📍Chapters 
🎙️ Introduction – Why Kenya's debt deal matters
 🚄 Background – How the SGR loans were structured
 💱 Conversion – What's changing: USD→RMB explained
 🏆 Winners – Kenya, China Exim Bank, and Beijing
 ⚖️ Risks – Currency exposure and yuan appreciation
 🌍 Comparisons – Lessons from Angola, Ethiopia, and Indonesia
 💬 Analysis – China's evolving debt relief strategy
 🏦 Policy Context – IMF, Common Framework, and next steps
 📈 Takeaways – Short-term relief or "kicking the can"?
 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | 
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH & SPANISH: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Kenya's Chinese Debt Swap Comes With a Hidden Currency Risk

Ghana's negotiations for a China–Ghana free trade deal have sparked a fierce national debate. Political leaders are hailing it as a breakthrough for exporters, while manufacturers warn of being swamped by cheaper Chinese imports. At the heart of the discussion lies a deeper question: how much power do African countries really have to shape their trade relationships with China?
 
To unpack both the deal and the broader question of "agency" in Africa–China relations, Eric & Cobus speak with Folashadé Soulé of the University of Oxford's Global Economic Governance Program. She explains her new framework on five types of African agency, from presidential to civil society, and how African actors at every level use strategy, negotiation, and intent to influence outcomes with Beijing.
 
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
 
 • Introduction
 • The Free Trade Debate in Ghana
 • Non-Tariff Barriers & Export Reality Check
 • Africa's Structural Challenge
 • Introducing Agency in Africa–China Relations
 • Five Typologies of Agency
 • Presidential vs. Executive Agency
 • Bureaucratic Agency
 • Civic & Civil Society Agency
 • The "Agency Turn"
 • Western Narratives & Misconceptions
 • Accountability, Corruption, Intentionality
 • Final Reflections
 
SHOW NOTES:
 
 Cambridge University Press • : 
 The Study of Agency in Africa–China Relations: The Case for Typologies • by Folashadé Soulé (open access)
 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | 
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH & SPANISH: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Folashadé Soulé on the Evolution of African Agency in China Relations

In CGSP's first-ever China–Africa Energy Forum, Managing Editor Cobus van Staden hosts three leading experts to explore how Chinese finance, technology, and policy are transforming Africa's power landscape:
 
 Frangton Chiyemura
 • Lecturer in International Development, Open University
 Wei Shen
 • Research Fellow, Institute for Development Studies
 Adjekai Adjei
 • Non-Resident Fellow for Africa, The China-Global South Project
 
Drawing on CGSP's new China–Africa Energy Tracker and a groundbreaking report "Powering Africa: China's Expanding Role in the Continent's Energy Future," the panel examines $33 billion in Chinese energy investments across 30 African countries, the rise of renewables, and the shift from "big infrastructure" to "small and beautiful" projects.
 
🔹 00:00 Introduction — Launch of CGSP's China–Africa Energy Forum & Energy Tracker
 🔹 05:20 China's $33B in African power projects: scope and strategy
 🔹 14:10 The pivot to renewables: hydropower, solar, and green innovation
 🔹 26:45 Financing models, data transparency, and technology transfer
 🔹 39:10 Balancing opportunity and dependency in the energy transition
 🔹 50:00 Mining, electrification, and the "small and beautiful" Belt and Road
 🔹 1:02:00 Audience Q&A — policy, finance, and the future of Africa's grids
 
Originally broadcast live on YouTube, LinkedIn, X, and Facebook, this conversation kicks off CGSP's new global discussion series on China's role in the Global South.
 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH & SPANISH: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

[CGSP FORUM] Africa's Energy Future and China: Gauging the Price of Power

Kenya and China have reached a groundbreaking agreement to restructure $3.5 billion in railway loans, converting them from U.S. dollars into Chinese yuan. The move could save Kenya $215 million in debt servicing costs and marks the first time an African nation has shifted major sovereign debt into RMB — a potential model for other Global South countries.
 
In this episode, Eric & Géraud unpack what this deal really means for Kenya, China, and the broader narrative around China's "debt-trap diplomacy." They explore how the agreement challenges old assumptions, what it says about the future of RMB internationalization, and whether other countries — like Indonesia — could follow suit.
 
Chapters:
 00:00 – Introduction
 02:45 – How the Kenya–China debt swap works
 09:30 – Why this deal matters for China's RMB ambitions
 15:10 – The myth of the "debt trap" revisited
 25:40 – Lessons for other Global South economies
 34:00 – Cameroon's shifting trade ties with China and France
 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Kenya's China Debt Deal Challenges Old Narratives

More than six months after 50,000 liters of toxic water from a Chinese-run mining site spilled into Zambia's Kafue River, there's still no resolution to what's become a massive environmental crisis. 
 
The government is siding with the company, Sino-Metals, while local farmers and activists remain unsatisfied with the response and have launched multiple lawsuits, including one seeking $80 billion in damages (more than twice the entire size of the Zambian economy).
 
That's sparked outrage on Chinese social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo, where commentators are fuming over what they perceive as blatant extortion of a Chinese company.
 
Eric, Cobus, and Géraud are joined this week by CGSP's Critical Minerals Editor, Obert Bore, to discuss the latest in the Kafue River situation and why Chinese social media is reacting so angrily.
 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud | @stadenesque
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Chinese Online Outrage Over $80 Billion Zambia River Suit

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 a time when the U.S.-led system is collapsing.
 
Brian Wong, an assistant professor at Hong Kong University and a leading scholar on Chinese global governance, joins Eric to discuss what Beijing is hoping to accomplish with the GGI and its other governance initiatives.
 
SHOW NOTES:
 
 • 

Routledge: Moral Debt: Defending a New Account of Reparative Justice by Brian Wong
 • 
 • 

Hong Kong University Press: Towards a Future for BRICS+ edited by Heiwai Tang and Brian Wong
 • 
 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

China's Play for Global Governance Leadership

China-Africa trade in the first eight months of the year increased by 15% to more than $220 billion, on track to break another annual record. A significant portion of that growth, however, stemmed from a surge in Chinese exports to African countries, exacerbating an already substantial $60 billion African trade deficit with China.
 
South Africa, by far, is China's most important trade partner on the continent, and it is attempting to close that gap by increasing its exports of agricultural products to China. The problem, however, is that it will take a lot more than selling fruits and vegetables to narrow the country's gaping trade deficit. In the meantime, local producers are facing growing pricing pressure from the surge of low-cost Chinese imports.
 
Eric & Cobus discuss the difficult position that many African countries are facing in this new, more competitive trade landscape.
 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Africa Buys More From China Than Ever. That's a Problem.

Africa was especially hard hit by Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, which ended years of duty-free access to the U.S. and triggered a rush to find new markets. China's announcement that it will remove all tariffs on African imports undoubtedly provides some relief, but it shouldn't be the only answer, say experts. 
 
India, Southeast Asia, and Japan all offer tremendous opportunities for African exporters, if they know how to break into these markets.
 
Géraud traveled from Mauritius to Singapore to join a conversation at the Centre for African Studies at Nanyang Technological University, where he was joined by the center's director Amit Jain and Veda Vaidyanathan, a fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress in New Delhi, for a lively conversation on the future of Africa-Asia relations beyond China.
 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @christiangeraud
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Africa-Asia Relations Beyond China

China is steadily expanding its security presence in Africa through deeper military ties, weapons sales, and multinational deployments as UN Peacekeepers. In fact, China is now the largest arms supplier to Sub-Saharan Africa, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
 
There are also mounting concerns over the protection of Chinese personnel on the continent who have been regular targets of kidnapping and ransom by bandits in the DRC, Nigeria, and South Africa, among other countries.
 
Lungani Hlongwa, editor of the China-Africa Security Radar on Substack, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why African militaries are increasingly turning to China and away from traditional partners in the U.S. and Europe.
 
SHOW NOTES:
 
 • Subscribe to The China-Africa Security Radar: 
https://cafradar.substack.com/ Politico: • 
 Pentagon plan prioritizes homeland over China threat • by Paul McLeary and Daniel Lippman
 The China-Global South Project: • 
 Q&A: China's 'Feeling the Stones' Approach to African Security Takes Shape 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @agmutambo
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
 
JOIN US ON PATREON!
 Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Chinese Online Outrage Over $80 Billion Zambia River Suit

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