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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

Kenya's crackdown on foreigners operating small businesses has put Chinese traders at the center of a wider debate over competition, immigration, and economic opportunity. President William Ruto's targeting of foreign merchants has raised concerns about xenophobia while exposing deeper frustrations over how Chinese businesses operate in Kenya's informal economy.
 
China's role in Africa is also expanding beyond trade. Xi Jinping's visit to Egypt highlighted Beijing's push for a greater role in Middle East and African security, while Chinese drones, weapons, and military training are gaining ground across the continent. At the same time, China's engagement is being framed through competing narratives of influence and "empire."
 
This week, we have a Roundtable episode where we look at China's evolving role in Africa, including Kenya's crackdown, China-Egypt relations, and the growth of Chinese arms sales.
 

 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode:
 
 • Kenya's crackdown on foreign small businesses
 • Chinese traders and concerns over unfair competition
 • Xi Jinping's Egypt visit and China's push for a greater security role
 • The Global Civilization Initiative and China's engagement with the Global South
 • Chinese drones and arms sales across Africa
 • African countries diversifying their military partnerships for greater strategic autonomy
 • Challenging narratives about Chinese influence, debt, and African agency
 
Join the Discussion:
 
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @cgneema 
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
Follow CGSP in French and Spanish: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas

Kenyan President Orders Crackdown on Foreigners in Small Businesses, Including Chinese

China's influence in Africa's media landscape increasingly operates through content-sharing agreements, journalist training, paid placements, and support for local broadcasters. These "below-the-line" strategies give Chinese narratives a pathway into African newsrooms that extends well beyond the reach of traditional state outlets such as CGTN and Xinhua.
 
But the push for greater Chinese influence raises a deeper question about decolonization. While Beijing presents its media engagement as an alternative to Western dominance, African journalists can be exposed to models of reporting that do not necessarily fit local political and social realities. At the same time, the shift toward social media makes the actual impact of these efforts increasingly difficult to measure.
 
Emeka Umejei, a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg, joins Eric and Cobus to discuss the arguments from his book China in African Media: Between Influence Operations and Decolonization, content-sharing agreements, journalist training, and the future of African media independence.
 
 Show Notes

 
 China in African Media: Between Influence Operations and Decolonization • by Emeka Umejei
 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
 
 • China's evolving media influence across Africa
 • The rise of content-sharing agreements with African news outlets
 • Journalist training, media exchanges, and the spread of Chinese reporting models
 • The tension between China's "decolonization" narrative and African media independence
 • How Chinese economic engagement strengthens its media influence
 • The shift toward social media and the uncertain impact of foreign media campaigns on African audiences
 
Join the Discussion:
 
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @stadenesque I @emekaumejei
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 
YouTube: chinaglobalsouth 
 
Now on Bluesky!
 
Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
Follow CGSP in French and Spanish:
 
French: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
 
Spanish: www.chinalasamericas.com | @ChinaAmericas

Is China Decolonizing African Media or Expanding Its Influence?

China-Africa trade is surging and could top $400 billion this year, but the headline figure obscures a relationship that remains heavily concentrated among a small number of countries and increasingly tilted toward Chinese exports.
 
Much of what Africa sells to China is still made up of commodities and raw materials, while Chinese exports increasingly include machinery, chemicals, components, and other intermediate goods that can support local manufacturing and industrial development.
 
The bigger question is whether African countries should focus less on trying to eliminate trade deficits with China and more on using cheaper Chinese inputs, improving their domestic business environments, and expanding intra-African trade to build stronger and more competitive economies.
 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode:
 🇨🇳 China-Africa trade heading toward record highs
 ⚖️ Understanding Africa's widening trade deficit with China
 🏭 How Chinese intermediate goods can support African industrialization
 📦 Why African exports to China remain dominated by raw materials
 🌍 Using intra-African trade to strengthen African economies
 💰 Whether China's zero-tariff policy can really change the trade relationship
 

 
Join the Discussion:
 
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @cgneema 
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
Follow CGSP in French and Spanish: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas

Africa Buys From China. What Can It Sell Back?

Quite often, foreign leaders travel to China without a clear strategy for turning high-level diplomacy into tangible economic gains. This was on display earlier this year when U.S. President Donald Trump's much-hyped summit yielded few actionable outcomes.
 
Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah took a different approach during her visit to Beijing in July. She arrived with specific priorities, a clear understanding of Namibia's leverage, and a strong focus on investment, value addition, and job creation.
 
Ovigwe Eguegu and Huiyi Chen, policy analysts at the international development consultancy Development Reimagined, argued in a column published in The Diplomat that Nandi-Ndaitwah's approach offers important lessons for other leaders, particularly in Africa, on how to turn high-level visits to China into meaningful outcomes.
 
They join Eric and Geraud to discuss those lessons and what other African governments can learn from Namibia's approach.
 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode:
 
🇳🇦 Namibia's strategy for engaging China
 🇨🇳 Turning high-level diplomacy into tangible outcomes
 💰 Attracting Chinese investment and financing
 🏭 Promoting value addition and industrialization
 💼 Creating jobs through strategic partnerships
 ♟️ Understanding and leveraging Africa's bargaining power
 🌍 Lessons for other African leaders engaging Beijing
 
Show Notes:
 
 The Diplomat: • 
 As the World Courts Beijing, Namibia Shows How Africa Can Sharpen Its China Strategy • by Ovigwe Eguegu and Huiyi Chen
 The China-Global South Project: • 
 Tshisekedi's Trip to China Was a Total Waste of Time and It's His Fault • by Eric Olander
 South China Morning Post: • 
 Why Kenyan President Ruto's visit is a 'symbolic' win for China as US tariffs rock world • by Jevans Nyabiage
 
Join the Discussion:
 
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
Follow CGSP in French and Spanish: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas

Why Namibia's China Strategy Is Worth Watching

China's popularity across Africa remains strong, with new Afrobarometer polling showing Beijing again outperforming the U.S. and Europe in public perception. But those favorable views are far from straightforward, shaped by perceptions of China's development success, frustration with Western powers, and Africans' own experiences with Chinese engagement.
 
Ebenezer Obadare, the Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Eric & Cobus to unpack what the polling reveals about China's enduring appeal and shifting African views of the U.S. and Europe.
 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode:
 
🇨🇳 Why China remains popular across Africa
 📊 What Afrobarometer's latest polling reveals
 🇺🇸 Changing African views of the U.S. and Europe
 🏗️ The appeal of China's development model
 🤝 How Chinese engagement shapes perceptions
 🌍 Why U.S.-China rivalry isn't zero-sum in Africa
 
Show Notes:
 
 Afrobarometer • : 
 African insights 2026: Beyond borders: Citizen perspectives on a shifting global order The Africa Report: • 
 Poll: US lags behind China in African hearts and • minds by Julian Pecquet
 Foreign Affairs: • 
 How China Is Winning Friends and Influencing People • by Eric Olander and Lizzi Lee
 
Join the Discussion:
 
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
Follow CGSP in French and Spanish: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas

China Is More Popular Than the U.S. in Africa. Here's Why

Young Africans increasingly see China as an important partner, but their support comes with clear expectations about what that relationship should deliver, according to findings from the recently published 2026 African Youth Survey.
 
China's infrastructure, investment, and visible economic presence have strengthened its standing, but young Africans increasingly expect that engagement to translate into high-value jobs, industrialization, skills, and greater benefits from the continent's resources.
 
Ivor Ichikowitz, chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, joins Eric and Cobus to unpack the latest African Youth Survey and what it reveals about a more assertive generation that values China's engagement while insisting that the relationship evolve on Africa's terms.
 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
 
 • 🇨🇳 Why China resonates with African youth
 • 🌍 Pragmatism over geopolitical loyalty
 • 💼 Demand for better jobs and industrialization
 • ⛏️ Keeping more value from Africa's resources
 • 🗳️ Frustration with governance and political systems
 • ✊🏾 A more confident generation asserting African agency
 
Show Notes:
 
 The Ichikowitz Family Foundation: • 
2026 African Youth Survey South China Morning Post: • P
ractical' young Africans leaning towards China over US and away from ideology • by Jevans Nyabiage
 Bloomberg: • 
 China Bolsters its Influence Over Africa's Youth, Survey Shows • by Antony Sguazzin and Rene Vollgraaff
 
Join the Discussion:
 
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth
 
Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social
 
Follow CGSP in French and Spanish: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas

What Africa's Youth Really Want From China, the U.S. and Europe

China is moving quickly to expand its influence over global governance as the United States steps back from its traditional leadership role. Earlier this month, President Xi Jinping unveiled the World Artificial Intelligence Organization, a new Shanghai-based institution with 29 founding members, most from Asia and Africa, that Beijing hopes will help shape the global rules governing AI.
 
The new organization is the latest in a series of Chinese initiatives aimed at reshaping the international order to better reflect Beijing's priorities. Through efforts such as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and now the WAIO, China is positioning itself not just as a participant in the existing system, but as an architect of new global rules.
 
Yu Jie, a senior research fellow on China at Chatham House in London, joins Eric to discuss whether Beijing can turn its diplomatic ambitions into lasting influence and why many countries in the Global South are receptive to China's vision.
 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
 
 • China's vision for reshaping global governance
 • Why AI is central to Beijing's diplomatic strategy
 • The World Artificial Intelligence Organization (WAIO)
 • Why the Global South is embracing China's initiatives
 • Can China match its ambitions with resources?
 • How Beijing's approach differs from the West
 
Show Notes:
 
 Chatham House: • 
 China sets out its vision for a new global order – but will it commit the resources to match its ambition? • by Yu Jie
 The Diplomat: • 
 With New AI Governance Organization, China Seeks to Formalize Its Global AI Influence • by Michael Caster
 The China-Global South Project: • 
 For China, the Race for AI Supremacy Runs Through the Global South • by Eric Olander
 
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 and Spanish: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas

How China Wants to Rewrite Global Governance

There's growing optimism across Africa, Latin America, and Asia that abundant reserves of critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel can fuel a new era of economic development. Determined to avoid the "resource curse" that enriched foreign companies while leaving local populations behind, governments are increasingly moving to ban exports of raw ores and instead promote domestic processing and refining.
 
It's an appealing strategy, but far more difficult to implement than many realize.
 
Wei Shen and Anabel Marín, senior research fellows at the Institute of Development Studies in London, argue that processing alone won't transform resource-rich economies. In a new paper, they explain why lasting prosperity depends on building the knowledge, institutions, and technological capabilities needed to move up the value chain. They join Eric to discuss what it will really take for developing countries to turn critical mineral wealth into sustainable development.
 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
 
 • Why critical minerals alone won't create prosperity
 • Can resource nationalism break the resource curse?
 • Why processing isn't enough to move up the value chain
 • The role of knowledge and state capacity in development
 • What China got right in building its mineral industry
 • How developing countries can capture more value from critical minerals
 
Show Notes:
 
 WATCH: • 
Critical minerals and development: Breaking the structural impasse • with Wei Shen and Anabel Marín
 Institute of Development Studies: • 
 China's role in critical mineral mining and its impacts • by Wei Shen
 Institute of Development Studies: • 
 Living in a material world: What critical minerals mean for development • by Wei Shen and Anabel Marín
 
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 and Spanish: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas

Why Critical Minerals Alone Won't Make Countries Rich

There's good news and bad news for African countries in the latest China trade figures released this week. On the positive side, African exports to China surged in May and June, driven by strong demand for oil, metals, and agricultural products. China's new tariff-free policy for African goods is clearly beginning to make a difference.
 
The downside is that almost all of this export growth came from raw, unprocessed commodities, reinforcing Africa's position at the bottom of the industrial value chain. Today, roughly 90% of Africa's exports to China are raw materials, and the latest trade data shows that pattern remains firmly intact.
 
There are signs, however, that this could begin to change. Sanusha Naidu, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue in South Africa, joins Eric to discuss how Namibia and other African countries are pressing China to invest in local processing and manufacturing so more value is added before raw materials leave the continent.
 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
 
 • China's latest Africa trade figures
 • Winners and losers from zero tariffs
 • Beyond raw materials and mining
 • Namibia's new strategy with China
 • FOCAC 2027 priorities take shape
 • Can Africa capture more value?
 
Show Notes:
 
 South China Morning Post: • 
 China's imports from Africa surge after Beijing expands zero-tariff policy • by Mia Nurmamat
 China Ministry of Foreign Affairs: • 
 Joint Statement Between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Namibia on Building a China-Namibia Community with a Shared Future for the New Era Reuters: • 
 China's African Tariff Removals, Trade Surge Spur Yuan Adoption • by Duncan Miriri
 
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 and Spanish: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas

What's Next for China-Africa Trade?

When China removed import tariffs on goods from all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations earlier this year, many hailed the move as a breakthrough that could boost African exports and help narrow the growing trade imbalance between the two sides.
 
While tariff-free access makes it easier for African products to enter the Chinese market, experts caution that tariffs are only one piece of the puzzle. The bigger challenge, says Jing Gu, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, is ensuring that African exporters are truly prepared to compete in one of the world's most demanding markets.
 
Jing joins Eric and Géraud to explain why African governments, businesses, and trade institutions need to strengthen their understanding of the Chinese market, build closer commercial relationships, and develop the logistics, distribution networks, and market expertise needed to succeed in China.
 📌 Topics Covered in This Episode • China's Zero Tariff Initiative
 • Market Access vs. Market Readiness
 • Exporting Successfully to China
 • Building China Market Expertise
 • African Trade Policy Gaps
 • Competing in China's Market
 • Rethinking FOCAC Trade Priorities
 • The Future of China-Africa Trade
 
Show Notes:
 
 Institute of Development Studies: • 
 From market access to strategic openness: The new China–Africa business relationship • by Jing Gu
 South China Morning Post: • 
 Coffee, chilies and cashews: a new recipe to spice up China-Africa trade relations • by Jevans Nyabiage
 The China-Global South Project: • 
 China's Zero-Tariff Promise to Africa Masks a Deepening Trade Imbalance • by Thierry Pairault
 
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 and Spanish: 
 
 • French: 
www.projetafriquechine.com • | 
@AfrikChine • Spanish: 
www.chinalasamericas.com • | 
@ChinaAmericas

Africa's China Trade Challenge Isn't Market Access. It's Market Readiness.

China is no longer in the game of providing African countries with enormous loans to finance large-scale infrastructure projects. In fact, BRI financing last year for projects in Africa plunged more than 50% to just $7.5 billion.
 
But that doesn't mean Chinese companies still aren't building big things in Africa.
 
Stella Hong Zhang, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation joins Eric & Cobus to discuss her new research on the Port of Lekki in Nigeria and why this venture may hold some important clues about the future of Chinese development financing in Africa and around the world.
 
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
 
Twitter: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @stellahongzhang
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
 
FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC:
 
Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
 
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What the New Port of Lekki in Nigeria Tells Us About the Future of Chinese Infrastructure Finance in Africa

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