Épisodes

  • A Conversation With Wu Peng, China's Top Diplomat For Africa

    A Conversation With Wu Peng, China's Top Diplomat For Africa
    Sep 3 2021

    This week Eric & Cobus sit down with Wu Peng, the director-general of the department of African affairs in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for his perspective on a wide range of issues that are impacting relations between the two regions.

    The conversation also features questions from a trio of experts in China-Africa relations including:

    • Gyude Moore, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development (@gyude_moore)
    • Zainab Usman, director of the Africa program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (@MissZeeUsman)
    • Aggrey Mutambo, senior diplomatic affairs writer for the Daily Nation and The East African newspaper (@agmutambo)


    JOIN THE DISCUSSION:

    CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject

    Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @wupeng_mfachina

    SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHINA AFRICA PROJECT

    Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:

    1. The world's only curated China-Africa News Feed with thousands of articles archive

    2. Exclusive analysis of the day's top stories about China in Africa and the Global South

    3. A copy of the popular China-Africa Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox by 6am Washington time M-F

    Try it free for 30-days and see if you like it. Subscriptions start at just $7 a month for students and teachers and $15 a month for everyone else. Subscribe here: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 7 min
  • Weaponizing China's Belt and Road Initiative

    Weaponizing China's Belt and Road Initiative
    Nov 6 2020

    Since its inception in 2013, Chinese government officials have insisted that the Belt and Road is solely an economic initiative and does not have any military motivations. But the BRI's civil-military distinction is no longer as clear cut as it used to be. President Xi Jinping himself called for a strong BRI security system to protect China's overseas interests, people and property.

    One little-known aspect of the BRI is that much of the overseas construction, particularly ports, must conform to standards that conform to the People's Liberation Army's requirements. So, while today there's little evidence that China is leveraging the BRI for security or military purposes, there are concerns that it is positioning to be able to do so in the future should the need arise.

    Daniel Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the New York-based Asia Society Policy Institute, examined the security dimensions of the BRI in a recent paper. Daniel joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what he calls the Belt and Road's "civil-military fusion" in maritime, terrestrial and space environments.

    JOIN THE DISCUSSION:

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject

    Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @dannyrrussel

    Watch a discussion with the authors of ASPI's report Weaponizing the Belt and Road Initiative: https://youtu.be/PX5PnnnYrFw

    SUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER FOR JUST $3 FOR 3 MONTHS.

    Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following:

    1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news.

    2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network

    3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.com

    Try it out for just $3 for 3 months: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    58 min
  • China's Role in Africa's Industrialization: Obstacle, Partner, or Both?

    China's Role in Africa's Industrialization: Obstacle, Partner, or Both?
    Dec 12 2025

    Africa's industrialization push is colliding with the defining economic question of this era: how can any country or region climb the manufacturing value chain so long as China dominates industrial production of pretty much, well, everything?

    But even if overcoming the China question is possible, African leaders then face a second, more daunting obstacle: infrastructure. The lack of reliable power, water, roads, and other infrastructure necessary to support industrialization is severe in many parts of the continent.

    A new book by Professor Carlos Oya, a preeminent China-Africa scholar at the University of London, details China's complex role in Africa's pursuit of industrialization. Eric & Cobus speak with Carlos about how China is simultaneously a big challenge and an important part of the solution.

    Topics covered

    • Why industrialization is back at the center of African economic strategy
    • The infrastructure constraint: electricity costs, reliability, and targeted hubs
    • Ethiopia's experience: what worked, what didn't, and why it mattered
    • China's evolving role: from policy-bank infrastructure to private manufacturing plays
    • The evidence on "Chinese labor" myths and what research actually shows

    Download the book (free):

    • Cambridge University Press: China for Africa's Industrialization? by Carlos Oya

    Join the Discussion:

    X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud

    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

    Join us 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
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 6 min
  • Why the U.S.-DRC Mining Deal is Bad News For China

    Why the U.S.-DRC Mining Deal is Bad News For China
    Dec 6 2025

    The U.S. and the DR Congo signed a landmark deal on critical minerals during President Félix Tshisekedi's visit to the White House this week. The pact provides the U.S. with extraordinary access to the Congolese mining sector and is widely expected to inhibit Chinese mining companies in the DRC from expanding their operations.

    CGSP Africa Editor Géraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus to break down the details of the deal and explain why what happened in the DRC could set a dangerous precedent for Chinese mining operations in other African countries.

    JOIN THE DISCUSSION:

    X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @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
    Voir plus Voir moins
    59 min
  • China at COP30 and the New Politics of Climate Change

    China at COP30 and the New Politics of Climate Change
    Nov 27 2025

    With the U.S. absent from two major international summits this month, the G20 in South Africa and the COP30 in Brazil, we got an early look at what the post-American order is starting to look like. In both instances, China moved to fill the void left by the U.S., taking on a much more prominent role.

    Anika Patel, China analyst at the non-profit climate news site Carbon Brief, reported extensively from COP30 and noted a key difference in Beijing's messaging at the different summits in Johannesburg and Belém. In South Africa, Chinese Premier Li Qiang sought to position Beijing as an emergent global norm-setter, whereas in Brazil, the Chinese delegation explicitly rejected a leadership role.

    Anika joins Eric & Cobus to discuss China's complicated position at the COP30 summit and why, even though it's the world's leader in climate energy and technology, the country explicitly doesn't want the designation "climate leader."

    📌 Key topics in this episode:

    • China's unusually prominent role at COP30 as the U.S. stayed away
    • Why China rejects the "climate leader" label despite its influence
    • How consensus politics shaped COP30 outcomes on finance, fossil fuels, and just transition
    • Climate finance tensions and China's insistence on developing-country status
    • Battles over CBAM, EV tariffs, rare earths, and other unilateral trade measures
    • How developing countries weigh cheap Chinese green tech against local industry goals
    • Why China's carbon market, energy transition, and pavilion drew huge interest at COP30

    SHOW NOTES:

    • Carbon Brief: COP30: Key outcomes for food, forests, land and nature at the UN climate talks in Belém
    • Carbon Brief: COP30: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Belém

    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 & 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
    Voir plus Voir moins
    49 min
  • How China Uses Parliamentary Buildings to Build Influence in Africa

    How China Uses Parliamentary Buildings to Build Influence in Africa
    Nov 25 2025

    China has funded, designed, and built more than 200 government buildings across Africa, including the headquarters of the African Union and Ecowas, foreign ministry annexes in Ghana and Kenya, and at least 15 national parliaments.

    Eric and Cobus speak with Innocent Batsani-Ncube, an associate professor of African politics at Queen Mary University of London and author of the new book China and African Parliaments.

    Drawing on extensive fieldwork in Lesotho, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, Batsani-Ncube explains how China's parliamentary construction boom works, why African governments welcome it, and what he calls "subtle power"—a form of elite-level influence that sits between soft and sharp power.

    📌 Key topics in this episode:

    • Why China builds African parliamentary buildings — and why African governments accept them
    • "Subtle power" vs. soft power vs. sharp power
    • The politics behind construction, design, and land selection
    • How these buildings shape legislative capacity and political identity
    • Case studies: Lesotho, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Congo-Brazzaville
    • Does this compromise sovereignty? Or strengthen parliaments?
    • Are these buildings really vectors for Chinese espionage?

    📘 Purchase China and African Parliaments by Innocent Batsani-Ncube on Amazon

    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
    Voir plus Voir moins
    42 min
  • Chinese Nationals' Role in Africa's Illicit Weapons, Mining, and Money Flows

    Chinese Nationals' Role in Africa's Illicit Weapons, Mining, and Money Flows
    Nov 21 2025
    There's mounting evidence from the United Nations and others that Chinese organized crime syndicates are moving more of their operations from countries in Southeast Asia to Africa. These groups are contributing to a surge in illicit crypto mining, scam centers, illegal wildlife trafficking, and black market weapons sales. African countries with already weak governance systems are particularly vulnerable. Géraud speaks with Adam Rousselle, a researcher and author who tracks the illicit arms trade, about his recent article on the topic published by the Jamestown Foundation. Adam explains how all of the different Chinese illegal trade networks in Africa are interlinked with one another. SHOW NOTES: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast AsiaJamestown Foundation: Illicit PRC-linked Finance Enables Arms Diversion in Africa by Adam Rouselle CHAPTERS: The Illicit Underworld – How illegal mining, logging, and weapons flows shape China–Africa debatesIndividuals vs the State – Why Chinese nationals abroad are often mistaken for Beijing's agentsSouth Kivu Gold Trail – What the recent court case reveals about Chinese smuggling networksGovernance Gaps – How weak enforcement and political protection fuel illicit economiesCryptocurrency Networks – The rise of Chinese-linked crypto operations in Nigeria and beyondWeapons on the Move – Why Chinese-made guns keep appearing in Africa's conflict zonesThe UAE Hub – How Dubai became the transit point for arms and illicit financeThe Leaky Bucket – Why illicit flows don't imply coordination or state intentLocal Complicity – The real role of African politicians, militaries, and brokersReputational Risks for Beijing – Embassy frustrations and the cost of unmanaged actorsMedia Distortions – How U.S. and European narratives simplify complex realities 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 | @AfrikChineSpanish: 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
    Voir plus Voir moins
    55 min
  • Is China's "Engineering State" the New Development Model for the Global South?

    Is China's "Engineering State" the New Development Model for the Global South?
    Nov 14 2025
    China's rapid ascent from rural poverty to industrial superpower reshaped the global economy and established a new center of gravity for manufacturing. Today, Chinese factories anchor much of the world's supply chains, producing goods at a speed and scale that few countries can match. Behind this transformation is a system that author Dan Wang describes in his new book "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future" as the "engineering state," a model defined by massive investments in infrastructure, strategic planning, and so-called "process knowledge" gleaned from the country's rapid industrial development. Now, more and more, the Chinese government touts this development model as an example for other countries in the Global South to emulate. Dan joins Eric to discuss whether the so-called "engineering state" is replicable elsewhere or if it's a uniquely Chinese phenomenon. CHAPTERS: • Setting the Stage – China's rise from rural poverty to industrial superpower • The Engineering State – How China builds, plans, and organizes at a massive scale • Roots of the Model – East Asian development traditions and Soviet legacies • Infrastructure as Strategy – High-speed rail, bridges, airports, and the costs behind them • Industrial Capacity – Manufacturing clusters, supply chains, and process knowledge • The Speed Advantage – Why Chinese firms move faster than global competitors • Tech Transfer Debates – Joint ventures, old IP, and myths about forced transfers • Subsidies and Support – What Chinese industrial subsidies do—and what they don't • Exporting the Model – Limits of replication in Africa, Asia, and the Global South • The China Price – How scale, logistics, and workforce learning lock in dominance • Internal Tensions – Debt, underused infrastructure, and diminishing returns • Shifting Priorities – Xi's push away from consumer tech and toward strategic industries • Global Backlash – Overcapacity, trade pushback, and rising protectionism • Future Crossroads – Why China's development engine is losing momentum • Lessons for the Global South – What countries can adapt—and what they must avoid 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 | @AfrikChineSpanish: 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
    Voir plus Voir moins
    41 min