Advertise on podcast: The China in Africa Podcast

China is the indispensable actor in Africa's tech ecosystem. From Huawei's telecom infrastructure to Transsion's dominant smartphone brands and Hikvision's surveillance systems, Chinese technologies are now deeply embedded across the continent, often holding leading market share in their sectors. While the prominent role of Chinese technology has delivered significant benefits to African governments and consumers, it's also raised serious concerns among activists and policymakers around data privacy, the expansion of surveillance capabilities, and well-documented misuse by authoritarian-leaning governments. Bulelani Jili, an assistant professor at Georgetown University and a leading scholar on China–Africa technology engagement, joins Eric and Cobus to discuss his latest research exploring the tension between how Chinese technology can drive meaningful empowerment and create potentially dangerous dependencies. Show Notes:  African Affairs: Pedagogies of Digital Sovereignty: The Un/Making Of Dependency Through Technical Education in Kenya by Bulelani Jili 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 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

The U.S. lags far behind China in the race for critical minerals, electric mobility, power generation, and new energy technologies, among others, but, in the view of many in Washington, D.C., there's still time to catch up. Eric spent a week in the U.S. Capitol talking with key stakeholders in government, academia, and think tanks, to hear firsthand why there's widespread concern about China's lead in these areas, but no sense of panic. Cobus and Géraud join Eric to discuss whether it may actually be too late for the United States to catch up to China in certain sectors and why African countries, in particular, are focusing less attention on ties with Washington as they look to other partners for their economic and development needs. 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 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

A three-year investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Congolese NGO Premi Congo uncovered severe health consequences for communities living near the Tenke Fungurume Mine (TFM) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the world's largest copper-cobalt mine.  Residents report nosebleeds, coughing up blood, and a troubling rise in stillbirths, all linked to high levels of sulfur dioxide emitted by a processing plant at TFM operated by Chinese mining giant CMOC Group. Luke Allen, a senior African program campaigner and one of the authors of the report, joins Eric & Géraud to discuss how the investigation also exposed major problems in corporate certifications that are supposed to call out this kind of environmental harm, but instead gave cover to the very companies causing it. 📌 Topics Covered in this Episode: The 3-year EIA investigation into the TFM mine Health impacts on communities near the mine CMOC's denial and response Failures in corporate certification China's mining footprint in the DRC The human cost of the green energy supply chain Show Notes: Environmental Investigation Agency: Toxic Transition - How the world's largest cobalt producer has allegedly poisoned communities for years: https://tinyurl.com/3k72k7fe 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 and 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

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng was in Kenya this week, where he oversaw the first shipment of agricultural products that will enter the Chinese market duty-free. There's a lot of excitement across the continent about China's removal of all import tariffs for goods from 53 African countries. But Yan Liang, an economics professor at Willamette University, argues it's not going to make much of a difference to reduce the swelling trade deficit that most African countries now have with China. Yan joins Eric to discuss a recent paper she wrote that explores China's evolving economic relationship with Africa and how the continent's lack of industrial capacity, among other factors, will keep the trade relationship between these two regions largely intact. 📌 Topics Covered in this Episode China's changing financial role in Africa New lending and investment patterns Rising debt repayments and pressures Growth of RMB financing in Africa Trade imbalances and structural challenges What China's economy means for Africa Show Notes: International Development Economics Associates: China's Evolving Role in Africa: Banker, Debt Collector and Rescuer by Yan Liang: https://tinyurl.com/mrybak59 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 and 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

While the Trump administration has taken a hard line toward Africa through aid cuts, travel bans, and pressure on governments like South Africa, it has also generated more investor excitement in Washington than we've seen in years. Donald Trump's new transactional foreign policy for the continent is prompting newfound enthusiasm from U.S. mining, oil, and security companies. But translating that enthusiasm into actual engagement won't be easy. The majority of U.S. companies taking the first steps into the continent's critical minerals sector, for example, are small, inexperienced, and lag far behind their Chinese competitors. Maureen Farrell, a non-resident senior fellow at The Atlantic Council, is in the midst of co-writing a six-part series of recommendations for U.S. policymakers to bolster U.S. security and economic engagement in Africa. Maureen joins Eric & Géraud to explain why Guinea, Libya, and Mozambique are of particular interest. 📌 Topics Covered in this Episode U.S.-China competition in Africa Critical minerals and supply chains Guinea mining opportunities Libya geopolitics and energy Mozambique LNG and security risks Challenges facing US companies Show Notes: The Atlantic Council: In Guinea, the US has a rare opportunity to gain an edge over China by Rose Keravuori and Maureen Farrell The Atlantic Council: The US is reengaging with Libya—and it's the right call by Rose Keravuori and Maureen Farrell The Atlantic Council: In Mozambique, US economic priorities hinge on security investments by Rose Keravuori and Maureen Farrell 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 and 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

For decades, the United States was the dominant provider of aid and humanitarian assistance to African countries. That changed last year with the closure of USAID. Washington now says it wants to prioritize trade over aid and is pursuing a more transactional approach to development assistance, linking support to mining access and data-sharing agreements. China, by contrast, has never been a major aid provider by traditional standards. Beijing argues that its support for African countries comes primarily through concessional financing and infrastructure development. Like the United States, China is frequently accused of using assistance as a tool to advance broader geopolitical interests. Obert Hodzi, a senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool and a leading China–Africa scholar, and Santino Regilme, a lecturer at Leiden University, recently published a new book comparing U.S. and Chinese aid strategies in Africa. They join Eric and Cobus to discuss why the two approaches may appear similar at first glance but remain fundamentally different. 📌 Topics Covered in this Episode • African countries push back on new U.S. aid deals • Washington's shift from aid to trade and strategic partnerships • China's infrastructure-focused development model • Aid as a tool of geopolitical competition • Growing African agency in negotiating foreign assistance • Key differences between U.S. and Chinese aid strategies Show Notes: Italian Journal of International Affairs: Comparing US and Chinese Foreign Aid in the Era of Rising Powers by Obert Hodzi and Santino Regilme: https://tinyurl.com/bdzm34rs 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 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 .

The U.S., Japan, and other G7 countries are scrambling to secure critical minerals to end their reliance on Chinese-controlled supply chains. Every week, there's news of another mining deal for cobalt, lithium, and other resources essential to powering 21st century technology. But the race to control critical resources may already be over. Decades before countries in the Global West recognized the importance of these minerals and metals, China quietly built out a vast network of mining and refining operations. Nicholas Niarchos, author of the new bestselling book "The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth," joins Eric & Géraud to discuss the history of the battery metal competition and why China's early moves in this space may have given it an insurmountable lead. 📌 Topics Covered in this Episode: Why everyone sees the critical minerals supply chain differently and who's missing the full picture The making of "The Elements of Power" — one journalist's journey from Greece to Congo Artisanal mining, child labor, and the political ecosystem keeping it alive How China built its Congo mining empire over 30 years while the West looked away The Sicomines "Deal of the Century" and what it revealed about Chinese strategy Small Chinese traders, violence, and the uneasy coexistence on Congo's mining frontier Indonesia, Western Sahara and the global pattern of extractive exploitation Why the US critical minerals push may already be too little too late Show Notes: Purchase a copy of The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth: https://a.co/d/0g8xV4n8 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 and 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

For more than a decade, the dominant Western narrative about Chinese lending to African countries has focused on the purported "debt trap." But the data tells a very different story. David McNair, executive director of Global Policy at ONE.org, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss a new report on African debt that challenges many popular assumptions. While African countries owe $708 billion in total external debt, only about 11.5% is owed to China. Meanwhile, private bondholders hold the largest share, often at significantly higher interest rates. More importantly, China has shifted from being a major lender to becoming a major debt collector, as loans from the Belt and Road that surged a decade ago now come due.  📌 Topics Covered in this Episode: The scale of Africa's $708 billion external debt and China's 11.5% share The $52 billion "Great Reversal" — from Chinese lending to debt collection Why private bondholders now dominate Africa's debt landscape Interest rate comparisons: Chinese loans vs. Eurobonds The rise of multilateral development banks and expanded lending headroom The failures and design flaws of the G20 Common Framework 7. Credit rating agencies, risk perception, and Africa's borrowing costs Show Notes: Development Finance Observatory: The Great Reversal ONE Data: African Debt Bloomberg: China's Retreat From Africa Lending Turns It Into Debt Collector by Matthew Hill Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @standenesque 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 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

Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings is now a massive Chinese technology company that few people outside of Africa and certain parts of Asia have heard of. Even in China, the brand, now the world's 5th-largest mobile phone producer, remains largely unknown. Transsion gained notoriety after it entered the African market in 2006. Back then, the world's largest phone brands all but ignored African consumers, selling low-end, late-model devices designed primarily for Western and Asian consumers. The Chinese company saw an opportunity and tweaked the software on its phones to optimize photos for darker skin tones, and added a suite of features like dual SIM cards, dustproofing, and longer battery life to sell sub-$100 phones to Africa's booming youth market. That formula worked, and the company's three brands, Tecno, Infinix, and iTel, have dominated the market for more than a decade. But little is known about how Transsion achieved its success in Africa. Lu Miao, an assistant professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, joins Eric & Cobus to lay out the company's strategy and why it was so effective in a market that others largely ignored. Purchase the book: The Transsion Approach: Translating Chinese Mobile Technology in Africa by Lu Miao: https://a.co/d/04AKaajZ 📌 Topics covered in this episode: • Why rural-first strategy beat Silicon Valley-style scaling • How African distributors helped shape product design and marketing • The importance of dual SIM cards, long battery life, and localized features • The role of Carlcare repair centers in building long-term loyalty • The shift from feature phones to smartphones and rising competition • Growing patent lawsuits and the next phase of AI-driven competition 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 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

Donald Trump has never thought very highly of Africa, famously referring to the continent as a place of "sh**hole countries." While there's no indication that sentiment has changed, he's recognized that African resources are essential if he wants the U.S. to decouple from Chinese dominanted critical mineral supply chains. In February, the administration unveiled an ambitious new critical minerals sourcing initiative in which African countries, in particular, play an outsized role. But the Chinese have a 20+ year head start sourcing and refining these minerals and metals, so displacing them is not going to be easy. For some perspective on this burgeoning U.S.-China rivalry, Eric & Géraud are joined by two of the top editors at the online news site Semafor. Yinka Adegoke is Semafor's Africa Editor, and Andy Browne is the outlet's Managing Editor, who will oversee Semafor's new China newsletter. 📌 Topics covered in this episode: The intensifying U.S.-China rivalry across Africa China's expanding role in Congolese cobalt and critical minerals Xi Jinping's duty-free access offer to 53 African countries Mining versus refining and why processing capacity is the real bottleneck U.S. efforts to counter China through critical minerals partnerships Trade imbalances and the limits of African industrialization Debates in Washington over corruption and China's business practices Governance in the DRC and the deeper roots of regional instability Sign up for Semaphor's Africa and China newsletters: Semafor Africa: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/africa Semafor China: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/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 and 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 is rapidly expanding its military engagement with African countries through a combination of joint exercises, growing arms sales, officer training programs, and deeper security cooperation under its Global Security Initiative. This widening footprint is generating unease in the United States, where policymakers and analysts are particularly worried about unsubstantiated claims that the PLA is seeking to build a base somewhere along Africa's Atlantic coast. Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, and Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah, a post-doctoral fellow at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, join Eric & Géraud to explain why Chinese security outreach is getting so much traction across Africa. 📌 Topics covered in this episode: The scope of PLA military engagement across Africa Debates in Washington over Chinese bases and port access How the Djibouti model shapes fears of future expansion China's Global Security Initiative and what it really means Policing cooperation, surveillance, and domestic security ties The surge in Chinese arms sales, drones, and equipment China's growing security footprint in the Sahel Critical minerals and the security dimension of China-Africa relations What US lawmakers are asking about China's role in the DRC and regional stability 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 and 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

The United States wants to build a new global critical minerals supply chain through a new alliance that aims to stabilize prices and reduce dependence on China.  Africa sits at the center of this shift, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where geopolitics is increasingly shaping mining deals and partnerships. CGSP Africa Editor Géraud Neema joins Eric & Cobus to break down the U.S. proposal and why China's dominance in refining and processing remains a major constraint, raising doubts about whether a minerals strategy focused mainly on extraction can succeed. 📌 Topics covered in this episode: Washington's push to build a China-free critical minerals alliance JD Vance's proposal for price floors and a minerals trading bloc What US stockpiling plans mean for global supply chains How Africa fits into the US critical minerals strategy and security goals The DRC's pivot toward Washington and the impact on Chinese miners Why refining and processing remain China's biggest advantage The risk of a fragmented global minerals market and hardened blocs What a new critical minerals cold war means for the Global South 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 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

The collapse of the post-war international system now underway will have a disproportionate impact on African countries that rely heavily on multilateral bodies like the UN. Beyond a pull-back of aid and humanitarian assistance, African countries must also contend with an increasingly hostile United States. Dozens of African countries have been targeted by the Trump administration for visa restrictions, trade sanctions, and regularly denigrated by the president himself. At the same time, U.S. diplomats across the continent were ordered by the State Department in January to remind African governments to express more gratitude to the U.S. for its "generosity." Judd Devermont, the former top Africa strategist at the White House during the Biden administration and now an operating partner at Kupanda Capital in Washington, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss the future of U.S.-Africa relations and China's expanding presence on the continent. 📌 Topics covered in this episode: China's sharp drop in Africa lending and what it signals Why big Chinese infrastructure projects are fading U.S. Africa relations after USAID and PEPFAR cuts The leaked State Department email and Africa as a "peripheral" priority America's collapsing credibility in Africa and beyond Why China is seen as an opportunity, not an ally Critical minerals and the limits of extractive diplomacy What the shifting U.S.-China-Africa balance means next Show Notes: Post Strategy: On China by Judd Devermont The Guardian: Head of US Africa bureau urges staff to highlight US 'generosity' despite aid cuts by Aisha Down China Power Project: US-China-Africa Relations: A View from Africa by Lina Benabdallah 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 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

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week will likely be remembered as one of the most significant orations of the early 21st century. Carney channeled the fear and frustration of many global leaders when he defiantly declared that the U.S.-led international order is over. The "rupture" that Carney referenced in his address has profound consequences for China as it moves to reshape a part of this new international order to better align with its interests. Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a senior research scholar at Columbia University, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why this is such a pivotal time for China as it moves to become a peer power of the United States, at least economically, without triggering the so-called "Thuycides Trap" that dictates this kind of rivalry often leads to war. Show Notes: Foreign Affairs: China's Long Economic War — How Beijing Builds Leverage for Indefinite Competition by Zongyuan Zoe Liu 📌 Topics covered in this episode: Mark Carney's Davos speech and the declaration of a global rupture The collapse of the rules-based international order What a post-American world looks like for middle powers Economic coercion and the weaponization of supply chains Where China fits in the new global order China's long economic war and leverage strategy The Global South's trust gap with China Why the debt trap narrative persists despite evidence China as an opportunity rather than ally in emerging markets The rapid erosion of U.S. global credibility 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 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

While global attention was fixed on the fallout from U.S. intervention in Venezuela and rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi quietly toured three African countries in a notably low-profile visit. Eric, Cobus, and Géraud unpack why this understated trip mattered despite attracting little media attention, and examine its timing alongside a controversial BRICS naval exercise held off the coast of South Africa. 📌 Topics covered in this episode: Why Africa remains China's first diplomatic stop of the year Wang Yi's low-key tour: Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Lesotho Somalia–Somaliland tensions and China's security calculus Ethiopia diplomacy, development messaging, and AU signaling Tanzania's political reassurance and legacy infrastructure ties Lesotho market access, tariffs, and geopolitical symbolism BRICS naval drills off South Africa and U.S. backlash (AGOA/G20) China's zero-tariff push vs. Africa's limited export gains Bandung 1955: why Asia–Africa solidarity faded, and what could revive it Indonesia parallels: Chinese-built infrastructure and nickel-sector controversies Public opinion shifts: pragmatic views on China and declining U.S. appeal 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 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