The China in Africa Podcast

China's presence in Africa is often debated through different lenses. Two prominent angles to examine this relationship are through finance and security. Under finance, Beijing has become the continent's biggest lender, funding roads, ports, and railways. In security discussions, China's engagement with Africa is increasing in trade and training. China is advancing the Global Security Initiative (...

Who shapes Africa's story? Zambia's media offers a rare window into how local voices frame global powers like China, the U.S., Japan, and South Africa. From debates on debt and development to questions of governance and influence, the coverage reveals both common threads and striking differences with other regions. Natsuko Imai Kanayama, a researcher at the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for...

There's a Chinese proverb that says, "If you want to get rich, build a road first." That philosophy has guided China's development strategy in Africa for much of the past 25 years, that's led to the construction of more than 100,000km of new roads across the continent. We wanted to find out, though, if it's true: does a new road actually pave the way for prosperity, as they say it does? So, we ask...

Over the past week, sharply contrasting images of Chinese engagement in Africa surfaced online. Anger erupted on social media over the release of yet another violent video that shows Congolese soldiers brutally beating local miners purportedly at the behest of Chinese nationals watching in the background. A controversial hour-long documentary by one of Zambia's leading newspapers also sparked a lo...

Chinese construction giant Sinohydro signed a $100 million deal with Angola to build out the country's agricultural infrastructure in a bid to boost grain production. While 60% of the output from this venture will be shipped to China, the rest will be sold domestically in a move aimed at reducing the West African country's food import bill. The Sinohydro news followed an even larger agriculture an...

After a two-to-three-year hiatus following the pandemic, Chinese money is once again flowing into the African energy sector. Billions of dollars in new investment and construction contracts for power facilities were registered in the first half of the year, particularly in Nigeria, according to new data published by Griffiths University in Australia and the Green Finance and Development Center in...

The "debt trap" meme claims that China is intentionally lending vast sums of money to poor developing countries in Africa, and elsewhere, with the express intent to seize physical assets in those countries when they inevitably can't repay their debts. This fanciful narrative sounds compelling, but the problem is that there's literally no evidence from the past twenty years since China became the w...

A new generation of scholars is reshaping China-Africa research. More geographically diverse and digitally fluent than the field's early pioneers of the 2000s, this cohort brings fresh perspectives and tools to the study of China's engagement on the continent. Yet deep structural barriers persist. African and Chinese researchers still face sizable obstacles in shaping research agendas, as U.S. and...

While the U.S., India, and countries in the Persian Gulf are all moving quickly to establish new critical mineral supply chains, the European Union is struggling to follow suit, particularly in Africa. The EU currently lacks a cohesive policy framework that would bolster mining companies, support partner countries, and encourage the development of a mineral processing sector that can lessen Europe...

Borrowers in Africa and other developing regions are expected to repay $35 billion of Chinese loans this year, with two-thirds of the amount coming from the world's poorest countries. Many of these debts were taken out in the mid-2010s and are now exiting their grace periods, putting enormous pressure on government budgets that were already under strain. But this isn't a problem just for borrowing...

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...

Over the past 25 years, China's military engagement with Africa has grown dramatically. In 2000, fewer than 5% of African weapons came from China. Today, Chinese-made armored vehicles are used by 70% of African militaries, and China has become the continent's largest arms supplier. Officer training programs have followed a similar trajectory. At the turn of the century, fewer than 200 African offi...

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 foreig...

For years, China has been seen as the pivotal international economic partner across Africa. That was certainly true in terms of steadily rising trade volumes and a fire hose of state backed loans that built roads, railways, and ports across the continent. But when it comes to investment, China's always been a laggard behind the United States and the former European colonial powers. Today, it's the...

U.S. foreign policy towards Africa has been totally upended since Donald Trump returned to power earlier this year. Gone are the decades-old humanitarian programs that have been replaced by a new strategy that focuses on expanding U.S. commercial ties and countering China's presence on the continent. The State Department's most senior diplomat for Africa, Troy Fitrell, the senior official in the B...

In Zambia, efforts to clean up a massive acid spill from a Chinese-owned mine have been met with skepticism, despite government assurances. Officials claim restitution is underway and rehabilitation plans are in place, but activists question the fairness of compensation and lack of independent assessments.  Meantime, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, tensions are growing between major players i...

From Panama to Kenya to Indonesia, a growing number of developing countries are being pulled into the intensifying rivalry between China and the U.S. For these middle powers, the stakes are high as they must carefully navigate the tension to avoid provoking either side and risking serious consequences. But rather than accommodating the U.S. and China, developing countries should instead pursue a d...

Chinese e-mobility technology is poised to transform large swathes of Africa's transportation ecosystem in the coming decade, but in very different ways than in other regions where EVs are the primary focus. Bicylces, scooters, tricyles, tractors, cars, minibuses, and full-sized coaches, all made in China, are becoming increasingly popular in dozens of African countries. This week, Eric & Cobus ar...

After several months of steadily improving ties, India-China relations appear to be cooling once again following the recent clashes in Kashmir. China's military support for Pakistan during the conflict earlier this month has triggered fresh concerns in New Delhi, with many now fearing that the fragile détente built over the past year is starting to unravel. Tensions further escalated in recent day...

The tiny breakaway nation of Somaliland is making a bold geopolitical wager: deepening ties with Taiwan, courting conservative power brokers in Washington, and positioning itself as a rare pro-U.S. ally in a region where China holds significant sway. But this strategy comes at a cost. By crossing Beijing's red line on Taiwan, Somaliland has likely closed the door on Chinese investment and guarante...

The Nigerian military signed a deal with Chinese state-owned weapons manufacturer Norinco to set up a factory as part of an effort to develop a domestic arms production capacity in the West African country. The deal is the latest in a series of announcements about increased Chinese weapons sales to African militaries, which are rapidly changing battlefield dynamics across the continent.  This week...

Two years ago, Daniel Russel and Blake Berger, senior analysts at the Asia Society Policy Institute, embarked on an ambitious project to bring U.S. and Chinese stakeholders together to speak in a safe, controlled setting about their respective countries' aid strategies in the Global South. This was a big undertaking given how few direct contacts there are today between U.S. and Chinese stakeholder...

Chinese overseas development finance is unrecognizable from what it was just a few years ago. After suffering tens of billions of dollars in losses, Chinese lenders have moved to de-risk their lending to countries in Africa, Asia, and across the Global South. Instead of those once massive bilateral loans from the two main policy banks in Beijing, Chinese lending now encompasses a much more diverse...

Kenyan President William Ruto wrapped up a four-day visit to China on Friday and returned home with a massive new railway deal and more than a billion dollars of investment pledges. Ruto's successful closing of the Phase III extension of the Standard Gauge Railway to the Ugandan border comes after nearly a decade of Kenyan lobbying in China. Also, this week, Eric & Géraud are at the Salzburg Globa...

In February, a tailings dam at a Chinese-owned mine in Zambia collapsed, releasing 50 million liters of acid waste into the Kafue River—a critical water source for millions. The spill sparked national outrage and raised urgent questions about environmental oversight, China's expanding role in Africa's mining sector, and Zambia's ability to safeguard its natural resources. Freeman Chiwele Mubanga,...