The China-Global South Podcast

By The China-Global South Project

A weekly discussion on Chinese engagement in the developing world from the news team of The China-Global South Project (CGSP). Join hosts Eric Olander in Vietnam and Cobus van Staden in South Africa f... more

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The podcast currently has 186 episodes available.

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Number 1: Want to Do Business With the Chinese? Here's What You Need to Know
China's growing commercial footprint across the Global South is creating new opportunities, but major knowledge gaps remain over how Chinese businesses build trust, negotiate, and form partnerships. Guanxi, institutional norms, and long-term relationships can matter as much as contracts and competitive pricing. At the same time, Chinese companies are still adapting unevenly to local cultures. Firms operating in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East increasingly recognize the value of local relationships and cultural knowledge, but many continue to prioritize speed and product specifications over local expectations. Sun Muyang, author of How Chinese Business Actually Works: 15 Themes on the Institutional, Historical, and Human Logic Beneath the Surface, joins Eric to discuss the logic of Chinese business, including guanxi and trust-building, competitive pricing, and Chinese companies' adaptation to Global South markets. Show Notes How Chinese Business Actually Works: 15 Themes on the Institutional, Historical, and Human Logic Beneath the Surface (English Edition) by Muyang SUN and Joyce XIE 📌 Topics Covered in This Episode Guanxi and Trust in Chinese Business The Hidden Logic Behind Chinese Business Practices Reading Chinese Business Signals Understanding Chinese Pricing and Competitiveness Chinese Companies Adapting to Global South Markets Practical Advice for Doing Business With China Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander 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
September 10, 202619min
Number 2: Is China Decolonizing African Media or Expanding Its Influence?
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
September 04, 202655min
Number 3: China Is Building Influence in Latin America, Quietly
China's influence in Latin America is increasingly being built through smaller, less visible deals rather than the headline-grabbing infrastructure projects that defined its engagement in the 2010s. Surveillance technology, electric buses, power networks, critical minerals and subnational partnerships are creating a decentralized web of economic and political ties that can be harder to scrutinize or unwind. For Washington, the challenge is that pressure on governments to reduce Chinese ties often comes without credible alternatives. Latin American countries, meanwhile, are balancing U.S. security pressure against China's economic complementarity, while seeking to preserve strategic autonomy. Natalia Cote-Muñoz, the Managing Partner and CEO of Vantage Point Strategies, joins Eric to discuss China's evolving influence in Latin America, the risks of technological dependence, and how the U.S. and regional governments can respond. Show Notes Foreign Affairs - China's Quiet Quest to Dominate Latin America: Small Projects, Big Influence by Natalia Cote-Muñoz 📌 Topics Covered in This Episode China's shift from mega-projects to smaller, less visible investments in Latin America How subnational partnerships are becoming a key tool of Chinese influence The growing risks of technological and infrastructure dependence on China Why U.S. efforts to push back against China are often falling short Latin American countries' balancing act between China and the United States What China, the U.S., and Latin American governments should do differently to manage long-term geopolitical risks Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @CNASdc I @ncotemunoz 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
September 03, 202643min
Number 4: The Chinamaxxing Trend: Why It's More Than Just a Meme
China's growing appeal in the Global South is increasingly being shaped by everyday commercial experiences, not just diplomacy or cultural exports. Chinese phones, EVs, apps, infrastructure, entertainment, and consumer brands are becoming part of daily life, creating a form of familiarity that may prove more durable than social-media-driven fascination with China. But this commercial reach carries a major contradiction: the same low-cost Chinese products that benefit consumers can intensify pressure on local manufacturers. Across Southeast Asia, Africa, and elsewhere, governments are responding with tariffs and anti-dumping measures as Chinese firms challenge domestic industries and potentially constrain industrial upgrading. Lizzi C. Lee, fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, and Zhuoning Li, a research intern at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, join Eric and Cobus to examine China's expanding commercial soft power, including the China-maxing trend, the role of diaspora communities, and the tension between consumer benefits and local industrial competition. Show Notes South China Morning Post: China's brands must outgrow diaspora bubble to hit soft power potential by Lizzi C. Lee and Zhuoning Li Foreign Affairs: How China Is Winning Friends and Influencing People by Eric Olander and Lizzi Lee *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-6a979ea1-3b80-83e9-944f-48c8f1c9376f-11" data-turn-id-container= "request-6a979ea1-3b80-83e9-944f-48c8f1c9376f-11" data-testid= "conversation-turn-26" data-turn="assistant"> 📌 Topics Covered in This Episode Why China is becoming more popular with young people The rise of the "China-maxing" trend How Chinese brands are building soft power Why Chinese products resonate across the Global South The role of Chinese diaspora networks How affordability is changing consumer markets Why Chinese brands can benefit consumers while hurting local industries Can China's commercial influence outlast the current trend? Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @stadenesque I @wstv_lizzi I @AsiaPolicy 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
September 02, 202651min
Number 5: How China Is Viewed Around the World
Public opinion toward China is improving across much of the world, especially in emerging economies across Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia. At the same time, perceptions of the United States have weakened, particularly around its reliability and contribution to global peace and stability. Younger people are especially likely to view China positively, shaped increasingly by technology, consumer brands, social media, and infrastructure rather than Cold War-era narratives. But attitudes toward China and the U.S. are not necessarily zero-sum. Laura Silver, an associate director at the Pew Research Center, joins Eric to unpack the Pew Research Center's polling findings on how China is viewed around the world, why China's image is improving, what is driving support among younger people and in the Global South, and what the numbers reveal about shifting perceptions of the world's two largest powers. 📌 Topics Covered in This Episode: 🌍 Why global views of China are improving 📊 What Pew's 37-country survey reveals about China 👥 Why younger people view China more favorably 🇺🇸 Declining confidence in the United States globally 📱 How Chinese technology and consumer brands shape perceptions ⚖️ Why U.S.-China public opinion is not zero-sum Show Notes: Pew Research Center: Views of China and Xi Are Improving Globally by Laura Silver, Jonathan Schulman, Laura Clancy and William Miner Afrobarometer: African insights 2026: Beyond borders: Citizen perspectives on a shifting global order Foreign Affairs: How China Is Winning Friends and Influencing People by Eric Olander and Lizzi Lee Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @pewresearch I @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
August 28, 202638min