The China in Africa Podcast

China-Africa security cooperation is expanding beyond military ties into cross-border law enforcement, as Chinese-linked telecom fraud operations spread across Africa. Joint investigations, intelligence sharing and police partnerships are becoming increasingly important as governments confront scams targeting victims worldwide, including in China and the United States.

Meanwhile, Africa's new credit ratings agency aims to challenge assessments that critics say overstate the continent's investment risks and increase borrowing costs. Its influence will depend on whether investors and banks accept its methodology, including in China's capital markets. Both developments reflect a broader push to strengthen African agency and reshape international systems, even as China's engagement shifts toward more targeted cooperation rather than headline-grabbing loans.

Géraud Neema, Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden discuss China-Africa police cooperation, the credibility of Africa's new credit ratings agency, and what these shifts could mean for the next Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

📌 Topics Covered in This Episode

• China-Africa Police Cooperation and Telecom Fraud
• Chinese Law Enforcement's Expanding Role in Africa
• Africa's New Credit Ratings Agency Explained
• Can African Credit Ratings Challenge Western Financial Power?
• What to Expect From the Next FOCAC Summit

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @cgneema

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The DRC's cobalt industry is also moving uranium through global supply chains, creating a problem that extends beyond critical-minerals security. Researchers estimate that 2,000–5,000 tons of uranium may have left the country as a byproduct of cobalt production, raising questions about nuclear-security risks, environmental exposure, and the traceability of mineral exports.

The challenge is persistent rather than catastrophic: uranium occurs naturally alongside DRC cobalt and can remain in cobalt hydroxide even when companies follow existing processing standards. Weak shipment-level monitoring and inconsistent reporting leave uncertainty over where the uranium goes and how it is handled after reaching China and other markets.

Ryan Manzuk, Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Program on Science and Global Security, joins Cobus and Geraud to analyze uranium contamination in DRC cobalt exports, including nuclear-security implications, environmental and worker exposure, and measures to improve traceability and local processing.

📌 Topics Covered in This Episode

• Uranium contamination in DRC cobalt exports
• China's role in cobalt supply chains
• Nuclear security risks from uranium exports
• Environmental and health risks for miners
• Traceability, regulation, and local processing

Show Notes

• Nature Communications: Uranium in cobalt-hydroxide exports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Ryan A. Manzuk & Sébastien Philippe

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @cgneema

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject

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China's engagement across Africa is increasingly shaped by both high-level geopolitics and competition in everyday markets. Somalia's renewed ties with Beijing are being driven in part by the Somaliland question, particularly its growing relationship with Taiwan. At the same time, Chinese companies continue expanding their commercial footprint across the continent.

The U.S.-China technology contest is also playing out in Africa, but the scale of investment highlights a significant gap between American initiatives such as Africell and China's established ICT infrastructure footprint. Meanwhile, Chinese automakers are rapidly gaining ground in South Africa, while electric two-wheelers could reshape mobility and the gig economy across African cities.

Eric Olander, Geraud Neema and Cobus van Staden examine what these developments reveal about China's changing role in Africa, from the strategic importance of Somaliland and Taiwan to the realities of competing with Chinese technology and adapting to African consumers. 📌 Topics Covered in This Episode:

• China-Somalia ties and the Somaliland question
• U.S.-China competition over African telecom infrastructure
• Chinese electric vehicles and Africa's mobility future

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @cgneema

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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

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @cgneema

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth

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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

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @stadenesque I @emekaumejei

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject

YouTube: chinaglobalsouth

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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

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @cgneema

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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

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth

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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

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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: Practical' 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

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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

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Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social

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