Kenya's got a new president who has vowed to get tough on the Chinese, particularly when it comes to publishing contracts and cracking down on illegal immigration. Plus, Chinese mining giant CMOC is encountering new difficulties at its massive cobalt mine in the southern DRC. Eric & Cobus break down some of the week's top China-Africa stories and discuss where in the world is Xi Jinping going. SHOW NOTES:  Wang Cheng, Chinese Ministry of Commerce: twitter.com/SadiqChengWang   JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Twitter: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine عربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfr JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP 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 CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaafricaproject See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Week in Review: Kenya elections, Chinese mining woes in DRC & Xi Jinping's travels

Twice-weekly discussion about China's engagement across Africa and the Global South hosted by journalist Eric Olander and Asia-Africa scholar Cobus van Staden in Johannesburg.

News

Politics

Government

Ethiopia's long-held ambition is to one day emerge as a major global manufacturing hub, benefiting from a wave of Chinese offshoring. The East African country's strategic location, abundant labor supply, and welcoming government are all very enticing for cost-conscious Chinese manufacturers. And while Ethiopia has been more successful than many African countries in attracting Chinese investors, the number of factories that have been established there is still relatively small. A new documentary that's making the rounds on the international film festival circuit provides fascinating insights into why that’s the case. The film, “Made in Ethiopia,” tells the story of a Chinese-backed industrial park outside of Addis Ababa that’s struggled mightily through the pandemic and later a civil war. Co-directors/producers Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan, both experienced journalists, join Eric & Cobus to discuss their new film and what it took to produce such a textured, complex story. SHOW NOTES:  Official website: www.madeinethiopiafilm.com Screening dates and locations: www.madeinethiopiafilm.com/screenings  JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject  YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine  Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat 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 Hidden World of Chinese Manufacturing in Ethiopia

BYD announced that it opened its 100th dealership in Brazil, highlighting the South American country's growing importance to the Chinese electric vehicle giant. It's a similar story across the board in tech, agriculture, and natural resources, among other sectors. Trade and investment between China and Brazil is booming and is unlikely to slow anytime soon. Tulio Cariello, director of content and research at the Brazil-China Business Council, joins Eric & Cobus from Rio de Janeiro to explain how Brazil is benefitting greatly from Beijing's souring ties with Washington. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @stadenesque | @eric_olander   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject  YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine  Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP 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 CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

[GLOBAL SOUTH] What's Driving the Surge in Brazil's Business Ties With China

Officially, Mozambique bans the export of raw timber in an effort to protect what's left of the country's rapidly shrinking forests. But whatever laws are in place are largely disregarded as more than 500,000 tons of timber leave the country each year  — 90% of which goes to China,  according to a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency. This illicit timber trade is also very lucrative, generating more than a billion dollars that helps to fund a deadly insurgency ravaging northern Mozambique. Alexandra Bloom, a senior trade and policy analyst at EIA, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss EIA's multi-year investigation that uncovered widespread corruption and negligence at every level of the timber supply chain. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadeneques  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject  YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine  Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP 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 CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth      

Illegal Chinese Timber Trade Fuels Insurgency in Mozambique

China somehow managed to get the oil flowing between Niger and Benin this week amid a bitter dispute between the two West African countries that had briefly shut down the pipeline. Eric, Cobus, and Geraud discuss how the Chinese seem to be navigating the Sahel's contentious politics with some finesse. Plus, ChatGPT launched a major new upgrade this week that they'll put to the test to hear how the AI frames the accusation that China engages in debt trap diplomacy in Africa. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadeneques | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject  YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine  Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP 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 CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

WEEK IN REVIEW: China in the Sahel | ChatGPT's take on China-Africa

Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto will take office later this year at a critical time when regional tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea are surging. And this won't be just a foreign policy challenge for the new president. Chinese ships have crossed into Indonesia's exclusive economic zone near the Nantuna Islands at the bottom tip of Beijing's controversial ten-dash line. Managing the escalating crisis in the South China Sea is going to be a "pivotal" challenge for Prabowo, according to Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, director of the China-Indonesia desk at the Center of Economic and Law Studies. Zulfikar joins Eric from Jakarta to discuss how he thinks Prabowo is going to handle what's becoming a very volatile situation. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander   Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject  YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth FOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine  Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CAP 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 CAP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Week in Review: Kenya elections, Chinese mining woes in DRC & Xi Jinping's travels

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