The China in Africa Podcast

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
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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