The China-Global South Podcast
43 episodes
China’s dominance of the EV battery metal supply chain
Chilean President Gabriel Boric oversaw the signing of a $233 million lithium deal with Chinese mining giant Tsingshan Holding Group, the latest investment that solidifies...
Michael Pettis explains how China’s changing economy will impact the world
China’s economy emerged from the pandemic much weaker than before. Unemployment is up, exports are down and a burgeoning property crisis is having a devastating...
The future of the Belt and Road Initiative in Latin America
There’s growing anxiety in the United States over China’s expanding presence in the Latin America-Caribbean (LAC) region. Last week, a Congressional subcommittee held another breathless...
How China’s economic slowdown impacts developing countries
The Chinese economy is in trouble. Exports, manufacturing output, and investment are all down. Unemployment, particularly among young people is up. Provincial debt is now...
The downward spiral of China-India relations
There was a glimmer of hope last month that China and India would pull back from their increasingly contentious standoff when military commanders concluded talks...
BRI @ 10: Lessons from Cambodia about Chinese investment
China’s Belt and Road Initiative marked its 10th anniversary this month, prompting a lot of discussion about what’s next for Beijing’s controversial development agenda. While...
China and the politics of global climate diplomacy
The failure of G20 countries last month to agree on a plan to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 highlights a key problem in the...
China’s new, slimmed-down Belt and Road Initiative
China’s critics contend the Belt and Road Initiative is dead or dying due to a mix of gross mismanagement and hubris. The data, however, reveals...
Pivot to Asia: Why the near abroad is now China’s top priority
For much of the past 20 years, China sought to radically expand its presence beyond its traditional spheres of influence to new regions in Africa...
Is China setting the agenda for Global South debt restructuring?
In June, Zambia reached what’s been described as a landmark debt restructuring deal that for the first time brought together the country’s bilateral creditors including...
Is China setting the agenda for Global South debt restructuring?
In June, Zambia reached what’s been described as a landmark debt restructuring deal that for the first time brought together the country’s bilateral creditors including...
China’s fanciful dream to play Israeli-Palestinian peacemaker
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wrapped up a visit to Beijing last week where he heard lofty promises from Chinese officials about their desire to...
A primer on the escalating tensions in the South China Sea
The South China Sea is one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime zones where more than $5 trillion of trade passes through each year...
If you lead a developing country and want to borrow money from China, then listen to this podcast
The days of China easily handing out billions of dollars to build infrastructure in developing countries around the world are now over. The Chinese can’t...
Key Lessons From Indonesia’s China-Backed Mining & Infrastructure Ventures
Indonesia is a pioneer among developing countries for its efforts in moving up the EV battery metal value chain. Whereas most other countries like the...
The Case for More U.S. Soft Power to Counter China in the Global South
China is one of the very few truly bipartisan issues in Washington today where there is near unanimous consensus that the U.S. must work to...
China’s Confusing, Contradictory Policy on Coal Power
In September 2021, President Xi Jinping announced at the United Nations that China would immediately halt all financing of coal power projects abroad as part...
Update on China’s Role in the Burgeoning Global South Debt Crisis
There was a lot of excitement earlier this month at the IMF and World Bank’s annual gathering in Washington, D.C. about rumors that the impasse...
U.S.-China Technology Competition in the Global South
The U.S. and China are waging a hard-fought battle today for dominance of global technology standards, particularly in emerging sectors like 5G mobile telecommunications. While...
The Risks and Rewards of China’s New Mideast Diplomacy
When China announced in March that it had brokered a landmark agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties, it took a lot...
What China’s Past Tells Us About the Future of its Foreign Policy in Asia
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim both wrapped up state visits to China last week and their discussions with...
China’s Lending Money Again to Countries in the Americas
Chinese lending to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean is gaining momentum. For the second year in a row, China’s two largest policy banks...
Reporting Tips for African Journalists Covering China
Reporting on China is difficult even for the most experienced journalist who’s spent years living there and speaks the language. So, it’s not surprising that...
What Lessons Should the U.S. Take From China’s Mideast Diplomatic Breakthrough?
This month’s surprise announcement that China brokered the restoration of diplomatic relations between longtime rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia prompted widespread excitement in Beijing and...
What to Make of China’s Mideast Diplomatic Breakthrough?
New details are emerging about the landmark diplomatic deal brokered by China for Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic relations. The initial excitement about...
Latin America Was Once an Afterthought for China… Not Anymore
In just the past twenty years, China’s trade with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean surged 26-fold to almost half-a-trillion dollars. The region is...
Wang Huiyao on ‘China’s Misunderstood Foreign Policy’
Senior-level Chinese stakeholders often contend that one of the main reasons for today’s heightened geopolitical tensions between China and the West is due to “misunderstandings”...
China, Latin America, and the Rise of a New Non-Aligned Movement
During the first Cold War, a large group of developing countries sought to distance themselves from the ideological battle between the United States and the...
What’s Driving the Steady Decline in Chinese Overseas Development Lending?
There was a time when Chinese lending to developing countries rivaled the World Bank. Those days are now long gone as Chinese overseas development lending...
Pepe Zhang on What to Expect This Year in China-Latin America Relations
China’s two-way trade with countries in the Americas increased 8% last year to $486 billion, nearly twice the volume of what China does in Africa...
New Report Debunks Chinese Debt Trap Narrative in Sri Lanka
The Chinese debt trap narrative was started based on the purported surrender of the Port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka. When Colombo fell behind in...
Bad Takes: What the News Media Got Wrong About Xi’s Trip to Saudi Arabia
So much of the international news coverage of Xi Jinping’s three-day visit last week to Saudi Arabia was framed in the context of the broader...
Why U.S. Diplomacy is Struggling to Compete With China in the Global South
Forty countries around the world currently do not have U.S. ambassadors. The corner offices have been empty for months, even years at U.S. embassies in...
The 2022 Africa-China Year in Review With Gyude Moore
Chinese trade with Africa is widely expected to break yet another record in 2022, while Chinese lending to countries across the continent fell again. Meantime...
A Look Back on a Week of Intense Chinese Diplomacy in Southeast Asia
Chinese President returned home from a week of intense diplomacy in Indonesia and Thailand where he attended a pair of summits and held more than...
The U.S-China Battle For Ideas in the Global South
Both the United States and China have restructured their respective foreign policy establishments in recent years to be better poised to confront each other. In...
Despite Huge Problems, Pakistan Remains Indispensable to China
It has been a difficult year for China in Pakistan. A burgeoning economic crisis in the South Asian country threatens to undermine the multibillion dollar...
China and India’s Steadily Deteriorating Relationship
It wasn’t that long ago that many people thought the longtime rivalry between India and China had begun to subside. In fact, Xi Jinping traveled...
What Does Kenya’s SGR Tell Us About the Future of Chinese Railway Development in the Global South
The Chinese-financed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya is one of the flagship projects of the Belt and Road Initiative. But the SGR like other...
Why the U.S. And Israel Are Not Aligned on China
Israel and China are reportedly in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement that both sides say will be done before the end...
Navigating the Belt & Road in SE Asia With a New Digital Toolkit
October marks the 9th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and after all these years, nearly a decade later, many people around the...
Introducing the New China-Global South Podcast
Every week, The China-Global South Podcast will explore timely issues surrounding China’s engagement in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and other developing regions...
China’s New Ambitions in the South Pacific
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent South Pacific tour put the region in play as the latest venue for Great Power political rivalries. But even...