Podcast Episodes

China's Gradual but Growing Security Influence in Africa

Season 16 Episode 59

China is steadily expanding its security presence in Africa through deeper military ties, weapons sales, and multinational deployments as UN Peacekeepers. In fact, China is now the largest arms suppl…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Kenya Caught Uncomfortably Between the U.S. and China

Season 16 Episode 58

The Kenyan government is under mounting pressure from the United States over its close ties with China. Influential lawmakers in Washington are furious over comments made by President William Ruto du…

Published on 2 months ago

Africa is a Testing Ground for China's Global Security Initiative

Season 16 Episode 57

China's presence in Africa is often debated through different lenses. Two prominent angles to examine this relationship are through finance and security. Under finance, Beijing has become the contin…

Published on 2 months, 1 week ago

How Zambian Media Frames China, the U.S., Japan, and South Africa

Season 16 Episode 56

Who shapes Africa's story? Zambia's media offers a rare window into how local voices frame global powers like China, the U.S., Japan, and South Africa.

From debates on debt and development to questio…

Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago

If You Want to Get Rich, Build a Road. Testing China's Theory in Africa

Season 16 Episode 55

There's a Chinese proverb that says, "If you want to get rich, build a road first." That philosophy has guided China's development strategy in Africa for much of the past 25 years, that's led to the …

Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago

A Turbulent Week for China-Africa Media Narratives

Season 16 Episode 54

Over the past week, sharply contrasting images of Chinese engagement in Africa surfaced online. Anger erupted on social media over the release of yet another violent video that shows Congolese soldie…

Published on 3 months ago

[WEEK IN REVIEW] China Invests in Angola to Secure Food Supply Chains

Season 16 Episode 53

Chinese construction giant Sinohydro signed a $100 million deal with Angola to build out the country's agricultural infrastructure in a bid to boost grain production. While 60% of the output from thi…

Published on 3 months, 1 week ago

China's Vital, Yet Poorly Understood Role in Africa's Energy Sector

Season 16 Episode 52

After a two-to-three-year hiatus following the pandemic, Chinese money is once again flowing into the African energy sector. Billions of dollars in new investment and construction contracts for powe…

Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago

How China Really Secures Its Loans to Developing Countries

Season 16 Episode 51

The "debt trap" meme claims that China is intentionally lending vast sums of money to poor developing countries in Africa, and elsewhere, with the express intent to seize physical assets in those cou…

Published on 3 months, 3 weeks ago

The Evolution of China-Africa Research and Where It's Headed

Season 16 Episode 50

A new generation of scholars is reshaping China-Africa research. More geographically diverse and digitally fluent than the field's early pioneers of the 2000s, this cohort brings fresh perspectives a…

Published on 3 months, 4 weeks ago