Eric Olander

@salty_oysters @ChinaGSProject Not sure about what the IMF thinks, but the currency conversion from USD to RMB is from is from last October: reuters.com/world/africa/k…

@ChinaGSProject @eric_olander is this a new deal or the old one that the IMF didn’t like?

Kenya has sharply reduced its dollar-denominated debt by converting part of its China Exim Bank railway loan into yuan. chinaglobalsouth.com/2026/04/06/ken…

@garethbarnard @ChinaGSProject @AmbWuPeng a) If there was an asset seizure that would be known outside of the secrecy of the contract; b) Remember these deals are two-way, so any country that would like to disclose the terms of the contracts, as Ecuador did, can do so; c) Chinese lenders want cash, not assets.

@ChinaGSProject @AmbWuPeng We'll never really know due to the secrecy of the deals. So if they are above board why are the details hidden from the citizens of the country?

China's ambassador to South Africa, @AmbWuPeng, pushed back against accusations that Beijing engages in predatory lending in Africa. While his rebuttal is not new, it does reflect the prevalence of the charge that is still common in the U.S. and India.

@gyude_moore Bechtel, the South Koreans, and now Everstrong... if Everstrong doesn't come to the table with cash ready to go, it's hard to see how they'll be more successful than the previous two contenders. Raising this kind of money for a road-building project is going to be tough.

"The project anticipates attracting investments totaling $3.6 billion, sourced from international investors, development agencies, pension funds and an exceptionally large number of Kenyan private investors," Everstrong said

Maybe it's just me, but some of the language in the White House's new "Nairobi-Washington Vision" statement on debt relief sounds extremely patronizing. It sounds like "high ambition" means if 'you do what we ask you to do, then you'll get the money': tinyurl.com/23j4nj6e

🎉Thank you @eric_olander and @stadenesque for a great discussion on labour relations in Sino-African construction sites. The podcast is based on the chapter I wrote with @MandiraBugzy, based on my ethnography in Lamu Port construction site in Kenya ⏬chinaglobalsouth.com/podcasts/labor…

@AGhiselliChina How cool! Amazing. Congratulations!

Aaaand habemus cover!

@FrancisTDavis Thank you Professor Davis for the kind shout out. You have no idea how much it means to all of us to get the kind of feedback. So happy to hear that you're enjoying the show and find the newsletter to be informative. :-)

@eric_olander Just a shout out for exceptional China in Africa podcast and newsletter. Always good thechinaproject.com/series/the-chi…

@blakehberger Wow. This is incredible. "The Ambassador’s many projects frequently were unattainable, diverted the embassy’s limited resources, and detracted from the staff’s ability to perform core duties. Staff also questioned the utility of some projects in promoting US interests in SG."

@eric_olander Got to love public State Department reviews --- stateoig.gov/uploads/report… It isn't pretty but the fact that the review is public underscores why transparency works to the benefit of U.S. foreign policy and hopefully the review can help right the ship in SG. If not, Changi's great.

So, the US ambassador to Singapore wears jeans, a t-shirt, and no tie to a meeting with the Prime Minister. It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. What's worse is that he THINKS he looks cool. 😂

@blakehberger Oh, interesting, is that public? I've been following the press coverage of him out here in SE Asia... it isn't pretty. It's just remarkable that the US continues to send political appointees to such important diplomatic outposts. How is this still a thing in the 21st century?

@eric_olander @eric_olander Did you read the State Department's internal review of Kaplan's tenure? It's well worth it.

@qwames You would think that's the case, right?

@shen_shiwei Actually, the more important announcement that he made, which is new, is that it’s going to be a summit. That is something we didn’t know before. Last time it was a ministerial event and Wang made two references that this year’s FOCAC will be a leaders summit.

@eric_olander At least, the time of autumn is officially announced.

It’s official! 🇨🇳China to host the Forum of China-#Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) this autumn! Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi just announced at today’s press conference. My friends from Africa and African studies, welcome and I’m looking forward to see you in Beijing.

@shen_shiwei The time hasn't been officially announced because he did not say specifically when the gathering will take place. I was just confused because everything that he said today is information that we already knew.

@eric_olander I didn’t say it’s a news, as I said that the time is officially announced. I didn’t get your points why you feel something wrong?

When will someone teach U.S. diplomats that it is extremely disrespectful in Asia and many other regions to show the bottom of one's shoes during meetings with VIPs? Both feet should be planted firmly on the floor. Period.

@kopalo This is why the world needs copy editors.

Years in, I wonder whether the UK is on course to meet this target. And how they’ve managed to avoid making global headlines.

Check out this absolutely fantastic @ChinaGSProject podcast about China and the Israel Hamas war featuring @jonathandfulton, @GAfterman, @IranChinaGuy, Jony Essa, hosted by @eric_olander!!! chinaglobalsouth.com/podcasts/china…

Thank you @ilanberman for the wonderful opportunity to share my views on US-China great power competition in the Global South with the @afpc community. It's truly an honor. You can read my article in this month's edition of the AFPC Defense Dossier: tinyurl.com/45mcncj5

🎧 For the @ChinaGSProject podcast, @han_cecilia + @nedopil join @stadenesque + @eric_olander to discuss how 🇨🇳Chiness infrastructure projects in Africa can better meet ESG standards. Listen in: gdpcenter.org/4692voN

We shared a few reflections on the demise of The China Project in the latest episode of the CGSP Roundtable. @christiangeraud and @stadenesque joined me for a fascinating discussion about the future of fact-based China coverage. youtu.be/kUVCqwP3gGQ?si…