The China-Global South Podcast

A weekly discussion on Chinese engagement in the developing world from the news team of The China-Global South Project (CGSP). Join hosts Eric Olander in Vietnam and Cobus van Staden in South Africa for insightful interviews with scholars, analysts, and journalists from around the world. You'll also get regular updates from CGSP's editors in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

The China-Global South Podcast is a news podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 177 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The China-Global South Podcast, a news show with 177 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #43

  China's BRI Is Bigger Than Ever. It Just Looks Very Different

  Aug 19, 202633 minS3

  After the pandemic, as Chinese state-backed lending to developing countries largely dried up, critics declared the Belt and Road Initiative effectively dead. They were wrong. This year, China's financial engagement with BRI countries reached another record, driven by larger deals, private companies, green energy, and a growing focus on industrial development. Chinese firms are increasingly investing in processing, manufacturing, batteries, and other higher-value activities rather than focusing primarily on infrastructure and resource extraction. According to the latest data from the Green Finance & Development Center , BRI engagement reached its highest level for any first six months since the initiative launched in 2013. Christoph Nedopil, lead author of the report and a professor at the University of Queensland, joins Eric to discuss how the BRI is evolving, including changes in how projects are financed, where capital is deployed, and which industries are attracting Chinese investment. Topics Covered in This Episode Record-breaking BRI engagement New financing models ️ Return of mega-deals ⚡ Green energy expansion ⛏️ Shift from extraction to processing Africa's BRI surge Show Notes: Green Development Finance Center: China's investment and construction engagement in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) 2026 H1 Financial Times: China pours funding into green energy deals as Iran war hits oil demand by Edward White Semafor: Chinese investments in Africa soar to $34 billion so far this year by Yinka Adegoke Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander 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

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  Episode #12

  The Iran War Is Reshaping the Persian Gulf. What Does China Do Now?

  Aug 17, 202634 minS3

  The war in Iran is reshaping the strategic landscape of the Persian Gulf, putting new pressure on China's relations with Iran and the Gulf Arab states. Beijing's response is exposing the tension between its deep economic interests in the region and its reluctance to assume a larger role in regional security. Andrea Ghiselli, a lecturer at the University of Exeter, and Aaron Glasserman, a distinguished fellow at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, join Eric to discuss their latest article in Foreign Affairs on why China will remain an influential economic actor in the region with only marginal geopolitical influence. Topics Covered in This Episode ⚔️ How the Iran War Is Reshaping the Persian Gulf China's Strategic Interests in Iran and the Gulf ️ Why Beijing Is Reluctant to Take on a Larger Security Role The Limits of China's Influence Over Tehran How Gulf States Are Reassessing Their Relationship With China ⚖️ The Gap Between China's Economic Power and Security Responsibilities Show Notes: Foreign Affairs: The Gulf's China Problem by Mohammed Alsudairi, Andrea Ghiselli, and Aaron Glasserman Reuters: Can China restrain Iran? Gulf states test Beijing's influence by Samia Nakhoul and Timour Azhari The Diplomat: The Iran-US War a Win for China? Not So Fast. by Wang Jin Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander 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

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  Episode #11

  How China Uses Space to Build Influence in the Mideast

  Aug 12, 202641 minS3

  China is expanding its space partnerships across the Middle East through satellites, navigation systems, technology transfer, and other forms of cooperation. Beijing tailors these partnerships to individual countries, while governments such as Egypt, Iran, and the UAE use Chinese cooperation to pursue their own technological and strategic interests. A new report in the Texas National Security Review, Choosing Orbits: China's Space Diplomacy in the Middle East , explores how regional agency, technological competition, and the broader U.S.-China rivalry are increasingly intersecting in space. Two of the article's authors, Lawrence Rubin, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Lincoln Hines, an associate professor at Georgia Tech, join Eric to discuss how space is the new frontier in China's soft power diplomacy. Topics Covered in This Episode ️ China's expanding space partnerships across the Middle East Space diplomacy as a tool of Chinese influence Egypt's growing space and technology cooperation with China How the UAE balances China and the United States ⚔️ Dual-use satellites and the security implications of space technology U.S.-China competition over the future of space Show Notes: Texas National Security Review: Choosing Orbits: China's Space Diplomacy in the Middle East by Lawrence Rubin, Lincoln Hines & Dayana Alagirova South China Morning Post: For China and the Middle East, a Space Silk Road is written in the stars by Yang Xiaotong The Washington Institute for Near East Policy: China's Push for Satellite Cooperation in the Middle East by Henry Tugendhat Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander 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

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  Episode #40

  What the Global South Can Learn From Shenzhen's Tech Rise

  Aug 10, 202632 minS3

  Forty years ago, Shenzhen was a small southern Chinese fishing village, just across the border from Hong Kong. Today, it's one of the world's most advanced megacities, with a population of nearly 20 million people and home to many of the tech industry's largest companies, including Huawei, Tencent, DJI, and Transsion, among countless others. That remarkable transformation within a single lifetime offers important lessons for Kenya, Vietnam, and other developing countries seeking to build their own technology hubs. Grace Yuehan Wang, a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics and a research fellow at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, joins Eric to discuss her new book, which explores how Shenzhen was able to develop so quickly and what lessons its remarkable rise offers countries across the Global South seeking to build their own technology hubs. Topics Covered in This Episode ️ Shenzhen's rise as a global tech hub Why Shenzhen isn't China's Silicon Valley ️ The role of local government Grassroots innovation and entrepreneurship Lessons for the Global South Can the Shenzhen model be replicated? Show Notes: Amazon: Dragon Innovation: Shenzhen: Lessons for the West and global south countries from China's leading innovation cluster by Grace Yuehan Wang ThinkChina : Shenzhen: The city that built China's tech empire by Chen Xiangming and Taylor Lynch Ogan Financial Times: China's Xi pursues AI diplomacy to woo the Global South by Joe Leahy and Eleanor Olcott Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander 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

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  Episode #30

  China's View of India Has Changed. Is New Delhi Ready?

  Aug 5, 202640 minS3

  China and India are entering a cautious period of diplomatic re-engagement after years of confrontation, but deep strategic mistrust, unresolved border disputes, and competing security interests continue to define the relationship. Economic cooperation is gradually resuming even as political tensions remain unresolved. At the same time, shifting global power dynamics are reshaping the balance between Asia's two largest powers. Sushant Singh, a lecturer in South Asian studies at Yale University, joins Eric from New Delhi to explain how changing Chinese perceptions of India, evolving trade priorities, BRICS diplomacy, and the broader U.S.-China rivalry are creating new opportunities for engagement while reinforcing the structural challenges that make a lasting rapprochement difficult. Topics Covered in This Episode Why China's view of India is changing ️ The slow thaw after the Galwan border crisis Can trade recover despite political mistrust? How U.S.-China rivalry is reshaping India-China ties BRICS, the Quad, and Asia's evolving strategic landscape What comes next for one of the world's most consequential relationships Show Notes: South China Morning Post: India and China revive Himalayan trade at high-altitude pass by Junaid Kathju The Diplomat: Why India Does Not Interest China by Akhilesh Pillalamarri East Asia Forum: China–India rapprochement is tactical, not strategic by Chietigj Bajpaee Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander 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

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