In Zambia, efforts to clean up a massive acid spill from a Chinese-owned mine have been met with skepticism, despite government assurances. Officials claim restitution is underway and rehabilitation plans are in place, but activists question the fairness of compensation and lack of independent assessments.

Meantime, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, tensions are growing between major players in the cobalt and copper sectors. A public dispute between joint venture partners Ivanhoe and Zijin over mine damage revealed deep fractures, while an export ban on cobalt, aimed at stabilizing prices, has pitted Glencore against Chinese firm CMOC.

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This week Eric & Cobus sit down with Wu Peng, the director-general of the department of African affairs in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for his perspective on a wide range of issues that are impacting relations between the two regions.

The conversation also features questions from a trio of experts in China-Africa relations including:

• Gyude Moore, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development (@gyude_moore)
• Zainab Usman, director of the Africa program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (@MissZeeUsman)
• Aggrey Mutambo, senior diplomatic affairs writer for the Daily Nation and The East African newspaper (@agmutambo)

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Since its inception in 2013, Chinese government officials have insisted that the Belt and Road is solely an economic initiative and does not have any military motivations. But the BRI's civil-military distinction is no longer as clear cut as it used to be. President Xi Jinping himself called for a strong BRI security system to protect China's overseas interests, people and property.

One little-known aspect of the BRI is that much of the overseas construction, particularly ports, must conform to standards that conform to the People's Liberation Army's requirements. So, while today there's little evidence that China is leveraging the BRI for security or military purposes, there are concerns that it is positioning to be able to do so in the future should the need arise.

Daniel Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the New York-based Asia Society Policy Institute, examined the security dimensions of the BRI in a recent paper. Daniel joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what he calls the Belt and Road's "civil-military fusion" in maritime, terrestrial and space environments.

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From Panama to Kenya to Indonesia, a growing number of developing countries are being pulled into the intensifying rivalry between China and the U.S. For these middle powers, the stakes are high as they must carefully navigate the tension to avoid provoking either side and risking serious consequences.

But rather than accommodating the U.S. and China, developing countries should instead pursue a different agenda that puts their interests first.

Jorge Heine, a former Chilean ambassador to China, South Africa, and India and now a research professor at Boston University, joins Eric & Cobus to talk about the latest edition of his book on active non-alignment that showcases the role of so-called "new neutrals."

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Chinese e-mobility technology is poised to transform large swathes of Africa's transportation ecosystem in the coming decade, but in very different ways than in other regions where EVs are the primary focus. Bicylces, scooters, tricyles, tractors, cars, minibuses, and full-sized coaches, all made in China, are becoming increasingly popular in dozens of African countries.

This week, Eric & Cobus are thrilled to introduce CGSP's newest podcast The Africa EV Show with Njenga Hakeenah, which highlights the latest trends in this dynamic sector. Njenga, who is also CGSP's Nairobi-based climate editor, reveals which countries are moving fastest to incorporate e-mobility in their transportation mix and what the major obstacles to e-mobility adoption on the continent are.

Subscribe to The Africa EV Show:

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Show Notes:

• The China-Global South Project: Leasing, Swapping, Surviving: Kenya’s Startups Hack the EV Tax Trap by Njenga Hakeenah
• The China-Global South Project: Small Chinese EV on Lease Promises Big Savings For Kenya’s Taxi Drivers by Njenga Hakeenah
• The China-Global South Project: Ethiopia’s Middle Class Ditching Gasoline Vehicles for Electrics With Chinese EVs Dominating Race by Sarah Assefe

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After several months of steadily improving ties, India-China relations appear to be cooling once again following the recent clashes in Kashmir. China’s military support for Pakistan during the conflict earlier this month has triggered fresh concerns in New Delhi, with many now fearing that the fragile détente built over the past year is starting to unravel.

Tensions further escalated in recent days after Beijing announced new names for dozens of locations along the disputed border with India, drawing strong backlash from the Indian media. Meanwhile, the Indian government has banned several Chinese state-run media accounts on the social platform X.

Joining Eric from New Delhi is Sushant Singh, a lecturer in South Asian Studies at Yale University, who breaks down the current state of Sino-Indian relations in the aftermath of the Kashmir conflict. Sushant also explains why observers should ignore India’s noisy mainstream media and instead pay close attention to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi does—or doesn’t—say about China.

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The tiny breakaway nation of Somaliland is making a bold geopolitical wager: deepening ties with Taiwan, courting conservative power brokers in Washington, and positioning itself as a rare pro-U.S. ally in a region where China holds significant sway.

But this strategy comes at a cost. By crossing Beijing’s red line on Taiwan, Somaliland has likely closed the door on Chinese investment and guaranteed opposition in global forums where China holds veto power.

Somaliland foreign policy researchers Moustafa Ahmad and Sacad Muhumed join Eric & Cobus from Hargeisa to discuss the government's high-stakes gamble of playing the big powers off one another to secure formal diplomatic recognition.

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The Nigerian military signed a deal with Chinese state-owned weapons manufacturer Norinco to set up a factory as part of an effort to develop a domestic arms production capacity in the West African country.

The deal is the latest in a series of announcements about increased Chinese weapons sales to African militaries, which are rapidly changing battlefield dynamics across the continent.

This week, Eric, Cobus & Géraud discuss how Chinese drones, surface-to-air missile systems, and other advanced arms technologies are now commonplace, often available at a much lower cost than comparable weapons from the U.S. and Europe.

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