Best Cobus van Staden Podcasts (2024)

1
David Monyae on the Politics of FOCAC 29:01

2h ago29:01

29:01

Final preparations are underway for the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, which begins on September 4th in Beijing. This year's event comes at a particularly fraught time amid wars in Europe, the Middle East and the simmering Great Power rivalry between the United States and China. David Monyae, director of the Centre for Africa-Ch…

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] View From Israel: China's Growing Influence in the Middle East 33:26

1h ago33:26

33:26

In September 2023, just weeks before Hamas' devastating terrorist attack on October 7th, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his foreign policy advisors were preparing for a summit meeting in China with President Xi Jinping. There were even whispers Beijing would help facilitate a rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia much as it did betwe…

1
Energy is Going to be the Hot Topic at Upcoming China-Africa Summit 44:58

5h ago44:58

44:58

African leaders will soon travel to Beijing to participate in the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, which will begin on September 4th. Many of those heads of state will arrive in the Chinese capital with a rather long wish list of infrastructure development projects they're hoping to pitch to Chinese financiers. Many of those initi…

1
African Priorities at the Upcoming China Summit 54:31

7d ago54:31

54:31

African leaders and their delegations are making final preparations to travel to Beijing soon for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit that will begin on September 4th. This year's gathering comes at a critical time in the relationship between these two regions. African leaders are looking for ways to move their economies up the val…

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Westlessness: A New Era Where the West Still Matters, Just Not as Much 51:30

1d ago51:30

51:30

Chinese President Xi Jinping has long touted the East's rise and the West's decline, the kind of thinking that's triggered his supporters to fantasize about a post-Western geopolitical order. While it's indisputable that U.S. and European countries, which represent the foundational pillars of the Western system, have seen their power diminish in th…

1
China-Africa Summit Preview: What’s on the Agenda for FOCAC 9? 39:12

4d ago39:12

39:12

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit is now less than a month away. Chinese President Xi Jinping will host dozens of African leaders in Beijing in the first week of September for the triennial gathering that comes at a critical time for African countries and China. Africa needs China's support for continued infrastructure financing …

1
Jendayi Frazer on U.S.-China Geopolitical Competition in Africa 45:39

26d ago45:39

45:39

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week on what the U.S. needs to do to better compete with China in Africa and other developing regions. Campbell bluntly told senators Washington "has to do better" to match Chinese finance, trade, and military engagement around the world. But t…

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] The ASEAN Wonk on Great Power Politics in Southeast Asia 1:00:29

1M ago1:00:29

1:00:29

The foreign ministers from China, the U.S., Japan, and Russia, among others, all passed through the Laotian capital, Vientiane, over the past several days, ostensibly for an ASEAN gathering. But the real action took place on the sidelines of the meeting, where the ministers held a series of bilaterals that revealed the hardening battle lines among …

1
A New Vision for European Engagement in Africa (Beyond Confronting China) 53:11

19d ago53:11

53:11

Europe is Africa's largest trading partner and its largest source of foreign direct investment. But a lot of that economic engagement is powered by inertia, left over from Europe's long, painful history of colonial exploitation in Africa. Just as in the United States, Europe's politics are decidedly inward-looking where Africa, if it's on the agend…

51
China-Africa Relations as Seen From the United States 39:36

1M ago39:36

39:36

As Chinese engagement in Africa steadily increased over the past twenty-five years, the U.S. has struggled to respond. Africa has consistently been a low priority in U.S. foreign policy, even with China's growing presence on the continent, and that's especially true today as events in the Middle East, Russia, and the South China Sea dominate the ag…

1
Who Gets to Tell the Africa-China Story? 58:29

1M ago58:29

58:29

So much of the framing of Chinese engagement in Africa is done through the prism of Western media, academia, government, and civil society. Stories about debt traps, malign influence, and exploitation are all firmly embedded in the larger discourse about Africa's relations with China. Conversely, the relationship is also framed in equally binary te…

1
The Impact of Chinese Overcapacity on Developing Countries 47:12

2M ago47:12

47:12

South Africa this week joined a growing list of developing countries around the world to introduce tariffs on certain Chinese imports in a bid to protect local producers. Indonesia, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil, among others, also introduced similar duties on Chinese steel and other products. While low-cost Chinese goods are a boon for Global South co…

1
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Debt and the Anti-Government Revolt in Kenya 53:41

2M ago53:41

53:41

Protestors in Kenya this week expressed fury against the government and the IMF but interestingly made no mention of China during an unprecedented uprising in Nairobi. It's notable because the Kenyan Treasury spends more money to service its Chinese loans than any other single creditor. For years, across two administrations, the Kenyan government h…

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] The Crisis in the South China Sea Enters a Dangerous New Phase 40:05

2M ago40:05

40:05

The violent confrontation between China and the Philippines on June 17th near the Second Thomas Shoal marked a sharp escalation in tensions between the two countries over their rival territorial claims in the South China Sea. After the melee that severely injured one Filipino sailor, the two countries engaged in a second battle, this time in the me…

1
How China's Changing Economy is Impacting Africa? 1:05:20

2M ago1:05:20

1:05:20

Back in the early 2000s, when Chinese engagement in Africa started to ramp up, China was enjoying double-digit growth and devoured vast quantities of African oil, minerals, and timber to feed its surging manufacturing sector. Fast-forward to the present, and China no longer relies on African resources as it once did. The Chinese economy has matured…

1
It's Time to Take the BRICS More Seriously 50:40

3M ago50:40

50:40

The BRICS group has existed since 2009 and has done little to distinguish itself in 15 years. They created a mid-sized development bank, but other than that, the bloc's accomplishments have been rather modest. That's now starting to change as the BRICS doubled in size to ten members, with around thirty other countries now on the waiting list. At th…

1
The Future of Chinese Development Finance in Africa 42:11

3M ago42:11

42:11

Chinese development finance in Africa today is a small fraction of what it was a decade ago when Beijing's policy banks provided billions of dollars in loans to countries across the continent. But while those heady days of easily accessible finance will likely never return, there are indications major Chinese lenders are once again gearing up to ex…

1
Jane Perlez On The Global South's Role In The U.S. - China Strategic Rivalry 55:04

3M ago55:04

55:04

With memories still fresh from the first Cold War, leaders in Africa, Asia, and across the Global South have repeatedly said they do not want any part of a second Great Power rivalry. But as tensions between the U.S. and China steadily deteriorate, the pressure on these smaller, non-aligned countries is going to surge.The geopolitical dynamics are …

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Jane Perlez on the Global South's Role in the U.S.-China Strategic Rivalry 53:05

3M ago53:05

53:05

With memories still fresh from the first Cold War, leaders in Africa, Asia, and across the Global South have repeatedly said they do not want any part of a second Great Power rivalry. But as tensions between the U.S. and China steadily deteriorate, the pressure on these smaller, non-aligned countries is going to surge. The geopolitical dynamics are…

1
The Hidden World Of Chinese Manufacturing In Ethiopia 44:37

3M ago44:37

44:37

Ethiopia's long-held ambition is to one day emerge as a major global manufacturing hub, benefiting from a wave of Chinese offshoring. The East African country's strategic location, abundant labor supply, and welcoming government are all very enticing for cost-conscious Chinese manufacturers.And while Ethiopia has been more successful than many Afri…

1
The Hidden World of Chinese Manufacturing in Ethiopia 42:42

3M ago42:42

42:42

Ethiopia's long-held ambition is to one day emerge as a major global manufacturing hub, benefiting from a wave of Chinese offshoring. The East African country's strategic location, abundant labor supply, and welcoming government are all very enticing for cost-conscious Chinese manufacturers. And while Ethiopia has been more successful than many Afr…

1
What's Driving The Surge In Brazil's Business Ties With China 50:44

3M ago50:44

50:44

BYD announced that it opened its 100th dealership in Brazil, highlighting the South American country's growing importance to the Chinese electric vehicle giant. It's a similar story across the board in tech, agriculture, and natural resources, among other sectors.Trade and investment between China and Brazil is booming and is unlikely to slow anyti…

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] What's Driving the Surge in Brazil's Business Ties With China 48:45

3M ago48:45

48:45

BYD announced that it opened its 100th dealership in Brazil, highlighting the South American country's growing importance to the Chinese electric vehicle giant. It's a similar story across the board in tech, agriculture, and natural resources, among other sectors. Trade and investment between China and Brazil is booming and is unlikely to slow anyt…

1
Illegal Chinese Timber Trade Fuels Insurgency in Mozambique 49:12

3M ago49:12

49:12

Officially, Mozambique bans the export of raw timber in an effort to protect what's left of the country's rapidly shrinking forests. But whatever laws are in place are largely disregarded as more than 500,000 tons of timber leave the country each year — 90% of which goes to China, according to a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency.…

1
WEEK IN REVIEW: China in the Sahel | ChatGPT's take on China-Africa 56:07

3M ago56:07

56:07

China somehow managed to get the oil flowing between Niger and Benin this week amid a bitter dispute between the two West African countries that had briefly shut down the pipeline. Eric, Cobus, and Geraud discuss how the Chinese seem to be navigating the Sahel's contentious politics with some finesse. Plus, ChatGPT launched a major new upgrade this…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Cobus Van Staden Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
The China in Africa Podcast

The China-Global South Project

1
The China Africa Project

Eric Olander & Cobus van Staden

1
David Monyae on the Politics of FOCAC 29:01

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] View From Israel: China's Growing Influence in the Middle East 33:26

1
Energy is Going to be the Hot Topic at Upcoming China-Africa Summit 44:58

1
African Priorities at the Upcoming China Summit 54:31

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Westlessness: A New Era Where the West Still Matters, Just Not as Much 51:30

1
China-Africa Summit Preview: What’s on the Agenda for FOCAC 9? 39:12

1
Jendayi Frazer on U.S.-China Geopolitical Competition in Africa 45:39

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] The ASEAN Wonk on Great Power Politics in Southeast Asia 1:00:29

1
A New Vision for European Engagement in Africa (Beyond Confronting China) 53:11

51
China-Africa Relations as Seen From the United States 39:36

1
Who Gets to Tell the Africa-China Story? 58:29

1
The Impact of Chinese Overcapacity on Developing Countries 47:12

1
WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Debt and the Anti-Government Revolt in Kenya 53:41

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] The Crisis in the South China Sea Enters a Dangerous New Phase 40:05

1
How China's Changing Economy is Impacting Africa? 1:05:20

1
It's Time to Take the BRICS More Seriously 50:40

1
The Future of Chinese Development Finance in Africa 42:11

1
Jane Perlez On The Global South's Role In The U.S. - China Strategic Rivalry 55:04

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] Jane Perlez on the Global South's Role in the U.S.-China Strategic Rivalry 53:05

1
The Hidden World Of Chinese Manufacturing In Ethiopia 44:37

1
The Hidden World of Chinese Manufacturing in Ethiopia 42:42

1
What's Driving The Surge In Brazil's Business Ties With China 50:44

1
[GLOBAL SOUTH] What's Driving the Surge in Brazil's Business Ties With China 48:45

1
Illegal Chinese Timber Trade Fuels Insurgency in Mozambique 49:12

1
WEEK IN REVIEW: China in the Sahel | ChatGPT's take on China-Africa 56:07

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