The development finance industry would like us to believe that money for infrastructure, education, and other needs goes to where it's needed most. The reality, though, isn't that simple. Politics, it turns out, plays a much more important role than many would like to admit.

Keyi Tang, an assistant professor at ESADE Business School in Spain, studied development finance data on 48 African countries over a 20-year period that revealed that money often flows to those who hold influence rather than to those who need it most.

Keyi joins Eric to discuss the findings that she recently published in her new book, "Power Over Progress: How Politics Shape Development Finance in Africa."

📌 Topics Covered in this Episode

• Political forces shaping development finance
• How China compares to Western lenders
• Why aid often favors politically strategic regions
• The role of domestic elections and power dynamics
• Structural inequalities in the global finance system
• The rise of borrower coordination efforts
• Impact of shrinking Western and Chinese funding
• How civil society can drive accountability

Show Notes:

• Cambridge University Press: Power Over Progress: How Politics Shape Development Finance in Africa by Keyi Tang: https://a.co/d/04Oc87sf

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

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Long neglected by the United States, Latin America is now on the frontlines of the global contest with China. Washington's new National Security Strategy made it clear that the U.S. must remain the unrivaled hegemonic power in the Western Hemisphere, something it can't do so long as China is the largest trading partner for most Latin American countries.

The U.S. is particularly unnerved by the scale of Chinese infrastructure development across the region and the fact that it's becoming a major investor, particularly in larger countries like Brazil.

Former Chilean ambassador to China Jorge Heine, now a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute, joins Eric to discuss why this competition is accelerating and whether "active non-alignment" remains a viable strategy in this new era of geopolitical competition.

📌 Topics Covered in this Episode

• The intensifying U.S.–China rivalry in Latin America
• Washington's push to block Chinese infrastructure projects
• Strategic battlegrounds: ports, telecom cables, and digital connectivity
• How Latin American countries are balancing competing pressures
• The concept of "active non-alignment" in today's geopolitical climate
• Why China remains an indispensable economic partner for the region

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

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YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth

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Follow CGSP in French and Spanish:

• French: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
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The Cambodian government is leading a massive, unprecedented crackdown on the scamming business that once accounted for an estimated one-third of the country's GDP. For the past six months, heavily armed security forces have raided scam centers across the country and arrested more than 6,000 in the first couple months of the year.

The campaign began last fall when the United States issued a criminal indictment against Chen Zhi, a multi-billionaire Chinese national who built a vast empire in Cambodia that included a huge network of scam compounds that generated a staggering $30 million a day.

Huang Yan, a Chinese journalist based in Southeast Asia, is among a small group of international journalists covering every detail of the ongoing crackdown against scam centers. Huang joins Eric from Bangkok to discuss why the fall of Chen Zhi was so important and what it reveals about the outsized role that Chinese actors are playing in this saga.

📌 Topics Covered in this Episode

• Cambodia's scam crackdown: reality vs. narrative
• Chinese kingpins behind the networks
• Life inside scam compounds
• The Chen Zhi case and global pressure
• Why the industry persists
• Where the scams are moving next

Show Notes:

• Cambodia: Rain and Dust: The Rise and Fall of Chen Zhi by Huang Yan
• The New York Times: Why Cambodia Handed Over a Man Accused of Stealing Billions in Crypto Scam by Sui-Lee Wee

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth

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• French: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
• Spanish: www.chinalasamericas.com | @ChinaAmericas

Join us on Patreon!
Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth