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

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

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U.S., European, and Japanese leaders are all talking about the urgency of building new supply chains to end their reliance on China for critical minerals and batteries that will power next-generation mobility, technology, and weapons. It all sounds great and makes for good politics at home, but the reality is that China's dominance of these vital supply chains is so big and still growing that it will be nearly impossible to close the gap anytime soon.

Zeyi Yang, a senior writer covering technology and business at Wired, recently detailed this phenomenon in a cover article for the magazine about how "Chinese EV batteries are eating the world." Zeyi joins Eric to discuss why it's going to be so difficult for the rest of the world to match China's near-total dominance of this increasingly vital sector.

📌 Topics Covered in this Episode

• China's 80% dominance in EV batteries
• Why Chinese firms are expanding globally
• Key players like CATL, BYD, and Goshen
• Expansion into Europe and Southeast Asia
• Local tensions over the environment and labor
• Batteries as a strategic energy resource

Show Notes:

• Wired: Chinese EV Batteries Are Eating the World by Zeyi Yang: https://tinyurl.com/595hnzrh

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

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Conservative media outlets and think tank analysts in the United States have sharply criticized China for what they say is Beijing's failure to support its supposed "allies" in Venezuela and Iran. Their arguments have gained traction on X and other social media platforms, where critics portray China as an unreliable partner that avoids confrontation, especially with the United States.

Other analysts dispute that interpretation. Scholars such as Evan Feigenbaum of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argue the criticism rests on a flawed assumption: that China's relationships with countries like Iran resemble the formal alliance commitments the United States maintains with its partners. In reality, Beijing's partnerships carry no comparable security guarantees.

In a recent Foreign Policy article, Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization, pushes back against these critiques. He outlines China's strategic priorities and explains why Beijing is unlikely to offer the kind of security commitments that define U.S. alliances.

Zichen joins Eric to discuss why China structures its global relationships differently—and why Beijing has little intention of acting as a security patron for partners like Iran.

📌 Topics Covered in this Episode

• Why U.S. critics say China is abandoning its partners
• Why China does not treat Iran or Venezuela as formal allies
• The difference between U.S. alliances and Chinese partnerships
• How China's domestic priorities shape its foreign policy
• Why Beijing avoids acting as a global security guarantor
• What this debate reveals about U.S. and Chinese strategic thinking

Show Notes:

• Foreign Policy: China Won't Play Security Patron for Iran by Wang Zichen
• Beyond the Ideological: The Iran Question Is All About China by Zineb Riboua
• Foundation for Defense of Democracies: Beijing Offers Tehran Lukewarm Rhetorical Support as Iranian Actions Threaten China's Oil, Trade Flows by Jack Burnham and Max Meizlish

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

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YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth

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China has launched a series of global governance and trade initiatives over the past decade that have sparked concern in U.S. and European capitals about whether Beijing is seeking to displace the Western-led international order. The so-called "5Gs" include the Global Governance/Security/Development/Civilization/AI Initiatives, along with the BRI, SCO, AIIB, and numerous other Chinese-initiated programs, all of which seem to suggest that China is, in fact, building a parallel international governance architecture to replace the post-WWII institutions.

But Joel Ng, senior fellow and head of the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, offers a different interpretation. He argues that China's new governance initiatives are not primarily designed to replace the existing international order. Instead, Beijing is using them as instruments to advance its own more narrowly defined strategic interests.

Joel joins Eric to discuss the new book he edited, The Dragon's Emerging Order: Sinocentric Multilateralism and Global Responses.

📌 Topics Covered in this Episode:

• What "Sinocentric multilateralism" actually means
• Whether China is creating parallel institutions to the UN system
• The role of BRICS and other emerging multilateral platforms
• Why many Global South countries find China's initiatives attractive
• How China's global governance ideas differ from U.S. alliance systems
• What could happen if the United Nations weakens or collapses financially

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

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The United States and Israel have launched strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering a full-scale war in the Middle East. As the region descends into conflict, a fascinating debate has emerged about what this means for China: from the surge in Chinese defense stocks and weapons export opportunities, to the collapse of Beijing's landmark Saudi-Iran diplomatic agreement.

Is this a strategic disaster for China, or does the chaos actually create unexpected openings?

Andrea Ghiselli, research director at The ChinaMed Project and a lecturer in international politics at the University of Exeter, joins Eric to discuss the stark differences in how this conflict is discussed in China and in the Global West.

📌 Topics Covered in this Episode:

• The US-Israel strikes on Iran and the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei
• Why Chinese defense stocks surged to a 10-year high on the Shanghai Stock Exchange
• The "ally" myth: why China was never going to militarily defend Iran
• The collapse of China's landmark Saudi-Iran diplomatic détente
• Asymmetric warfare — why Iran's cheap drones may outlast America's expensive missiles
• China's energy security: oil stockpiling strategy and Strait of Hormuz exposure
• US munitions depletion and what it means for a potential Taiwan scenario
• What to watch in Chinese discourse if the Islamic Republic faces collapse

Show Notes:

• The ChinaMed Project: How Chinese Experts are Reacting to the American-Israeli Strikes on Iran by Andrea Ghiselli: https://tinyurl.com/mr439hdp
• The China-Global South Project: "Win or Lose, America Loses": Chinese Analyst Says Trump's Iran Gamble Will Hand Beijing a Strategic Victory by Han Zhen: https://tinyurl.com/484p6bbn
• The China-Global South Project: Chinese Nationalist Voices Dismissed Online After Iran Strike Defies Predictions by Han Zhen: https://tinyurl.com/bdenrfyd

People to Follow Reference in this Episode:

• @GeringTuvia, analyst at Planet Nine, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub
• @EvanFeigenbaum, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

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• French: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine
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The Panamanian government formally took over the two ports operated by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison this week at both ends of the Panama Canal. U.S. officials celebrated the move as part of their larger effort to expel China from the Western Hemisphere.

Washington has now set its sights on the Chinese-owned Chancay mega port in Peru.

But given the extent of Chinese engagement in Latin America, most notably the fact that the region does more than half-a-trillion dollars of trade annually with China, is it even possible for the U.S. to expel the Chinese?

Pedro Armada, a Panama City-based risk consultant who closely follows the U.S.-China rivalry in Latin America, joins Eric to discuss what happens next following the expulsion of CK Hutchison from the canal zone and what it means for the rest of Latin America.

📌 Topics covered in this episode:

• Panama's takeover of Chinese-operated ports
• U.S. pressure on Peru's Chinese-built Chancay port
• Trump's Western Hemisphere strategy toward China
• Narrative battles and misinformation in Latin America
• Trade ties that make decoupling from China difficult
• Whether Beijing is waiting out U.S. political cycles

Show Notes:

• The China-Global South Project: The Paradox of Panama's "Rule of Law": Hutchison Ports vs. Minera Panama by Pedro Armada: https://tinyurl.com/4vcta4tw
• The China-Global South Project: Panama and the New U.S. Strategy to Counter China in Latin America by Pedro Armada: https://tinyurl.com/msspbmbw

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

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Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings is now a massive Chinese technology company that few people outside of Africa and certain parts of Asia have heard of. Even in China, the brand, now the world's 5th-largest mobile phone producer, remains largely unknown.

Transsion gained notoriety after it entered the African market in 2006. Back then, the world's largest phone brands all but ignored African consumers, selling low-end, late-model devices designed primarily for Western and Asian consumers.

The Chinese company saw an opportunity and tweaked the software on its phones to optimize photos for darker skin tones, and added a suite of features like dual SIM cards, dustproofing, and longer battery life to sell sub-$100 phones to Africa's booming youth market. That formula worked, and the company's three brands, Tecno, Infinix, and iTel, have dominated the market for more than a decade.

But little is known about how Transsion achieved its success in Africa. Lu Miao, an assistant professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, joins Eric & Cobus to lay out the company's strategy and why it was so effective in a market that others largely ignored.

Purchase the book: The Transsion Approach: Translating Chinese Mobile Technology in Africa by Lu Miao: https://a.co/d/04AKaajZ

📌 Topics covered in this episode:

• Why rural-first strategy beat Silicon Valley-style scaling
• How African distributors helped shape product design and marketing
• The importance of dual SIM cards, long battery life, and localized features
• The role of Carlcare repair centers in building long-term loyalty
• The shift from feature phones to smartphones and rising competition
• Growing patent lawsuits and the next phase of AI-driven competition

Join the Discussion:

X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander

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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
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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