The China-Global South Podcast

China's new joint air training facility in Laos highlights Beijing's incremental expansion of its military access across Southeast Asia. The 2,000-meter runway could extend the operational reach of Chinese aircraft, although its current capabilities remain limited and its long-term purpose is uncertain. Unlike a conventional overseas base, the facility reflects a gradual approach to expanding China's regional security footprint.
The bigger story may be Beijing's deepening political and economic influence in Laos, where Chinese investment, debt exposure, and growing party-to-party ties strengthen bilateral relations. As Japan expands security cooperation across Southeast Asia and the United States maintains its regional military presence, China's evolving access arrangements could gradually reshape the regional balance of power.
Hunter Marston, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute and project lead for the Asia Power Index, joins Eric to talk about China's military ambitions in Laos, the strategic implications of its growing regional access, and the roles of economic leverage and Japan's expanding security partnerships.
Show Notes:
Lowy Institute: What to make of China's new air facility in Laos by Hunter Marston
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
China's New Air Training Facility in Laos
Beijing's Growing Political and Economic Influence in Laos
China's Military Access and Southeast Asian Security
Japan's Expanding Security Role in the Indo-Pacific
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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @LowyInstitute
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth


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The world's largest bank by assets is also a powerful instrument of Chinese statecraft. An investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, based on 4.8 million confidential records, reveals how Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) aligned lending decisions with Beijing's strategic priorities, sometimes overriding internal compliance concerns to secure natural resources, support Chinese companies, and strengthen political alliances.
The findings highlight the tensions between commercial banking, geopolitical influence, and financial oversight. From lending to Russian companies despite sanctions-related concerns to financing infrastructure and resource deals abroad, the records expose how strategic imperatives can shape banking decisions. Limited transparency, meanwhile, leaves borrowing countries and regulators with significant questions about accountability and risk.
Scilla Alecci, lead reporter and partnership coordinator for ICIJ's China Capital Investigation, joins Eric to talk about ICBC's overseas lending, Beijing's influence over bank decisions, and the implications for financial regulation, resource access, and borrowing countries.
Show Notes:
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists - How the world's largest bank advances Beijing's political priorities and global ambitions by Scilla Alecci
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
How ICBC Advances Beijing's Global Strategic Interests
China's State Banks and Geopolitical Power Projection
Sanctions Compliance and High-Risk Overseas Lending Decisions
Chinese Lending, Resource Access, and Political Alliances
Zambia's Debt Repayments and China's Lending Practices
Transparency, Financial Oversight, and Borrower Accountability
Join the Discussion:
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @scilla_alecci
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: 
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India and China are cautiously rebuilding ties after years of confrontation, but normalization remains fragile. Recent high-level meetings have restored diplomatic momentum, yet unresolved territorial claims, persistent military deployments and deep strategic mistrust continue to constrain progress.
Beyond the border, the two Asian powers face competing regional ambitions, an increasingly complex relationship with Washington and a deeply imbalanced trade relationship. India's dependence on Chinese industrial components complicates efforts to reduce economic vulnerabilities, while China's close partnership with Pakistan and India's expanding security ties across Southeast Asia reinforce their strategic rivalry.
Ananth Krishnan, China Correspondent at The Hindu, joins Eric to examine the trajectory of India-China relations, including border negotiations, the impact of U.S. policy under Donald Trump, and the challenges of balancing economic interdependence with strategic competition.
Show Notes:
Substack: The India China Newsletter by Ananth Krishnan 
Ananth Krishnan's Book - India's China Challenge: A Journey through China's Rise 
The Hindu: Ananth Krishnan's Reporting for the Hindu
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
India-China Border Talks and Normalization 
Trump's Impact on India-China Relations 
China-Pakistan Ties and Regional Security Competition 
India-China Trade Imbalances and Supply Chain Dependence
Join the Discussion:
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @ananthkrishnan
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: 
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U.S. public attitudes toward China are becoming less hawkish, widening the gap between Washington's national security establishment and a public increasingly favoring cooperation. A Chicago Council survey found 57% of Americans support engagement with China, compared with 85% of surveyed national security professionals favoring competition and containment.
The shift is being driven partly by generational change, growing admiration for Chinese technology and infrastructure, and frustration with domestic dysfunction in the United States. But the underlying rivalry remains intact, with trade, technology, geopolitical alignments, and structural economic tensions continuing to constrain the fragile détente.
Kaiser Kuo, host of the Sinica podcast, joins Eric to examine changing perceptions of China, including generational attitudes, performance legitimacy, and whether the current U.S.-China détente can endure.
Show Notes
Foreign Affairs: How China Is Winning Friends and Influencing People by Eric Olander and Lizzi Lee
Sinica: Sinica Podcast Substack by Kaiser Kuo
Sinica: The Fever Has Broken — For Now by Kaiser Kuo 
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
Shifting American Attitudes Toward China and Cooperation
Chinamaxxing and the Rise of China's Appeal
Generational Divides in U.S.-China Relations Today
The Fragile Détente Between Washington and Beijing
China's Performance Legitimacy and American Dysfunction
Why Greater China Literacy Matters for Policymakers
Join the Discussion:
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @KaiserKuo
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: 
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China's relationship with Venezuela has shifted from a cornerstone of its South American strategy to a visibly diminished partnership. After more than two decades of oil-backed lending, infrastructure investment, and strategic cooperation, Beijing has responded cautiously as U.S. control over Venezuelan oil assets displaces Chinese interests.
The relationship now appears to occupy a gray zone: neither a full continuation of the pre-2026 partnership nor a formal rupture. China's limited response reflects the declining importance of Venezuela relative to Brazil, Peru, and Chile, while its remaining assets and longstanding interests give Beijing reasons to preserve a smaller presence.
Andrea Freites, China researcher at the Millennium Nucleus on the Impacts of China in Latin America and the Caribbean, joins Eric to talk about the future of China-Venezuela relations, including Beijing's response to the political transition, the fate of Chinese oil interests, and the prospects for a smaller but enduring Chinese presence.
📌 Topics Covered in This Episode
China's changing role in Venezuela 
The fate of Chinese oil interests 
Beijing's response to Maduro's removal 
The future of China-Venezuela relations
Join the Discussion:
X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @afreitesh
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