A Tale of Two Railroads: Financing Chinese-Built Trains in Kenya and Ethiopia - Yunnan Chen

The Belt and Road Podcast

In this episode, Erik and Juliet interview Yunnan Chen (PhD candidate at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies) about two Chinese-built railway projects, one in Kenya and one in Ethiopia. The comparison between the two cases provides reflections on how host countries negotiate over debt funding for infrastructural projects, and the logistical and cultural challenges the developers have faced in getting both projects off the ground.
Our discussion draws on Yunnan's recent article in Quartz entitled, "Ethiopia and Kenya are struggling to manage debt for their Chinese-built railways."
Recommendations
Yunnan

• "Chinese firms and employment dynamics in Africa: A comparative analysis." By Carlos Oya and Floridian Schaefer.
• "Wealth from Waste? Chinese Investments and Technology Transfer int he Tanzanian Plastic Recycling Industry." By YingXia.

Juliet

• The Three Body Problem (三体), a novel by Liu Xin which opens during the Cultural Revolution and moves into a period of state promotion of "scientific and technological rejuvenation" through the 1990s. The English translation includes a reflection by Liu Xin on the role of the sci fi genre in stretching societal concepts of the realm of possibility, and the relationship between English and non-English language sci fi writing.

Erik

• "Bridging Perceptions: China in Mozambique." By Lauren Baker.
• The robots: Erik has a few new robot helpers in his life (alexa + roomba + smart tv) which he gives a shout out to