China has made significant inroads into much of the global south, a trend that does not always receive adequate attention in the West. China's image in those countries has deteriorated in recent years, and there appears to be an assumption that this is universal. However, polling data from Africa and the Middle East show that China's reputation in the developing world is in much better shape. In today's podcast, we are joined by Dr. Lina Benabdallah. Dr. Lina Benabdallah is a Wake Forest University assistant professor of politics and international affairs. Her research interests include international relations theory, foreign policy, critical theories of power, past politics, and knowledge production and hegemony in South-South relations. Dr. Lina will provide an overview of China's influence in the Global South, as well as why China is viewed positively by African countries. She will also discuss how China gained positive impressions from Africans and how this affects the global stage. Takeaways Overview of China’s influence on the Global South The difference between Western perspectives and the Global South to China Africa’s positive impressions of China Position of Africans in the US-China conflict China’s influence in terms of relations and production Quotes Positive impressions and perceptions of China in Africa come from these tangible projects, goods, and infrastructure that people can use to make their life easier - Dr. Lina China is identifying itself as a member of the Global South family. This makes them more appealing to countries in the Global South, as well as a model for countries aspiring to be great nations. - Dr. Lina Featured in this Episode Jonathan Fulton Nonresident Senior Fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council. Assistant Professor of Political Science at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi Profile: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/jonathan-fulton/ Linkedin: https://ae.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-fulton-2627414b Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonathandfulton Dr. Lina Benabdallah Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Wake Forest University https://linabenabdallah.com https://twitter.com/lbenabdallah Her Book: Shaping the future of Power, Knowledge, Production, and Network Building in China-Africa relations https://www.amazon.com/Shaping-Future-Power-Network-Building-China-Africa/dp/0472074547 https://www.press.umich.edu/10194365/shaping_the_future_of_power The Article mentioned: China's Soft Power Advantage in Africa https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/africa/2021-12-23/chinas-soft-power-advantage-africa Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:17 An Overview of China’s outreach to the Global South 09:10 Western perspective of China versus the perspective of the Global South 16:11 Reasons why China has positive impressions in Africa 24:13 Africans in the US-China conflict 35:58 Developing the social capital of Africa 45:06 Measuring China’s influence in terms of relations and productions 51:57 Professional approach to learning China’s influence in the Global South This podcast was produced by Heart cast Media. https://www.heartcastmedia.com