Vietnam: The Epitome of a Belt and Road Hedge
September 13th, 2023
Via Asia Times, commentary on how – unlike welcoming neighbors – Hanoi has staked out a mostly non-committal position on Beijing’s infrastructure-building policy: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, is considered an ambitious long-term strategy to promote the expansion of Chinese influence by providing countries in the region with […]
Read more »The Crazy World of China’s Lithium Mine Auctions
September 13th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, an article on China’s lithium mine auctions: Urgency grows for Beijing to defend its lead in supply chains Mineral is crucial to its world-beating electric car industry Welcome to the world of China’s lithium auctions, where vast numbers of bids are placed, firms end up spending over a thousand times the opening price, […]
Read more »The Viability of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
September 13th, 2023
Via Geopolitical Futures, a look at the the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, an ambitious new connectivity project will likely run aground in the Arabian Peninsula: We live in an age of interregional connections. China’s Belt and Road Initiative, after a decade and hundreds of billions of dollars in spending, has faced significant setbacks but remains […]
Read more »China, Venezuela Agree on Partnership During Maduro Trip
September 13th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, a report on a new partnership agreement between China and Venezuela: President Xi Jinping said China and Venezuela agreed to enter into a strategic partnership, a sign the two nations are improving ties after years of cooling. Xi earlier met President Nicolás Maduro in Beijing on Wednesday for their first sitdown since 2018. China and Venezuela also […]
Read more »How China’s Belt and Road Took Over the World
September 13th, 2023
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a look at the BRI’s growth over its first 10 years – and its transformation from a Eurasian transit corridor to an initiative with global scope: On September 7, 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan. Titled “Work Together to Build the Silk Road […]
Read more »The Surge in Saudi Arabia’s Tourism
September 13th, 2023
Via Modern Diplomacy, a report on Saudi Arabia’s growing tourism industry: Saudi Arabia, a land traditionally synonymous with oil and Hajj pilgrimages, is making headlines with its burgeoning tourism sector. Over a three-month period, the kingdom witnessed a staggering inflow of 7.8 million people, generating a revenue of $9.86 billion in the first quarter of […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.