Hedging the Nile: Xi Jinping Cements China’s Suez Canal Foothold as US-Iran Conflict Deepens
September 3rd, 2026
Via The Africa Report, a look at Beijing’s efforts to expand its Egyptian industrial hub during Xi’s first Cairo visit in a decade, securing critical trade routes while President Sisi asserts non-aligned strategic autonomy: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and counterpart Xi Jinping agreed on Wednesday, 2 September, to expand China’s investment in the Suez Canal […]
Read more »Syria, Eyeing Role as Middle East Hub, Offers Options to Bypass Hormuz
September 3rd, 2026
Courtesy of the Washington Post, a look at how the wartime blockage of cargo traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is a boon for Syria, which is poised to capitalize on a need for alternative transit routes for oil: Day and night, 5,000 hulking trucks carrying oil from the Persian Gulf rumble across this stretch […]
Read more »The Missing Ingredient: How Power Is Fueling Madagascar’s Economic Future
September 1st, 2026
Courtesy of the World Bank, a report on how reliable power is energizing Madagascar’s economic future: Synopsis In Madagascar, reliable electricity is helping entrepreneurs start businesses, farmers reach new markets, and employers keep production moving. From rural solar mini-grids to new investments in the national grid, expanded access to affordable, reliable power is creating opportunities […]
Read more »India and Indonesia Developing Sabang as a Port, Not a Base
September 1st, 2026
Via ASPI’s The Strategist, a look at how India and Indonesia are developing Sabang as a port, not a base: India’s interest in developing Sabang port in northern Sumatra is often interpreted as a response to China’s expanding maritime presence in the Indian Ocean. This does not capture India’s more immediate priorities. Sabang will acquire […]
Read more »Uzbekistan Meets the World on its Own Terms
September 1st, 2026
Via Asia Sentinel, a look at how foreign investment is driving blistering economic growth in Uzbekistan, which won’t be dictated to by China or the US: Foreign investment from countries including China is driving the rapid growth of Uzbekistan’s economy, but the Central Asian country does not intend to be a doormat for the US […]
Read more »Angola Is Emerging as One of Africa’s Most Important Gateways to the Asia-Pacific
September 1st, 2026
Via The Diplomat, a look at Angola’s recent growth: Angola’s city of Lobito, resting behind a natural harbor on the Western side of Africa, is becoming a major industrial port city. It is the second largest port along Angola’s coast, and it has grown steadily over the course of the last two decades, strategically placed […]
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.