Navigating the Crossroads: China’s Mineral Pursuit in Afghanistan and the US Concerns
July 18th, 2024
Via Australian Institute of International Affairs, a report on China’s mineral pursuit in Afghanistan: As the US-led NATO forces withdrew, China stepped into Afghanistan, focusing on exploiting mineral resources, including lithium, crucial for green technologies like electric vehicle batteries. This move has raised geopolitical tensions and also concerns about the ethical trade-offs between economic development […]
Read more »China and Peru: Forging Stronger Economic and Tech Ties – Starting With Chancay Port
July 18th, 2024
Via South China Morning Post, an article on closer ties between China and Peru: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Peruvian counterpart Dina Boluarte have agreed to strengthen economic and technology ties between their two nations, including joint efforts in building a Pacific trade hub. As part of Boluarte’s first state visit to China, the […]
Read more »How Kazakhstan Became a Player in the Global Mineral Trade
July 18th, 2024
Via the New York Times, a look at how Kazakhstan’s bounty has enriched the country and grabbed the attention of entrepreneurs scrambling to control the ingredients needed to fight climate change: Kenges Rakishev, one of the richest men in Kazakhstan, stepped off a private jet at a Soviet-era airport and hopped into the lead car […]
Read more »Exhausting the Desert: Cash, Concrete, and Cucumbers in Jordan
July 18th, 2024
Courtesy of Synaps, commentary on the sustainability – or lack thereof – of Jordan’s water-based economy: Drive through Jordan in springtime, and you could easily forget that the country is among the world’s most water scarce and imports practically all its staple foods. Date groves and greenhouses line the Jordan Valley. Fields of grain sprout […]
Read more »Tajikistan: Without Reform, Central Asia’s Growth Champion Faces Tougher Times
July 18th, 2024
Via Emerging Europe, a report on Tajikistan: In order for Tajikistan to ensure sustainable development, it needs to implement structural reforms focused on enhancing economic openness and competitive neutrality, and improve public sector governance, transparency and accountability for better public service delivery. With the highest growth rate of any economy in Central and Eastern Europe […]
Read more »The Chinese Base That Isn’t There
July 15th, 2024
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at how new port facilities and the months-long presence of Chinese warships in Cambodia show Beijing’s growing global influence: In 2020, something curious happened at Cambodia’s Ream military base, on the Gulf of Thailand. Not long after submitting — and then abruptly withdrawing — a request for […]
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.