China’s Polar Silk Road: Long Game or Failed Strategy?
February 28th, 2024
Via the Arctic Institute, commentary on China’s Polar Silk Road: The events of 2022 proved to be a year of great geopolitical changes. In February 2022, just days before Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Xi Jinping and Putin met in Beijing, where they discussed among other things the development of the Polar […]
Read more »Africa’s Energy Frontiers Draw Chinese Investors
February 28th, 2024
Via Energy, Capital, and Power, a look at Chinese investment interest in Africa’s energy potential: As the continent’s largest trading partner, China has played an active role in harnessing Africa’s energy resources and developing critical infrastructure to date. As the country seeks to secure future energy supplies – as well as foster regional diplomacy in […]
Read more »Infrastructure Diplomacy The Key To China’s Influence In Africa
February 28th, 2024
Via East Asia Forum, an article on China’s strategy of gifting large-scale projects worldwide, especially in Africa, to establish itself as a modernization facilitator and gain international prestige: China gifted Zimbabwe a new parliament building in October 2023 — a US$200 million project financed and constructed by the Chinese government. This generosity is part of a […]
Read more »Hong Kong Eyes SE Asia and Middle East In Next Chapter of BRI
February 28th, 2024
Via South China Morning Post, a report that Hong Kong is eyeing Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern business ties in the next chapter of China’s belt and road plan: Head of global trade scheme’s Hong Kong wing says city to concentrate efforts on countries in the two regions to ensure intermediate results ‘Some of our visits […]
Read more »Africa Needs China For Its Digital Development – But At What Price?
February 28th, 2024
Via The East African, commentary on China’s involvement in many African nations’ digital development: The global market for information and communication technology infrastructure is controlled by a handful of producers. It is sometimes assumed that African leaders choose Chinese providers because they offer the cheapest technology. Researchers believe that China’s export of critical infrastructure components will enable military and industrial […]
Read more »What South African Rooibos Tea Can Tell Us About Africa-China Trade Flows
February 25th, 2024
Via The Diplomat, a report on how the example of South Africa’s famous tea variety speaks to unfinished business in expanding African exports to China: Last month, China’s General Administration of Customs released its customs data for 2023. The data showed that China’s total trade with Africa grew a modest 1.5 percent in 2023, reaching $282.1 billion, but Africa’s […]
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.