Afghanistan Shows Gap Between BRI Rhetoric and Reality
November 9th, 2023
Courtesy of Nikkei Asia, commentary on how China’s BRI has not brought stability to Afghanistan but, instead, requires it: China’s close embrace of the Taliban was on display once again at last month’s Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, where acting Minister for Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Aziz represented the government in Kabul that no […]
Read more »Transsion: Now the World’s Fifth Largest Phone Maker Thanks to Africa
November 9th, 2023
Via Semafor, a report that China’s Transsion is now the world’s fifth largest phone maker thanks to Africa: > What is Transsion’s story? Transsion is a phone manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China, whose brands are Tecno, Itel and Infinix. Though largely unknown to Chinese consumers, Transsion really began establishing a presence in Africa in the […]
Read more »The Mongolia-China-Russia Trilateral After the Belt and Road Forum
November 9th, 2023
Via The Diplomat, a look at Mongolia’s, China’s, and Russia’s different, if convergent, goals for their trilateral cooperation, headlined by the Power of Siberia 2 mega-project: Beijing’s Belt and Road Forum (BRF) means business for neighbors Russia and Mongolia, both of which are always looking to boost economic activities with China. This year, the meeting […]
Read more »Geely Eyes EV Foothold in Southeast Asia with $10B Malaysia Hub
November 8th, 2023
Via Nikkei Asia, an article on a Chinese automaker doubling down on its Proton partnership: Chinese automaker Geely has teamed up with Malaysian partner Proton Holdings to stage a comeback in Southeast Asia’s electric vehicle market, fueled by a $10 billion investment in Malaysia. One of the biggest attractions at last month’s Malaysia International Motor […]
Read more »Where China’s Lithium Monopoly Comes From
November 8th, 2023
Via The Diplomat, a report on the real issue with lithium, specifically that there is no shortage of raw lithium, but rather China’s dominance of lithium processing is where the potential problem lies: 2,850,000 billion and 20 million: two numbers that can enlighten us all about the looming lithium shortage. That first is mine and […]
Read more »China’s Global Network of Strategically Vital Ports
November 7th, 2023
Via The Washington Post, a look at how China has acquired a global network of strategically vital ports: A decade ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Maritime Silk Road, the oceanic component of his flagship Belt and Road Initiative aimed at improving China’s access to world markets by investing in transportation infrastructure. The initiative’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.