Afghanistan’s $6.5B Mine Deals with China, Others Dig Up Questions
September 18th, 2023
Via Nikkei Asia, an article on how the Taliban face feasibility and security doubts as their regime aims to shore up economy: An Afghan Taliban drive to stabilize the economy and improve sentiment toward the regime through new mining deals with Chinese and other companies is drawing skepticism. Faced with international sanctions and a bleak economic […]
Read more »China and The Taliban: Friends In Need Of Each Other?
September 16th, 2023
Via Nikkei Asia, commentary on China’s relationship with Afghanistan, where investment creeps forward amid continued security worries: In a portentous marker of the second anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, officials from the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs last month tweeted a photo from a meeting with visiting executives from China’s Huawei Technologies. The […]
Read more »Is Gwadar the Key to Bridging East and West Global Economics and Geopolitics?
September 16th, 2023
Via Modern Diplomacy, an article on Gwadar’s role in bringing east and west global economics and geopolitics: In the realm of global economics and strategic geopolitics, few places hold as much promise and significance as Gwadar. Nestled on the southwestern coast of Pakistan, Gwadar is often referred to as the “Gateway to the Arabian Sea,” […]
Read more »China’s Mid-Tier Cities Vie for EV Battery Supremacy
September 14th, 2023
Courtesy of Caixin Global, a report on China’s EV battery battle: A handful of things put the southwestern Chinese city of Yibin on the map. There’s Wuliangye, a popular brand of fiery liquor baijiu. The iconic Bamboo Sea that formed a key location for Ang Lee’s 2000 martial arts hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And […]
Read more »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 »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.