Ten Years On, China’s Belt and Road Initiative Rolls On – But Faces Hurdles
July 13th, 2023
Via Asia Global Online, a look at China’s BRI, ten (10) years on: A decade after its rollout, China’s Belt and Road Initiative continues, though it has hit obstacles along the way – the pandemic, the Ukraine war, and criticism about governance, transparency and debt incurred by host countries. Fithra Faisal Hastiadi of Universitas Indonesia, […]
Read more »China Begins Lithium Extraction, Increases Mining Investment in Bolivia
July 12th, 2023
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a report on Beijing’s growing investment presence in Bolivia, in particular the growing Chinese interest in lithium, is prompting concerns about economic dependency. Nearly six months after a $1 billion agreement was signed between the Chinese firms CATL, BRUNP, and CMOC (CBC) and the Bolivian state company Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos […]
Read more »Belt and Road: A Net Benefit for Bangladesh So Far
July 12th, 2023
Courtesy of the Asia Times, commentary on BRI benefits for Bangladesh where Dhaka has prudently avoided any ‘debt trap’ while addressing key infrastructure shortages with Chinese funding and assistance: In recent years, China has emerged as Bangladesh’s largest trading partner and one of its biggest providers of development assistance. Since 2016, the two sides have […]
Read more »Power Play? A Troubled New Power Plant Leaves Jordan in Debt to China
July 10th, 2023
Via AP News, an article on a troubled new power plant which has left Jordan in debt to China, raising concerns over Beijing’s influence: Jordan’s Attarat power plant was envisioned as a landmark project promising to provide the desert kingdom with a major source of energy while solidifying its relations with China. But weeks after […]
Read more »Chinese Investors and Samoan High Chief Plot A Cryptocurrency Hub In Paradise
July 9th, 2023
Via Eurasia Review, a look at a curious Chinese-led cryptocurrency vision for Samoa: At a slickly choreographed event in Hong Kong on April 26, the island nation of Samoa was introduced to a vision of its future: cryptocurrency and stock trading epicenter of the South Pacific. Chinese officials and businessmen made speeches – their resumes […]
Read more »In Timor-Leste, China Chips Away at Australian Influence
July 6th, 2023
Via The China Project, a report on growing Chinese influence in Timor Leste: In 2017, Timor-Leste signed up to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and hosted Chinese warships in its ports. It led to fears of a political power-play by the P.R.C., with some calling Timor-Leste “Australia’s Cuba.” The tiny half-island nation of Timor-Leste […]
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.