Railroads and Roads: Nepal-China Relations Move Into Fast Lane
October 17th, 2024
Via the Malaysia Sun, a look at the growing ties between Nepal and China: Nepal and China have reaffirmed their commitment to advancing projects under the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network (THMDCN), a Beijing-led idea that the two countries agreed to in April 2018. According to a statement issued by the Nepali Embassy in Beijing, Deputy […]
Read more »Why China’s Southeast Asia Belt and Road Push Could Give iIt Edge In Critical Battleground
October 17th, 2024
Via South China Morning Post, a report on how infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail could help Beijing keep US from coaxing region into its orbit: When Vietnam’s new top leader To Lam visited Beijing in mid-August, infrastructure was very much top of mind. During the trip, China agreed to support a feasibility study for two standard-gauge […]
Read more »China’s Evolving Strategy in South and Central Asia
October 16th, 2024
Via The Diplomat, a look at how China’s growing footprint in South and Central Asia has been made possible by the influx of grants, loans, mergers, and economic concessions for projects: In the middle of the Pamir mountains, near the remote Tajik-Afghan border area of Badakhshan, I find myself staring at a large red banner […]
Read more »Two Paths: Why States Join or Avoid China’s Belt and Road Initiative
October 12th, 2024
Courtesy of Oxford Academic, an interesting new paper examining why countries join or avoid China’s BRI: Abstract Although China’s motives for developing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have been well studied, scholars have yet to comprehensively examine why states seek to join the initiative. We fill this gap by examining how and why states […]
Read more »Can China’s Global South Strategy Achieve Its Objectives in Central Asia?
October 12th, 2024
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a report on China’s foreign policy toward Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan which has had contrasting results over the years: The notion of the Global South has been characterized as “an intellectually elusive but emotionally rich term.” The multifaceted term Global South can refer to over 120 countries. It is used to describe regions and nations suffering […]
Read more »Brazil Edges Closer To China’s Belt and Road. Why Now?
October 5th, 2024
Via Dialogue Earth, a look at how signals from Brasília suggest the country may finally sign up to the Chinese initiative, as Lula’s government weighs up economic benefits, infrastructure goals and strategic gains: As China’s Belt and Road Initiative enters its second decade, the country appears on the verge of persuading Brazil to make the significant […]
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.