The Rise (and Fall?) of the Polar Silk Road
September 2nd, 2022
Courtesy of The Diplomat, an article on the sizeable gap between China’s ambitions for the PSR and its actual capabilities and accomplishments in the Arctic – and the gap has widened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: This month, the Biden administration announced it would soon name an ambassador-at-large to cover the Arctic, as part of the […]
Read more »China Slowly Undercutting US influence in Latin America With 5 ‘New Factor’ Trade Deals
September 1st, 2022
Via South China Morning Post, an article on China’s efforts to slowly undercut US influence in Latin America with 5 ‘new factor’ trade deals with Ecuador, Uruguay, Panama, Colombia and Nicaragua, having already penned agreements with Chile, Costa Rica and Peru: China stands to secure prized natural resources while vying with the United States for allies […]
Read more »China Cements Influence In Iraq Through Oil, Infrastructure Deals
August 23rd, 2022
Via Oil and Gas Daily, a look at China’s growing influence in Iraq: China has gained a major foothold in oil-rich Iraq, shaking up Western domination in fields from energy to construction, even as some warn that infrastructure projects could leave Baghdad in debt. After decades of conflict, Iraq is “badly in need of foreign […]
Read more »Laos Economic Crisis Intensifies Amid Massive Chinese Debt
August 23rd, 2022
Via Deutsche Welle, a report on Laos which is facing one of its worst economic crises in decades, with the country experiencing galloping inflation and staring at a debt default: Laos’ economy has been on the brink of collapse due to a spiraling debt crisis that is crippling the country’s finances and bringing it perilously […]
Read more »East China’s Lianyungang Port Develops As Hub For Connecting Central & SE Asia
August 22nd, 2022
Via Silk Road Briefing, an article on how Jiangsu’s Lianyungang connects trade between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Japan, South Korea, and Singapore: A new rail freight route from Wuxi in China’s Jiangsu Province near to Shanghai on China’s east coast, through Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan began operating over the past weekend, containing more than 1,000 tons of goods. […]
Read more »PGII vs. BRI: Developing Asia Spoiled For Infrastructure Choice
August 22nd, 2022
Via East Asia Forum, an article on developing Asia’s options for infrastructure financing support: Since its launch at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in June 2022, the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) has been met with both interest and skepticism. Infrastructure development has been a perennial bane for developing countries, whose ability […]
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.