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 »Beijing Doubles Down On The Belt And Road Initiative And On Africa
September 26th, 2024
Via Forbes, an article on China’s BRI focus on Africa: Despite China’s clear economic troubles and already huge debt overhang, Beijing has decided to step up its Belt and Road initiative (BRI) in Africa. For a while, it looked as though both Beijing and its BRI clients were stepping away from the arrangements. But earlier […]
Read more »Will Cambodia’s Funan Techo Canal Be A Success?
September 20th, 2024
Via Eurasia Review, analysis of Cambodia’s Funan Techo canal: Mot Yen’s ramshackle kitchen is nestled under an old mango tree. It’s near the end of the season and there’s no fruit on the branches. Part of the kitchen wall has fallen off but the family doesn’t plan to fix it. “We’re moving anyway,” the 56-year-old […]
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.