Is China a Colonial Power?
May 9th, 2018
Via The New York Times, commentary on China’s BRI and new Silk Road: In a lesser-known novel, “Claudius Bombarnac,” Jules Verne describes the adventures of the titular foreign correspondent as he rides the “Grand Transasiatic Railway” from the “European frontier” to “the capital of the Celestial Empire.” A cast of international characters, by turns comical, […]
Read more »Iran’s Connectivity Strategy
May 9th, 2018
Via Ozy, a report on Iran’s efforts to woo friends and foes with the eastern port city of Chabahar: My interpreter is matter-of-fact as I board the Iran Air flight from Tehran to the eastern port city of Chabahar. “We know when the flight takes off, but we have no clue how it will come […]
Read more »Connecting Asia: Uzbekistan Looks to Capitalize on Central Asia’s Transport Potential
April 12th, 2018
Via The Diplomat, a look at how Uzbekistan – with new rail projects – is contributing to the development of transport and trade in Central and South Asia: One of the priorities of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy is the implementation of strategically important projects in the development of transport and communication infrastructure of Uzbekistan and Central […]
Read more »Central Asia: Refocusing Economic Links Towards China Instead of Russia
April 8th, 2018
Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), a look at how Central Asia has restructured its economic links over the past decade, as China has outpaced Russia in the region on trade, investment and infrastructure development: Central Asia has undergone a significant economic transformation in recent years as trade and investment in the region have shifted away from […]
Read more »Is China’s Belt and Road working?
April 2nd, 2018
Via the Nikkei Asian Review, an interesting look at the progress of China’s BRI initiative: The idea of transforming the ancient fishing village of Gwadar into a bustling port city has been around since at least 1954, when Pakistan commissioned the U.S. Geological Survey to examine its coastline. Their conclusion: Gwadar, which sits on the […]
Read more »Digital Silk Road
March 8th, 2018
Via OBOReurope, commentary on the digital Silk Road: Since the launching of the BRI project in 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping has insisted that the new silk roads would not be just about roads and railways, and that this programme would also focus on telecommunications, fiber, e -commerce. This digital silk route also offers an […]
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.