Central Asia’s Resource Curse
March 8th, 2021
Via Emerging Europe, a look at potential for Central Asia to fall prey to the ‘resource curse’: Across the globe, countries with a wealth of natural resources are broadly authoritarian and corrupt. Central Asia is no exception. The Caspian Sea region is one of the world’s richest in terms of natural resources. This has contributed […]
Read more »North Korea’s Kim Jong-un a Rare Earth Trillionaire?
March 8th, 2021
Via National Interest, a report on North Korea’s mineral wealth: North Korea has been reported to have high concentrations of rare earth elements, and its neighbor to the south may be wanting to help to exploit these resources. After the historic summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018, high-ranking officials from […]
Read more »China Prioritizes Sichuan-Tibet Rail and Western Land-Maritime Corridor
March 8th, 2021
Via Silk Road Briefing, an article on China’s latest BRI priorities: Schemes provide seaport access for Tibet and Sichuan to ASEAN Possible future access to India via Nyingtri Guangxi coast will see huge Port development Implications also for Hainan Island Opens up access to China’s hinterlands of 280 million people The recent ‘Two Sessions’ meetings […]
Read more »China-Laos Railway
March 4th, 2021
Via South China Morning Post, an article on a new China-Laos railway that some believe is an important piece in the greater prize of infrastructure access to Southeast Asia: In southwestern China’s Yunnan province, there is great fanfare around the construction of a mega-railway link to neighbouring Laos, Southeast Asia’s only landlocked country and one of its least developed. […]
Read more »Chinese BRI Investment Isn’t All Bad—or Good
March 2nd, 2021
Courtesy of Foreign Policy, commentary on how – as Sri Lanka shows – when it comes to Chinese debt, small states have agency and great powers have responsibilities: In the last few years, the question of whether China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is predatory has been ripe for debate, with some arguing the loans Beijing […]
Read more »China’s African Belt & Road Initiative May Not Be What You Think It Is
March 2nd, 2021
Via Silk Road Briefing, an OpEd on China’s Belt and Road Initiative: China’s moves into Africa are in fact a great case study into how the Belt & Road Initiative actually works. While most of the media commentary has been on the infrastructure, there is rather a lot more at play. In this article, I […]
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.