What China Wants in Panama: More Trade, Projects and Influence
January 15th, 2025
Via the New York Times, a report on Beijing’s efforts to expand its reach in Panama which have hit several obstacles, in part because of American pressure: There was talk of a high-speed rail line that China would build in Panama. A new subway line in Panama City. A modern container port. China has been […]
Read more »Panama Wants to Preserve U.S. Alliance, but Trump Could Push It Closer to China
January 15th, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at how President-elect Donald J. Trump’s threat to take back the Panama Canal may be posturing, but it could dampen the Panamanian government’s wish to broaden relations with the United States, analysts say. As Panama’s president laid a wreath to honor those who died protesting the American […]
Read more »Panama Plans Dry Alternative To Drought-Hit Canal
April 11th, 2024
Via Phys.org, a report on Panama’s plan to develop a dry alternative to its drought-hit canal: Panama on Wednesday unveiled plans for a “dry canal” to move cargo between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans due to low water levels in its century-old maritime channel. The Panama Canal usually handles about six percent of global maritime trade, […]
Read more »Dire Straits: Two Canals, Two Big Problems = One Global Shipping Mess
March 10th, 2024
Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, a report on how drought in Panama and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are delaying deliveries and pushing up costs: More than 50 ships queued to cross the Panama Canal on a recent day—from tankers hauling propane to cargo ships packed with food. A prolonged drought has led the canal’s […]
Read more »There’s No Drought in Panama Canal Plans
February 10th, 2024
Via the Washington Post, commentary on long-term plans for the Panama Canal: Environmental impact is an urgent issue, and, as noted in the Jan. 26 editorial, “A dry Panama Canal shows what’s ahead — everywhere,” the Panama Canal has been affected, as have other water routes, including the Rhine, Amazon and Mississippi rivers. The Panama […]
Read more »China’s Economic Slowdown Is a Wakeup Call for Latin America
February 9th, 2024
Via World Politics Review, a report on the impact that China’s economic slowdown may have upon Latin America: Over the past two decades, as China’s breakneck economic growth turned it into the engine of the global economy, Beijing became an increasingly powerful player in Latin America. It displaced the United States, long the top trading […]
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.