In The News

The Conversation: Big Alcohol Is Poised to Expand Into Africa

Karen Hofman and Charles Parry June 2, 2017
The alcohol industry confronts low population growth rates and regulatory barriers in the developed world, its traditional source of profits. So the industry is focusing on Africa with its increasing affluence and what is described as a “high-intensity consumption of beer,” according to Karen Hofman and Charles Parry in the Conversation. AB Inbev, maker of Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois...

Caixin: One Belt, One Road as China’s 21st Century Marshall Plan?

David Vines May 17, 2017
China could be on its way to leading the global economy, helped by One Belt, One Road. David Vines, writing for Caixin, compares the initiative to the Marshall Plan during the last century, which benefited Europe and Japan. China, with big investments in infrastructure, could emerge as a leader in setting rules and standards for global governance, but Vines points to two risks: First, “The Belt...

Deutsche Welle: China's Xi Uses Silk Road Summit to Call for Rejection of Protectionism

May 15, 2017
China’s summit on a modern-day Silk Road – encouraging infrasructure development, trade and other connections – is the antithesis to protectionism or extreme nationalism. The One Belt, One Road initiative is “a multi-year plan to build a web of infrastructure and transport links connecting Asia, Europe, Africa and other regions,” explains Deutsche Welle, adding that some countries express concern...

The Diplomat: Will Central Asia Water Wars Derail China's Silk Road?

Nishtha Chugh March 31, 2017
China continues to expand influence with its modern version of the Silk Road, a “prodigiously bold economic ambition to connect with potentially 40 countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa,” reports Nishtha Chugh. “The vast economic corridors and infrastructural network, when fully functional, will potentially give China unprecedented access to 60 percent of the world’s population and a third of...

Brookings: Housing Africa

Vera Songwe February 21, 2017
As Africa’s population grows and moves to urban areas, one major challenge facing the continent will be housing. McKinsey estimates that by 2025, over 90 percent of young people in Africa will live in urban areas. Policymakers and the private sector must work to make millions of new housing units available and affordable. Vera Songwe, writing for Brookings, urges governments to work with the...

China May Penalize US Automaker Over Price-Fixing

John Ruwitch and Jake Spring December 20, 2016
A Chinese state-run newspaper has reported that a US car company has been setting artificially high prices in the Middle Kingdom since 2014. News of a potential Chinese crackdown on this monopolistic scheme caused shares of both Ford and GM to drop. China is critical to both businesses – with the largest vehicle market in the world that constituted over 15 percent of their net incomes last year....

China and the US: Two Visions, One Collaboration?

Marc Grossman November 15, 2016
Donald Trump promised during the US presidential campaign to be tough on trade with China, suggesting he would label the country a currency manipulator and impose tariffs unless trade agreements were renegotiated. Trade is likewise threatened with China’s expansive claims and military buildup in the South China Sea. But the world’s two largest economies have reason to cooperate in Asia, argues...