In The News

China’s Diversified Energy Strategy

S. Kumar October 3, 2011
China, the world’s biggest consumer of energy, “faces challenges in the area of energy security” due to its contentious political relationships and dependence on supply routes. In this opinion piece for Al Jazeera, S. Kumar describes diversified energy strategy that China is employing with both foreign governments and companies. For example, China is “actively trying to attract investments from...

Chinese Tycoon Seeks to Buy Tract of Iceland

Andrew Ward and Leslie Hook September 2, 2011
Big land purchases attract public scrutiny, especially if the buyer is a foreign national. A Chinese real estate investor has set out to buy 300 square kilometers of Icelandic wilderness for an eco-tourism project. The tract, partly under public ownership, represents about 0.3 percent of the island and government approval is required, reports the Financial Times. Investor Huang Nubo is a former...

India’s Anti-Corruption Movement Wins – For Now

Ashok Malik September 1, 2011
Anna Hazare organized his public fast in New Delhi to strengthen anti-corruption legislation that was already winding its way through India’s parliament. Widespread public support, in particular among the middle class and youth, attracted immediate global attention and stunned India’s political establishment. After 12 days, the government capitulated, and Hazare ended the fast. But India’s...

Making the Desert Bloom

August 30, 2011
The North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994 gave Mexico great potential, but the country also became among the hardest hit in the Americas by the global debt crisis, notes the Economist. Some analysts urge ongoing diversification of trade partners to strengthen the economy: “The Inter-American Development Bank, the biggest lender in the region, describes a ‘two speed’ Latin America, in which...

China Comes to Thailand

Richard S. Ehrlich August 3, 2011
China’s size and increasing economic might at times could be intimidating for other nations in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, despite their complex connections since ancient times. “Beijing is simultaneously increasing its military and cultural influence in Thailand, trying to wean Bangkok away from Washington and other foreign governments while expanding China's own reach southward,”...

Sorry, Pakistan: China Is No Sugar Daddy

Urmila Venugopalan July 22, 2011
China may be in no hurry to replace $800 million in suspended US aid to the Pakistani military. After the decision from the US president, Pakistani generals anticipated that China, an ally and the country’s largest defense supplier, would be willing to counter US influence and step in with funding. In exchange, Pakistani generals could help combat Islamic militant activity along China’s border...

False European Hopes of a Chinese Savior

Jonathan Holslag June 28, 2011
Europe courts China with hope of financial rescue. “Europe’s economy is now sufficiently damaged that China alone can never do enough to help it recover,” writes researcher Jonathan Holslag for the Financial Times. “To put it bluntly, why should we expect Chinese companies to create jobs in Europe when our own ones stumble under the weight of high wages and taxes? And why should we expect our...