In The News

Chinese Quotas Kill the Pain but Not the Problem

Elliot Schrage July 6, 2005
In response to US and European manufacturers' fears of their low-cost Chinese competitors, the European Commission has pressured China to re-impose quotas on clothing and textiles exports. But these measures, like the currency revaluations favored by the Bush administration, will do little to solve the problem at hand. Instead, commentator Elliot Schrage suggests that a healthy trade...

Europe's New Protectionism

June 30, 2005
The European Union has begun to acknowledge that China's growing exports pose a new challenge to its economy. However, there is a growing divide amongst EU countries as to how to deal with China and the globalizing world as a whole. One path is that espoused by Tony Blair, who advocates increasing the competitiveness and quality of European economies while retaining free trade. The other...

Name Goods in China but Brand X Elsewhere

David Barboza June 29, 2005
Chinese businesses, with the encouragement of their government, have embarked on a worldwide label buying spree, purchasing internationally well-known brand names. Chinese bids to acquire prominent American companies such as Maytag and Unocal demonstrate that China is eager to make its top companies more competitive by allowing them to access international markets as well as their domestic...

Chinese Oil Giant in Takeover Bid for US Corporation

David Barboza June 23, 2005
The first takeover battle by a Chinese company for an American corporation began on Thursday, triggered by a bid that the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) entered against Chevron's recent offer to Unocal. Within a growing and modernizing economy, China's largest corporations are striving to emulate their ruthless Wall Street counterparts. The New York Times reports that...

A New Asian Invasion

Dan Roberts June 23, 2005
Two high-profile deals have brought Chinese companies into the spotlight: The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) bid on the Unocal oil group, while appliance manufacturer Haier set its sights on Maytag. Several Chinese companies are actively pursuing US industrial assets, stirring debates within Washington regarding trade policy and job displacement. The Unocal bid has also...

Europe in Disarray – Part I

Jean-Pierre Lehmann June 21, 2005
The French and Dutch rejection of the European Union constitution and last week’s collapse of the EU budget talks have exposed the deep division hidden so long behind rhetoric. Among other things, the European disarray highlights Europe’s problem with economic restructuring that globalization calls for. In a two-part series, YaleGlobal examines the reasons for the EU’s current troubles and its...

Mixing Oil, Gas, and Politics

June 21, 2005
The Russian government has become a majority shareholder in Gazprom, one of the country's largest oil producers. The buyout is aimed at opening the company up to foreign investment and bolstering the Russian stock market. The move was also likely designed to put the government in a more favorable position to purchase large blocks of other oil companies, with the goal of creating an enormous...