In The News

Africa’s New Trade Zone: African Business

October 2, 2019
Africa offers great potential for growth with immense resources and a young population, and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement aims to increase regional trade integration, develop regional supply chains and diversify exports: “the agreement will be fully supported with well-defined rules of origin; schedules of tariff concessions in trade in goods; an online continental non-tariff...

China’s US Delisting Fears: Bloomberg

September 30, 2019
The Trump administration has considered removing Chinese firms from US stock listing, report unnamed officials. Then, a US Treasury statement suggested there are no plans for delisting at this time. China responded with assurances that it will continue to open its financial markets and encourage foreign investment, reports Bloomberg. “A U.S. crackdown on capital flows would present a new pressure...

Asia and Aramco Attack: Wall Street Journal

Stephanie Yang and Benoit Faucon September 22, 2019
Drone and missile strikes at the oil infrastructure of Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich eastern province put oil-thirsty Asian countries under pressure. These strikes on Sept 14 reduced the global oil output by almost 6 percent and increased the global oil price by 15 percent two days later. The United States has placed sanctions upon Iran and Venezuela in recent years, and Asian countries, including...

World Trade Uncertainty Index: IMFBlog

Hites Ahir, Nicholas Broom and Davide Furceri September 17, 2019
Uncertainty deters investment and slows economic growth, and the International Monetary Fund has introduced an index that attempts to measure trade uncertainty for 143 advanced and developing nations. The index relies on a search for words related to uncertainty and trade in the Economist Intelligence Unit country reports. “Globally, the trade policy uncertainty index is rising sharply, having...

Myanmar as Asia’s Last Frontier: Korea Herald

Jung Min-kyung September 5, 2019
Myanmar’s government opened its economy this decade, and South Korean firms see “economic potential and geographic attractiveness,” reports Jung Min-kyung for the Korea Herald. For example, Posco International, described as the trade and resources development arm of Korea’s leading steelmaker, has completed a rice processing complex in Myanmar’s rice-producing Ayeyarwady region. The facility...

How a Lifeline From China Changed Greece: Fortune

Vivienne Walt September 1, 2019
China’s investment in the historic port of Piraeus has lifted Greece’s economy and dampened populist opposition to foreign investment. “Situated at the edge of Athens – a short sail from the Middle East and Africa – the port has been a strategic jewel for nearly 2,500 years, ever since the Athenians and Spartans defeated the Persian emperor in a nearby sea battle for Mediterranean supremacy,”...

China's Social Credit System: DW

August 29, 2019
China already ranks its companies and citizens on social reputation, and plans to extend rankings to individuals and firms with China operations by 2020. Large firms can expect to be ranked on about 30 categories and as many as 300 requirements including licensing, tax payments, environmental protections, billing, logistics and more. China’s government regards the system as a prerequisite for...