In The News

China Must Prove Silk Road Plan Is Serious

George Magnus May 6, 2015
China is trying to reinforce its ties with its neighbors with a modern-day Silk Road that links 65 nations: “the so-called One Belt, One Road plan – incorporating a Maritime Silk Road – has become the centerpiece of the president’s foreign policy and international economic strategy. Important commercial consequences for the region and global companies will go hand-in-hand with unpredictable...

Vietnam and US Find Strategic Common Ground

Murray Hiebert April 30, 2015
North Vietnamese troops met little resistance in taking control of Saigon on April 30, 1975, after the United States rejected extending further military aid to the South Vietnamese after years of intervention. By 1979, Chinese troops invaded Vietnam from the north. All sides suffered tens of thousands of casualties in the two wars, and still, Vietnam tries to maintain good ties with the United...

Seeking Business, Cuomo Heads to Cuba With a New York Trade Delegation

Susanne Craig April 23, 2015
The announcement of plans to remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism unleashed a flood of business interest. US Congress must approve lifting the full trade embargo, and business leaders could apply pressure to politicians who have long benefited from the divisions. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wasted no time, leading a 26-hour trip to Cuba with business leaders from JetBlue...

China Halts New Policy on Tech for Banks

Paul Mozur and Jane Perlez April 20, 2015
China plans revisions on a policy that required foreign technology firms selling equipment to Chinese banks to turn over source code and other business secrets. The United States has accused hackers sponsored by the Chinese military of hacking corporate and government websites. China worries about surveillance installed with any US-made equipment. US officials anticipate the Chinese to encourage...

Russia’s Turbulence Could Drive Sustainable Development

Anastasia Okorochkova April 14, 2015
Falling oil prices and western sanctions have led to hard economic times for Russians. But lingering economic crisis can also allow a country new opportunity to regroup and reform, innovating and transforming the economy. Paradoxically, the long-running crisis could drive Russia to end its reliance on export of fossil fuels and embrace sustainability. “To do so, Russia must mobilize its...

Creative Self-Disruption

Mohamed A. El-Erian April 9, 2015
New businesses emerge and expand, disrupting established businesses with unprecedented speed: “companies like Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, and Uber exemplify a different kind of transformation: agile players invade other, seemingly unrelated industries and brilliantly exploit huge but previously unseen opportunities,” writes economist Mohamed A. El-Erian for Project Syndicate. “Central to these...

Mozambique Will Be Stripped of Its Forests “in Just a Few Years”

Andrea Dijkstra April 8, 2015
Exportation of exotic hardwood timber from Mozambique to China is rapidly eliminating Mozambique’s forests. Chinese businesses have adopted the practice of lending money for equipment like chainsaws to individual villagers in poor rural areas of Mozambique. These Mozambicans, who are often former farmers, subsequently participate in logging to pay off their debts and support their families. The...