In The News

Daniel Boffey and Jon Henley September 12, 2019
The economic warnings for a post-Brexit United Kingdom are dire: shortages, traffic and chaos. That could make the country desperate and ruthless, eliminating social and environmental regulations to compete. The country could become a Singapore-on-Thames, she suggested. The UK prime minister’s negotiator advised that the UK seeks a “clean break” from the EU. “Merkel also warned of the economic...
Matthew Goldstein, Danny Hakim and Jan Hoffman September 10, 2019
The United States strives to bring an end to the opioids crisis, preventing addition and punishing pharmaceutical companies, distributors and physicians that doled out pills in alarming numbers. Purdue Pharma is in negotiations with litigators, but the owners “want to keep selling OxyContin and other drugs abroad for as many as seven more years, through another company they own, Mundipharma,...
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...
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,”...
Bob Herrera-Lim August 28, 2019
The global gambling industry is worth about $500 billion, with online gaming on the rise. China has asked the Philippines to shut down its online gambling sites that target mainland Chinese players. The Philippines president is expected to support the POGOs – operations that hire Chinese speakers and target the mainland. “[T]he rise of the POGOs is also a lesson for the Philippine government and...
Kate Holton and William James August 19, 2019
Trade has represented more than half of the United Kingdom’s GDP since 2005, reports the World Bank. Leaked government documents suggest that the country will contend with dire shortages of essential goods by leaving the European Union without a trade deal. Government officials suggest the country is preparing for the worst-case scenario. “Setting out a vision of jammed ports, public protests...
Chris Devonshire-Ellis August 15, 2019
The US delayed a round of tariffs scheduled for China September 1. “The simple truth is that China’s share of bilateral trade with Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries, coupled with increasing trade with ASEAN, is more than compensating for any US trade downturn,” explains Chris Devonshire-Ellis for China Briefing. China advises its firms to find substitute markets. Some market adjustments...