TIMOTHY KASUKA LOBBAN
(THE TEACONOMIST)
China, in understanding its new geopolitical role and influence, may begin to have to move with more caution and perceptiveness in respect to its economic and political engagement with other countries, especially among those across North Africa and the Middle East.
There it was on a late September day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood, with a row of American flags hanging behind her, calling for an official impeachment inquiry into the US President Donald Trump and his dealings with the Ukrainian government. Several whistleblowers from within the intelligence community filed complaints to the White House.
That folly, that is as American as apple pie and has served as a subtext for so many of the country’s political and cultural shifts, is now beginning to rear its ugly head in US-China relations. We are, unfortunately talking about race. Comments made by a US official have perhaps, unknowingly unearthed a racial element to the two nations increasingly ambivalent relations and threatens to bring engagement between the two back to a much darker time................
If Facebook were a country, it would already be the 90th largest in the world in terms of GDP. Its tentacles spread far and wide across a number of crucial digital services and apps, like Instagram and WhatsApp. A company of Facebook’s scale has the name value and recognition to make this work. It just has to be careful to not become a victim of its own success, as significant proliferation of the Libra throughout global markets will, and already has (in spite of the currency not being launched yet) attracted unwanted attention...............
Africa’s rising levels of external debt – especially those with China – seem to be a cause for concern for many onlookers. China seems to using the lure of cheap money to help seize and take control of the continent’s hotly contested land and resources. But, in here lies the unstated assumption that the pursuit of Africa’s mineral wealth and resources is China’s primary aim for setting up shop on the continent. It’s not............
For High Quality Growth, China Needs to Change How and What it Spends Money On cnfocus.com, 12/03/2019
The annual Two Sessions meeting is now upon us, and a web of uncertainty unlike anything we’ve seen in a generation entangles the world. While the USA and China are now on the verge of détente as far as trade wars are concerned. D-day for Brexit is just shy of three weeks away. For many, Premier Li Keqiang’s statement on how “There will be more risks and challenges that are either predictable or unpredictable and we must be fully prepared for a tough battle.”, could not have captured the mood of the global economy any better............
From the onset of major market reform in China under Deng Xiaoping, Hong Kong has acted as a guiding light and entrepôt for the rest of mainland China. Now, the financial centre finds itself at a critical juncture as the rest of the nation begins to converge with the city in respect to trade, commerce and overall economic development..........
For the last year, talk of the Chinese yuan becoming a major reserve currency has dominated headlines across the world. This observation became even more acute when President Trump pulled the USA out of the JCPOA agreement (otherwise known as the Iran Nuclear Deal) in May, as murmurs about the possibilities of renminbi-denominated oil trading in Iran in response to this emerged...............
Time pushes forward, with less than half a year until the U.S. midterm elections this coming November, and a president whose lawyer is currently under an FBI investigation; the Trump administration is in a tussle, not only for its mandate, but also for its survival...........
As the United Kingdom looks to establish the final terms of its divorce with the European Union in 2019, China’s relationship with the USA appears to be increasingly fraught. In light of all this, China and the UK might become convenient bedfellows, with Sino-British relations holding the potential to blossom into something bigger – centered around the Belt and Road Initiative and free trade............
Decline seems to be inevitable for us mortal beings and nearly everything that we are a part of. Empire and global hegemony, as we now know, are no exceptions. Throughout our history, particularly over the last century, one could argue that certain periods and events can be marked as turning points that have subsequently gone on to set off a decline in a nation’s global influence in political, economic and military terms...........
In the midst of all of the hype, angst and uncertainty concerning matters of trade between China and the USA, perhaps the best solution to this issue lies in the old, worn path that is history. If President Trump wishes to make America ‘great’ again, it is important for him to understand when and how exactly this greatness was realised, and adapt its blueprint in a way that suits the needs of a 21st century US economy.........
Slow and Steady Does it for the Chinese Economy in 2018: Be Alert that Elephant Trump is in the Room cnfocus.com, 16/3/2018
This year, Chinese economic growth is expected to slow slightly as the government continues to lay the necessary groundwork for a new economy, emblematic of a China Dream, where qualitative growth and sustainability are free to flourish........
Wuzhen is an ancient water town commonly known to locals as the ‘Venice of the East’, but don’t let the traditional hutongs, back alleys and pagodas fool you – Wuzhen is not living in the past. Far from it, it is a living, breathing case study of the preparation and adaptability that is required to keep up with the constant, breakneck pace of change now synonymous with a rising China...........