Two years ago China and Russia signed a massive energy deal which appeared to cement the growing ties between the two Eurasian giants at a time when Russia’s ties with Europe were collapsing thanks to the Ukrainian conflict. The gas… Read More ›
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How military discipline aided Viettel’s global rise
In April of 2015 Viettel’s international arm ramped up its capital base by USD 465 million with a view to dramatically expand its international footprint. The Vietnamese mobile phone company plans to double its presence in overseas markets from 8… Read More ›
Guest Post: Use It or Lose It: China’s Grand Strategy
In 2010, Canada hosted the G7 finance ministers in Nunavut, the country’s frigid Arctic province that is home to a mere 30,000 Inuit people. Canada’s “Northern Strategy” for the Arctic was a centerpiece of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s tenure,… Read More ›
China’s big four banks: expansion abroad, trouble at home
At the end of 2014 China’s biggest bank the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) held an astonishing US$ 3.3 trillion in assets, while the second largest, China Construction Bank Corporation weighed in with a hefty US$ 2.6 trillion…. Read More ›
Infographic: China – Africa Investment Slowdown
Chinese investment into Africa has finally slowed down according to figures from This is Africa. Inward investment from China fell by 84% in the first half of 2015, compared to the same period last year. However perhaps surprisingly Chinese investment… Read More ›
China’s Fragile Evolution
This week a guest post by Rodger Baker and John Minnich Last week, China’s anti-corruption campaign took a significant turn, though a largely overlooked one. The Supreme People’s Court released a statement accusing former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang,… Read More ›
The Far End of the Silk Road: China in the Balkans
This week I take a look at those nations in the Balkans region that have interesting and growing ties with China, but which have not yet received much attention or scrutiny thanks to the region’s focus on intergration with the… Read More ›
LSE Review of Books – Editor’s Picks of 2014
It was a pleasant surprise to find my review of Bargaining with a Rising India: Lessons from the Mahabharata in the Editor’s Picks of 2014 over at the LSE Review of Books – a nice endorsement from a quality… Read More ›
KREOD and Rio 2016 Games
A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of discussing KREOD with Alexander Jarvis and Chun Qing Li in the opulent surroundings of the Brazilian Embassy in London. The guys are heading a team who are planning to build… Read More ›
