2015 has been a fantastic year for the site, covering everything from China’s new Silk Road strategy to many different Frontier Markets in Asia and Africa. Below I list and review the ten most read articles published this year. Enjoy and thanks for reading.
Nigeria has had a rollercoaster year, the collapse of oil has created short term problems for the economy, but in the longer term, this could be good news as the country weans itself off the black stuff. The country carried out a successful election, boosting its democratic credentials, but the Boko Haram insurgency created a security nightmare in the north.
2. The Rise of a Trading Dynamo: The Bright Future of Investing in Bangladesh.
Here I took an in depth look at investing in the South Asian nation, which has the potential to become a mini China in terms of manufacturing and exporting.
3. Now is the time: Investing in Pakistan
Following closely behind Bangladesh, this article covered Pakistan, another South Asian nation experiencing a renaissance in its fortunes.
4. Chinese Grand Strategy and the New Silk Road.
Here I lay out what will undoubtedly become a major topic for years to come, namely China’s foriegn policy goals and how they intertwine with its state owned firm’s business ambitions. I will be returning to this subject in further detail over 2016.
5. The Far End of the Silk Road: China in the Balkans.
I was surprised to see this article in the top ten, but then Chinese activity in this region has ramped spectacularly over the last few years and there has not been much coverage of this trend in the West.
6. The Seven Best Sites for China Goes Global News and Analysis.
As interest grows in the China’s go global story, naturally people are looking for the most relevant sites for the subject.
7. The Global Rise of China’s Oil Companies
China’s oil and gas companies have been at the vanguard of the nation’s efforts to go global, but with mixed results, their efforts have led them to operate in the world’s most unstable and unsavory states such as Sudan and Iraq, but the Chinese economy’s need for oil has meant the sector has needed to take big political risks to secure sources of oil.
8. Development Banks from the BRICS
This article looked at the various development bank models used by the BRICS countries and how this might influence the New Development Bank, set up by the same countries.
9. The World’s Most Powerful? The Rise of China’s Policy Banks
Chinese financial power via its state owned banks remains under reported considering the influence and capital they wield, I will return to this subject in 2016.
10. Review: Narcos – the life of Pablo Escobar, drug lord, politician and businessmen.
Watching this brilliant series led me to think about Pablo Escobar as a businessmen and entrepreneur as well as a drug lord.
