Africa's Relationship With China Is Ancient History

In 2002 South Africa's Parliament unveiled a digital reproduction of a map - of China, the Middle East and Africa - that some speculated could be the initial map of the African continent. The Da Ming Hun Yi Tu - the Comprehensive Map of the Great Ming Empire - was drawn up around 1389 during the Ming Dynasty, according to historian Hyunhee Park.

Climate change laws around the world

There has been a 20-fold increase in the number of global climate change laws since 1997, according to the most comprehensive database of relevant policy and legislation.

The database, produced by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Sabin Center on Climate Change Law, includes more than 1,200 relevant policies across 164 countries, which account for 95% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

China Slowing growth and eroding policy buffers

China

Slowing growth and eroding policy buffers

The first China-Africa summit since 2006 provides clues about the future of China’s role on the continent.

This week, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) convened its initial summit since 2006. Chinese President Xi Jinping joined additional than 40 leaders of African nations for the massive conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Asia Economic Roundup: July 2016

Without a doubt Britain’s decision to abandon the European project will be remembered globally as a wake-up call for political elites around the world. It seems the people chose to go against immediate economic interest and accept an extra financial turmoil in order to address deeply seated social and identity issues.

Although Asia’s exposure to the UK is relatively limited and this is not exactly a “Lehman Moment”, nonetheless we can expect a lively debate as policymakers in Asia look for an appropriate response to address the needs of vulnerable households.

China Says EU Membership UK's Choice, but Hopes for Strong Europe

Britain must decide for itself whether it stays in the European Union, but China hopes to see a strong Europe that contributes to the world economy, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday (26/05) ahead of Britain's June 23 EU membership referendum.

Beijing has long been worried about the implications of free trade-supporting Britain leaving the bloc and of any weakening of a grouping which it views as a vital counterbalance to the United States, diplomats say.

The world has finally woken up to the magnitude of what is happening in China.

The world has finally woken up to the magnitude of what is happening in China. Next months in which events in Europe overshadowed initial the puffing up and again the popping of China’s stock market bubble, daily oscillations on the country’s once-obscure stock exchanges are being blamed for everything from weak oil prices to falling emerging market currencies.

Hydropower projects in Mozambique attract Chinese groups Three Gorges and State Grid

Mozambique is a target country in the internationalisation of China Three Gorges and China National Grid and two major hydroelectric projects that are being launched are of interest to these Chinese groups and their Portuguese subsidiaries.

Paul Muxanga, chairman of the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Dam (HCB), said recently that the long-awaited construction of the northern plant of the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric facility should be initiated any minute at this time, a project which, according to the Portuguese financial daily Diário Económico, is “in the sights” of the two Chinese groups.

China’s aid is increasingly important for Angola

China’s aid to Angola, through private projects that encourage economic diversification, has taken on an even additional significant role given Angola’s current budgetary problems, according to analysts.

Angola’s Ministry of Finance announced late last week that conditions for lending by Chinese national banks in China to Angola had been improved, but gave assurances it had not requested a moratorium on loan repayments.

China deepens level of involvement in the economy of Brazil and neighbouring countries

The visit by the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, to Brazil last week, nearly a year next one by President Xi Jinping, deepened the level of engagement between the two economies inclunding with Latin American nations that historically have been closer to the United States of America.

Israel’s China Option

On December 30, China announced an initiative to establish a free-trade agreement with Israel. This prospective treaty sheds new light on an often overlooked relationship. From Cold War hostility to unofficial collaboration and presently open cooperation, the Beijing-Jerusalem connection is still developing and can be particularly beneficial for Israel, so isolated in its corner of the world. From presently on Israel and its principal ally—the United States—must carefully manage this relationship against the backdrop of U.S.-China rivalry.

China’s crude imports break 7m b/d record

China’s crude oil imports rose above 7m barrels per day for the initial time in December, reaching record levels as plunging international prices allowed the world’s major importer to fill strategic and commercial reserves.

China slowdown highlights importance of reforming during peaks, not troughs

The slowdown in China is hitting export-dependent emerging economies hard. It is those that planned for the bad times during the good, however, that will suffer the least.

Jiang Jianqing: ICBC embracing new Chinese landscape

Jiang Jianqing, the chairman of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, explains how the major bank in the world in capital, profits and assets is dealing with China’s economic slowdown, structural reforms and new privately owned, tech-savvy entrants in the banking sector.