15 March 2022 Recent history is full of seminal events. The two World Wars and America's emergence as a global power, the Russian Revolution, the OPEC oil embargos, Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms (perestroika, glasnot, and detente), the collapse of the Soviet Union (and the end of the Cold War), and Deng Xiaoping's "Opening Up" modernisation all [...]
6 February 2022 During the past two Covid-strickened years, China's economic growth has outperformed global activity. Indeed, while output in developed nations contracted nearly 5% in 2020, the Chinese economy actually gained 2%. Likewise, China's 8% recovery in 2021 outpaced the 5% rebound in the world's richer countries. Behind the headlines, however, the news has [...]
2 May 2021 Asia has a vital role to play in mitigating the global risks of climate change. Indeed, the region accounts for over 50% of world-wide CO2 emissions (and 44% of energy consumption). Of course, China and India are the world's #1 and #3 GHG emitters. These two giants are responsible for 70% of [...]
9 February 2021 China was the only major country to record economic growth in 2020, with GDP expanding 2.3%. Indeed, following three consecutive quarters of expansion, national output is already 6.5% above pre-Covid levels. As we approach Chinese New Year, the IMF optimistically projects 8.1% GDP growth during the year of the Ox. Likewise, I [...]