By Velina Tchakarova Much has been written and speculated over an emerging strategic alliance between Russia and China, which I gave the name ‘the Dragonbear’ in the geopolitics of the 21st century. Interpretations of the context of deepening bilateral relations range from very sceptic to very optimistic prognoses for the future. But what does the Dragonbear really aim to … Continue reading
China’s staggeringly long history reaches back well at least 3,000 years, and possibly more, depending on who’s asked. If any single pattern can be pulled from so much history, it’s this: no Chinese dynasty lasts forever, and when they fall, it’s always catastrophic for China in general. Chinese political thinkers underpin much of their … Continue reading
“The International Monetary Fund pushed back until Sept. 30, 2016, the date that China’s yuan could be included in its basket of reserve currencies,” Bloomberg reports. The news agency said the following: The executive board, which represents the IMF’s 188 member nations, voted Aug. 11 to extend the composition of the fund’s Special Drawing Rights for … Continue reading
“China rejected 17 proposed construction projects involving a total investment of 109 billion yuan (17.6 billion U.S. dollars) for reasons of environmental protection in the first half of 2015,” the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said Friday, according to Xinhua. According to the news agency: The 17 projects were among 92 examined by the MEP in … Continue reading
Ukraine’s international private creditors have proposed a 5% haircut. Last month Kiev asked the bondholders for a 40% debt relief worth about $15 billion. The 5% debt reduction proposal was made this week by Ukraine’s largest creditor Franklin Templeton Investments. The investment house holds about $8.9 billion in bonds, according to two people close to the negotiations. It … Continue reading
China’s stock markets tumbled on Friday to near bear territory further deepening the sell-off that started two weeks ago. The Shanghai Composite, down 7.4% on the day, has fallen 19% from its June 12 high wiping out $1.25 trillion in market cap. The smaller Shenzhen and ChiNet indices also has plunged 20% from its recent … Continue reading
“The Heilongjiang branch of the Export-Import Bank of China has allocated over $96.5 million to construct the Chinese section of the Sino-Russian railway bridge. The first railway bridge over the Amur River should cut transportation times and boost trade,” RT reported earlier this month. “The Exim Bank has conducted an inspection of the construction site, … Continue reading
China is likely to cut the number of its central government-owned enterprises to 40 through massive mergers and acquisitions as Beijing pushes forward a sweeping plan to overhaul the country’s underperforming state sector, according to a report on Monday from China’s Economic Information Daily. China’s central government currently owns 112 conglomerates, including 277 public firms which are listed on the … Continue reading
“Possible route could see 400km/hour bullet train pass through heart of Siberia and Altai region with stops in major cities,” The Siberian Times reports. China has been working intensively on a $242 billion (1.5 trillion yuan) high-speed rail link between Beijing and Moscow. The aim is to cut the journey time from five to ‘two days’. The railway … Continue reading
By F. William Engdahl While the Obama Administration is preoccupied with keeping an increasingly unhappy EU firm on further economic sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Putin is busy outflanking an increasingly desperate Washington. Rather than fixate on the deliberate US and NATO provocations in Ukraine, Russia is deepening its strategic ties with the other Great Eurasian … Continue reading