The Globalist Podcast (August 30, 2023) – We discuss Imran Khan’s suspended conviction and rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over Fukushima’s wastewater.
Plus: our Washington correspondent, Chris Cermak, flicks through the day’s papers and we look ahead to Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Munich.
The Globalist Podcast, Monday, August 28: Logistics of elections in war torn Ukraine with historian Alex von Tunzelman and Kyiv correspondent Olga Tokariuk, and former Afghan politician Shukria Barakzai brings us up-to-date on the crackdown on women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Plus: Finnair’s new Arctic Express service and the latest business news with Isobel Hamilton.
The Globalist Podcast, Monday, August 28: A vibrant show from Monocle’s Zurich studio presented by Emma Nelson. We’ll discuss the latest from Ukraine, as well as China and the US’s latest trade talks.
Also, journalist Bruno Kaufmann examines Greenland’s geopolitical significance, we talk technology and the latest from the travel industry.
But what are China’s plans for the region? In 2013, the “Yong Sheng” made history: It was the first Chinese cargo ship to reach Europe via the Arctic. This promising route, which Beijing soon dubbed the “Polar Silk Road,” made the “Yong Sheng” a symbol of Chinese ambitions in the far north. Increasingly self-confident, China is now expanding its sphere of influence bit by bit in the Arctic – a place of high geopolitical significance.
The country’s influence is spreading, with projects that include investments in gas resources in the Russian Arctic on the Yamal Peninsula. In January 2018, China initiated the “Polar Silk Road” project. Now, the country is pursuing a rapprochement with Iceland and Norway through businessmen. China maintains a research station on Spitsbergen and has even started to define itself publicly as a country “close to the Arctic” – a status from which China hopes to derive new rights.
The Arctic seems a long way from Beijing. But Chinese president Xi Jinping has understood how important this region is. China’s need for resources is driving Xi Jinping to negotiate with the major Arctic powers, who largely view him with suspicion. The new geopolitics of the Arctic are playing out not only in world capitals and in the media, but also on the ground: Emissaries, entrepreneurs, and mediators are traveling to the strategic region.
This group includes Chinese nationals as well as Norwegians, Icelanders, Swedes and Americans. China is expanding. After “Chinafrica,” will we now also speak of “Chinarctica”? China, it is said, has time on its side. And in the meantime it is openly dreaming of superpower status. The Americans are worried, the Europeans are hesitant and the Russians are eager for investments. But what are China’s real goals?
An average of 30 container ships a day have been stuck outside the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach just waiting to deliver their goods. The backlog is part of a global supply-chain mess spurred by the pandemic that means consumers could see delivery delays for weeks. Photo Composite: Adam Falk/The Wall Street Journal
As the business world prepares to get moving again, here are 10 things that you might have missed about Thailand during the past 12 months. From its sunny disposition to its trade and innovation, quality of life and sustainable development, there’s much to look forward to on your next trip.
The “New Silk Road” is an enormous Chinese international development project. It’s a trade network that involves Asia, Africa, and Europe — and more than 70 countries are already involved. It may turn the old world order upside down. China is investing in bridges, port facilities, railroads, and roads around the world. Beijing is spending several hundred billion euros on what it calls the “Silk Road Economic Belt.” Eastern European and the Balkan countries in particular are interested in Chinese loans and investments, as they look beyond the EU for sources of capital. In turn, the region is attractive to China because of its strategic position as a gateway to the West. A new coal-fired power plant is being built in Tuzla, Bosnia, with the help from China. But not everyone is in favor of the project. While the new plant will emit fewer emissions which will have a positive effect on air-quality, some question the country’s decision to commit to using coal for decades to come.
China imposed tariffs of up to 212% on Australian wine, prompting politicians around the world to criticize what they call Beijing’s “bullying.” WSJ visits a winemaker who hopes global attention will help the industry. Photo: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
The Economist Morning Briefing, July 14th, 2020: Coronavirus cases surpass 13m and China and America trade insults.
Boomers Daily 