Month: April 2018

It’s BRI against Indo-Pacific all over again

Modi and Xi meeting could have a crucial SCO subplot focusing on security and economic cooperation By Pepe Escobar All bets are off on the outcome of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s potentially ground-breaking meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping this Friday and Saturday in Wuhan. Things have not exactly started in auspicious mode. After … Continue reading It’s BRI against Indo-Pacific all over again

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On summit sidelines, China, Japan and Russia mull Korean chessboard

Global eyes are on the inter-Korean and upcoming North Korea-US summit. But other regional players also have stakes in the strategic peninsula By Andrew Salmon The eyes of the world will be fixed on the Korean demilitarized zone on Friday when when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un crosses the border in the inter-Korean truce village … Continue reading On summit sidelines, China, Japan and Russia mull Korean chessboard

Why Europe is afraid of the New Silk Roads

Many EU countries are concerned about one-way traffic along the new trade routes Beijing is trying to set up to Europe By Pepe Escobar It came out as a sort of minor scandal – considering the ’24/7 post-truth news cycle.’ Of the 28 EU ambassadors in Beijing, 27, with the exception of Hungary’s, signed an … Continue reading Why Europe is afraid of the New Silk Roads

China’s Belt and Road, and implications for ASEAN connectivity

By Anushka Kapahi The ASEAN Master Plan for Connectivity (AMPC) and China’s Belt and Road Initiative have major commonalities. Both envisage transport connectivity as a way of bringing countries closer to one another, facilitating better access to trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. Similar to the BRI project, AMPC calls for a system of roads and … Continue reading China’s Belt and Road, and implications for ASEAN connectivity

Caspian games: Central Asian ‘stans’ vie for connectivity market

'Pipelineistan' has a long history, but with its Belt and Road Initiative, China is set to be the top game-changer By Pepe Escobar Azerbaijan held a presidential election this month. Predictably, incumbent leader Ilham Aliyev won his fourth consecutive term with a Kim dynasty-esque 86% of the votes. International monitors for the Organization for Security … Continue reading Caspian games: Central Asian ‘stans’ vie for connectivity market