Fast growth countries and established ones have a similar challenge with infrastructure. Infrastructure improvements require investment; anything that enables it to be built cheaper, faster and with less disruption is a major benefit. The old adage time is money is particularly apt in the infras
09.2.2010 | Asia, China | Stuart Ford
When you think of drugs such as ketamine, cocaine and methamphetamine I suspect that aged Mahjong players are not what immediately springs to mind. These are the drugs of the party world in common parlance, the purvey of the young and painfully hip. However, in China these drugs have now become
02.17.2010 | Asia, China | Stuart Ford
The Chinese sovereign wealth fund is tasked with investing the country’s resources and delivering long-term wealth back to the nation. Of late, it has been making strategic purchases of shares of US companies. It makes good economic sense. The Chinese are flush with capital and blue-chip share
02.10.2010 | Asia, China | Stuart Ford
France has already done it, but now it appears China is flexing its naval muscles in the Middle East too. The Gulf of Aden is a very strategic stretch of water where oil needs to pass through freely. Somalian pirates patrol the area hopeful for ransom monies, and Iran may have plans to count
Even the most recalcitrant observer must notice that the world power rankings are changing. Some superpowers are on the wane, while others strive to replace them. The G8 becomes the G20, China becomes the economic power of note, Europe develops a second wind as it recovers ahead of the US, and Ameri
10.8.2009 | Asia, China, Lebanon, Middle East | Clarity Correspondent
Despite China’s claims to be a developing country and not yet experienced in foreign diplomacy, it can on occasion make very astute moves. China appears to be refining the blunt and brutal diplomacy tools they used in their early days, such as the arms for minerals deals in the Congo, and usin
The US-China dynamic and dualism is worthy of a revisit. One of the reasons is that there is a curious opacity in the relationship. They are symbiotic economic partners, with a two-headed hunger for debt and consumption. However, it is on the strategic intent of Chinese Foreign Policy where ther
07.31.2009 | Asia, China, Editorials | Stuart Ford
The Chinese concept of 'ghost brides' is an outlawed rural tradition that demonstrates the wide gap between the industrial giant that is China, and its rural classes. Reform in China, the most populous nation in the world, is not necessarily a simplistic process. While change can be effected in t
At times of economic hardship, governments often ask their populaces to share the pain and accept cut backs in services, infrastructure, and expectations. However, in some cases it appears that the governments themselves are not necessarily prepared to do the same. China increased its spending on
Pornography is an issue at many levels for some societies. Some oppose it on moral terms, others for the potential abasement of women. The US is a prolific producer of porn, but is not alone in this. Traditional societies, such as many Middle Eastern countries, see the prevalence of porn as yet an
China has long been intent in expanding its influence across the Southeast Asian (ASEAN) region. With many economies in that area in turmoil as Western demand and tourism diminishes on the double edged blade of economic woe and an over-blown potential for a supposed worldwide pandemic, China with
There is a certain opacity in the US-China relationship. They are symbiotic economic partners, with a two-headed hunger for debt and consumption. However, it is on the strategic intent of Chinese Foreign Policy where there is an absence of clarity. An example of the complexity in the relat
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