Spelling out its initial bargaining position for the upcoming climate change negotiations, China adopted a hard line. Most notably, Beijing called for developed countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels. Beyond that, China also required rich countries to help pay for reduction schemes in poorer countries–including itself. The Chinese move was not welcomed in Washington and Brussels, indicating tough negotiations in the meetings leading up to the final climate change summit in Copenhagen in December. While concerned that other developing nations might get encouraged by China’s tough stand, analysts and diplomats pointed out that Beijing’s demands were just an initial negotiations position. There was still enough room for movement and negotiations.
U.S. manufacturers and retailers that source from China see the country’s products as more risky than three months ago, according to a study published on Thursday. Concerns about product quality, intellectual property and labor costs were among the most cited risks when sourcing from China. The study was conducted by AMR Research Inc., a Boston based market research firm, surveying 133 U.S. companies that source products from China, including Boeing, Cisco Systems and Intel. 26 percent of surveyed companies considered China as a risk to their supply chain, up from 21 percent three months ago. 51 percent cited concerns about product quality, up from 45 percent in the first quarter. Intellectual property protection in China was seen as a risk by 59 percent, compared with 8 percent who said so about India.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
