After meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang during his China trip, U.S. Senator John Kerry sees China to play a “positive and constructive” role in the global fight against climate change. The results of Senator Kerry’s trip sparked hope that China and the U.S.–the two largest emitter of greenhouse gases–are generally willing to cooperate and could resolve their differences ahead of upcoming negotiations on emissions reductions. Xie Zhenhua, the Chinese president’s special envoy for climate change underscored China’s commitment to fight climate change in an article in the South China Morning Post, saying that China views global warming as more serious than the financial crisis. In its original statement China–together with other developing countries–recently called for industrialized countries to cut their emissions by at least 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. The various statements following Senator Kerry’s China trip are signs that there may be mutual understanding for more realistic emissions targets.
Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, has accused Beijing of protectionism in its stimulus measures. According to Mr. Wuttke, foreign companies were deliberately locked out of the contracts for new projects financed by the stimulus package. By setting the bidding criteria for new wind energy projects in a way that made it difficult for foreign suppliers to win, China is said to give domestic companies an edge over their foreign competitors. None of the world’s leading wind turbine makers–including Vestas, Gamesa, Suzlon and GE–made it into the second round of bidding.
China’s State Council has vowed to increase the support for the country’s struggling export sector. The support policies announced at an executive meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao include expanded export credit insurance, tax breaks and improved financing opportunities. China’s trading companies and exporters are among the ones worst hit by the slump in global demand, most notably in the U.S. and EU. Previous support measures included financing guarantees and higher tax rebate rates for exporters.
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 […]
