China’s Premier Wen Jiabao held an in-depth phone conversation with Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on bilateral trade and other issues of common concern. They both emphasized each other’s significance as strategic partner and the importance of continuing cooperation. The phone conversation was held on the same day that a Russian and a Chinese satellite collided 500 miles over Siberia.
Thursday turned out to be a rare rainy day in the Chinese provinces Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu and Hubei. The region, which is also China’s major wheat-growing area, has seen a severe drought over the last weeks that that spurred worries about this year’s harvest. The Chinese authorities however emphasized that the country’s grain reserves are large enough to guarantee China’s grain security.
China saw a significant rise in bank lending to corporate and household sectors in January this year. The People’s Bank of China announcement is all the more impressive as most other economies are struggling to revive their bank lending and push their stimulus packages through legislation.
China’s President Hu Jintao arrived in Mali today as the first leg of his Africa tour. The four-country tour is planned to deepen China’s trade and investment links in the region. The other destinations include Senegal, Tanzania and Mauritius, all countries that are not yet among China’s main African suppliers of oil or minerals.
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 […]
