The BRI area is opening up. Fast economic growth by global standards is improving living standards, and not just in China. Indeed, China’s performance, as compared with the other BRI countries, is more modest than might otherwise be expected. There are some risks that may yet essentially divide the area between the better and worse...Read More

This article examines how the infrastructural benefits of the Belt &Road Initiative (BRI)are emanating from the world’s most populous country, and soon-to-be largest global economy,stretchingacross the vast geographies of the developing world.  We also look at how  the entire BRI programme is being purposely orchestrated by China’s government into inclusive forms of sustainable and equitable...Read More

The UK and Thailand have jointly launched the “UK Thailand Tech Export Academy”.  The purpose of the collaboration is to promote the development of “smart cities” to be constructed across Thailand.  So far, the initiative has involved the matching of over 200 businesses from the UK and Thailand. Read the full article on the website...Read More

UK companies are seeing a significant rise in exports of goods and services to China, in spite of the ongoing deterioration in political relations between the two governments. Indeed, China as a trading partner for the UK, overall, in terms of both imports and exports of goods and services is showing signs of reaching new...Read More

On 15 April 2021, the White House announced new sets of financial sanctions on Russia.  This time the sanctions will have significant bite, targeting the country’s primary issuances of domestic Rouble-denominated government bonds. The sanctions come into effect on 14 June 2021 by an executive order set out by US President Joe Biden. Previously, in...Read More

At the heart of Beijing’s Imperial City lies the sprawling palace complex of the Forbidden City.  Home to China’s celestial emperors, its heavenly grounds were off-limits to ordinary mortals. In modern-day Beijing, China’s leaders talk of the capital city’s future role in much more outward-oriented and earthly terms. They look not only to embrace other...Read More

The multi-award-winning British film, “Slumdog Millionaire”, fired up interest among British movie goers, about a decade ago, to explore the parallels between British and Indian societies in the twenty-first century. The film’s reality-based grittiness mixed in with the fairy-tale saga of a poor Mumbai orphan seeking fortune on an Indian TV gameshow – purposely reminiscent...Read More

The European Union (EU) and India held their first high-level dialogue (HLD) on February 5. The HLD arose out of the agenda set out during the 15th EU-India Leaders’ summit held in July 2020, which meets annually. While the HLD’s principal aim is to develop bilateral trade and investment ties, to be captained by top ministerial levels on...Read More

For the last nine years Bangladesh has been growing steadily with an unbroken run of 6 percent or higher growth rates, reaching as high as 8.2 percent in 2019. With the unparalleled health, social and economic threats raised by the coronavirus pandemic, is the budget for fiscal year (FY2021) fit for purpose to restore economic...Read More

With the fifth anniversary of the China-Britain Comprehensive Strategic Partnership approaching, it is remarkable to see how dramatically this much-heralded “golden era” of relations has turned into one of deepening mistrust and bitter acrimony. In the past few weeks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has banned Huawei from involvement in Britain’s 5G networks, suspended its...Read More