Category: Economy>Investment

China’s Big Bet on Indonesian Nickel Faces a Harsh Reckoning

For years, China raced to secure the critical minerals needed to fuel its economy and the global clean energy transition. Nickel was supposed to be one of the surest bets. Now, one of China’s largest investments in Indonesia’s nickel industry is unraveling—and with it, some of the ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

China-Led Study Proposes Global Energy Network

A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.

The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked to ...

The Chinese FDI Boom in Africa That Wasn’t

For years, China has been seen as the pivotal international economic partner across Africa. That was certainly true in terms of steadily rising trade volumes and a fire hose of state backed loans that built roads, railways, and ports across the ...

Brazil’s Lula Clinches Deals in Beijing

Brazil announced a currency swap agreement with the People's Bank of China for $27.69 billion over five years. The announcement comes as $4.5 billion in trade and investment deals were signed. These include a $881.6 million deal for the delivery service Meituan ...

A Greener Footprint? Decoding China’s New ESG Standards for Global Projects

China’s domestic and overseas projects may soon become significantly greener. A groundbreaking new law — the Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Standards: Basic Guidelines — marks a potential turning point, provided it is fully implemented and enforced. The new ESG disclosure rules represent ...