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Showing posts from August 1, 2018

China’s Plan to Win Friends and Influence Includes Ski Slopes and Spas

CreditHartwig BraunBy Alexandra Stevenson and Cao LiAug. 1, 2018HONG KONG — In Thailand, a theater rigged with hydraulic seats will give moviegoers the sensation of flight. In Australia, an indoor ski slope is going up near the beaches of the Gold Coast. In the Czech Republic, a spa with Chinese medicine is under construction in the southern wine country.All three projects fall under Beijing’s ambitious effort to build geopolitical and economic ties around the world — and all three stray from its original mission.Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has pledged trillions of dollars toward the construction of roads, power plants and ports in Asia, Africa and Europe through its Belt and Road initiative. The program envisions big, critical infrastructure projects, backed and blessed by the Chinese government, as the path to winning friends and spreading influence.But five years in, smaller, less impactful projects are finding cover under the umbrella of Belt and Road, using the program to…
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TRIVIUM CHINA : Daily Comments and updates

Source: TRIVIUM.COM,  Daily Newsletter HEARD IN BEIJING“Stable employment, stable finance, stable foreign trade, stable foreign investment, stable investment, and stable expectations.”
- Politburo Readout
Some context: The above quote is what the Politburo wants for the economy in the second half of 2018. Can you guess the theme? It’s clear that top leadership is worried about the effects of the trade war. But they aren’t panicking – keeping things stable is a far cry from outright juicing growth. More in the Tip Sheet below.

THE TIP SHEETDRIVING THE DAY1. The Politburo finally weighs in on the economy
The Politburo held its monthly meeting on Tuesday and published a readout of the discussion late in the day.Some context: The July meeting is always important because it reviews economic performance in the first half of the year and articulates the economic policy stance for the second half.More context: This year, the meeting was more highly anticipated than usual, thanks to an uncertain e…
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RWR Advisory: Belt and Road at a Glance

Top DevelopmentsAustralian Foreign Ministry Refuses to Disclose BRI MoU
On July 30, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) declined to disclose the text of an MoU on Belt and Road infrastructure cooperation it signed last September. Trade Minister Steven Ciobo cited lack of consent from China, explaining that, “disclosure without the express consent of the Chinese government would also damage the government’s relationship with China...as well as with other governments and international organisations with whom Australia has concluded MOUs.” New Zealandreleased a similar MoU signed with China last year.Malaysia Special Envoy Visits Beijing
On July 18, Chairman of Malaysia’s Council of Eminent Persons Daim Zainuddin arrived in Beijing with a delegation of Malaysian officials and a letter from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad asking to renegotiate existing Chinese loans and contracts. While Mahathir acknowledged Malaysia’s disadvantages in negotiations with Beijing in a…
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Current Balochistan: Conflict updates from the Ground

30/July/2018
GAWADARToday a riddled dead body was seen near Allied bank ,gawdar . According to updates Dead was identified as kafyath S/O barkat , He was resident of Sakna ,dasht .

30/July/2018
AWARANlast night Baloch freedom fighters successfully attacked on a military camp in perrandar, an area of awaran with rockets and with  LMJ ,Where occupying army got heavy losses.


30/July/2018
AWARANAccording to updates today pakistani forces started a military operation in Geshkorr ,kolwa , Where pakistani forces Looted Goods and harassed womens and children.


30/July/2018
AWARANAccording to updates Today baloch freedom fighters successfully destroyed a military checkpost in Zarankuly an area if district awaran.

31/July/2018
KECHTeenage student, Asim S/O Amin Baloch , A resident of district kech, who was abducted by the Pakistani forces a few months ago ,According to updates asim has been released today from pakistani military camp in kech and reached his home.
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The changing world order

Source : TRIVIUM Advisory
A key theme running through Xi’s speech in South Africa was change:“We are witnessing major changes unfolding in our world, something unseen in a century.”One change that Xi highlighted was the gradual realignment of global power and influence:“Emerging markets and developing countries already contribute 80 percent of global economic growth.”“These countries account for nearly 40 percent of…global economic output.”“Growing at their current rates…their economic output [will] approach half of the global total in a decade.”Get smart: Xi is redirecting diplomatic resources to focus on developing countries in order to make sure that China is positioned to best take advantage of this shift.How Xi wants to see the world change:“When new rules are made on such issues as innovation, trade and investment and intellectual property protection or on new frontiers including cyberspace, outer space or the polar regions, we should make sure that the views of emerging markets…
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Xi's technology obsession

Xinhua has published the full text of Xi Jinping’s address to the BRICS Business Forum in Johannesburg Tuesday.It’s worth a read if you want to understand Xi’s thinking on foreign affairs and economic development.Xi used the occasion to discuss one of his obsessions – technology. The Big Man recognizes that technology is the key to future prosperity:“The next decade will be a crucial one in which new global growth drivers will take the place of old ones.”“A new round of revolution and transformation in science, technology and industries featuring artificial intelligence, big data, quantum information and bio-technology are gaining momentum.”“They are giving birth to a large number of new industries and business forms and models and will fundamentally change global development and people's work and lives.”“We must seize this important opportunity to enable emerging markets and developing countries to achieve leapfrog development.”Get smart: Talk like this is nothing new for Xi. He …
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CHINA: THE TIP SHEET by Trivium

HEARD IN BEIJING"We've basically laid out the road and now it's a matter of whether cars want to drive on it."
- Anonymous person close to financial policymakers
Some context: China's plan to bring its tech companies home is faltering. The main reason is that Chinese stocks are not a happy place for investors right now. More in the Tip Sheet below.We want to the Tip Sheet to be a happy place for China watchers. If you are happy, then invite your friends and colleagues to take a ride on the Tip Sheet Express, adn tell them they can click here to subscribe.And keep the comments coming!THE TIP SHEETDRIVING THE DAY1. China's rotten vaccine problem
A scandal over ineffective vaccinescontinues to dominate political life in Beijing (see July 23 Tip Sheet).Monday’s State Council meetingpromised to punish those responsible (gov.cn):“Those held responsible and involved in the rabies vaccine case should be given higher penalties and subject to hefty fines.”Police have alre…
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Hiding in Plain Sight: China’s Massive Tech Project

By Selina WangAugust 1, 2018Hey, it’s Selina Wang in San Francisco here. China’s Belt-and-Road project isn't just about moving stuff around, it's also about technology.Xi Jinping announced the initiative almost five years ago as a way to rebuild the ancient Silk Road, increasing China’s reach throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. Sure, the trillion-dollar-plus initiative involves railways, roads and ports in more than 60 countries. Yet, as China builds infrastructure projects around the world, it’s also exporting technology to those regions. China wants to build telecommunications equipment, infrastructure for the internet of things and smart cities, and e-commerce links in countries it invests in.State-controlled carriers China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom have been been laying optical cables in regions involved in the Belt-and-Road initiative, from Africa to South America. Many places they’re operating in have little digital infrastructure, so there's a huge oppo…
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Cities of the New Silk Road: what is China's Belt and Road project?

For much of the 20th century, the city of Duisburg in Germany’s industrial west was a steel-and-coal town whose chimneys cloaked the skies in smoke. And yet there is something about this soot-stained spot in the Ruhr valley that seems to encourage a particularly clear-sighted view of the rest of the world.We could become China’s gateway to Europe – and vice versaMayor Sören Link

In 1585, it was in Duisburg that Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator published a book of maps of European countries – the first ever “atlas” to carry that name. And it was here that Mercator first presented his new world map, the “Mercator projection”, that was so revolutionary for maritime navigators keen to steer merchant vessels across the high seas in the straightest possible line.If in 2018 Duisburg is slowly rediscovering its cosmopolitan past, it is not just because four centuries after Mercator, traders are still trying to find the most direct route from A to B. As the threat of Donald Trump’s tarif…
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