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Showing posts from August 29, 2018

RWR Advisory: Belt and Road at a Glance

Top DevelopmentsGhanaian Political Opposition Critical of Excessive Chinese Lending in Exchange for Bauxite
On August 25, Sinohydro Group began a due diligence process with regard to bauxite mining prospects in Ghana’s Atewa forest reserve for which it seeks mining rights in exchange for broader promises of infrastructure investment. At the end of June, Ghana’s parliament approved an MoU for Sinohydro to provide Ghana with $2 billion in infrastructure, including roads, bridges, housing, and electrification. In what appears to be a traditional “resources for infrastructure” arrangement, Sinohydro would is receiving bauxite mining rights in the Atewa and Nyinahin forest reserves in exchange. Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to finalize the agreement in the coming weeks. The political opposition has criticized the deal for its debt implications. China has sought to leverage offers of financing for some time to gain access to the countries valuable mining assets.Myanmar Poli…
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China Came, China Built, China Left?: The Sarawakian Experience with Chinese Dam Building

China Came, China Built, China Left?: The Sarawakian Experience with Chinese Dam BuildingShun Deng FamAbstractThis paper uses a political ecology approach to unpack the experience of local governments and displaced communities in Sarawak, Malaysia, with Chinese dam construction at the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam. Data for the study was collected over 32 months from 2014 to 2016. The field site offered a unique insight into how recipient countries of aid are also often at the receiving end of domestic politics of donor countries. The paper finds that Chinese and Australian enterprises involved in the dam construction and resettlement of indigenous communities displayed different understandings with regards to social and environmental safeguards, resulting in a dysfunctional handover of the project from Australian to Chinese leadership. Consequently, indigenous communities were dispossessed from their land, affecting their ability to successfully reconstruct their livelihoods, with their at…
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TRIVIUM CHINA: THE TIP SHEET

HEARD IN BEIJING"Acts of infringing on intellectual property rights will be severely punished."- Li Keqiang, Premier
Some context: That's what Li said to the director general of the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization. China has a lot of work to do to convince the international community that they are serious. More in the Tip Sheet below.



DRIVING THE DECADE1. Family planning may come to an end
Get excited: China’s legislature is in session this week.One of the items on the agenda is a revised Civil Code.The latest version of the code signals that China’s family planning policies could be coming to an end (Reuters):“All content on family planning has been dropped in a draft civil code being deliberated by top lawmakers on Monday, the Procuratorate Daily wrote in a post on its Weibo account.”The government already relaxed family planning policies two years ago:“In 2016, the government allowed couples in urban areas to have two children, replacing a one-chi…
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Mongolia provides quick entry services to facilitate Belt and Road Initiative

ULAN BATOR, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has implemented three measures to support the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a senior foreign ministry official said.The Mongolian Government introduced the measures in November. They are issuing multiple-entry visa for personnel involved in the BRI, allowing them to apply for visa at Mongolia's airport and border crossing, and providing quick access at international arrival and departure, Ariunbold Yadmaa, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' consular department, told Xinhua on Monday.Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi inspected the Belt and Road quick access at the Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulan Bator on Saturday during his visit to the country, marking the official launch of the three facilitation measures.The Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia, Xing Haiming, said Mongolia is a natural partner of the BRI, supporting it and participating in it since it was proposed in 2013.Mongolia has dove…
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China's Belt and Road Initiative provides opportunities for cooperation in Pacific: experts

Source: Xinhua 2018-08-29 11:58:51Photo taken on Aug. 28, 2018 shows a seminar on the Pacific Islands and the Belt and RoadInitiative jointly organized by the Confucius Institute and the School of Economics of the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Suva, Fiji. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)by Zhang YongxingSUVA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has provided significant opportunities for China and other countries to cooperate in the fields including infrastructure and climate change in the South Pacific region, experts from China and Fiji said here on Tuesday.Jointly organized by the Confucius Institute and the School of Economics of the University of the South Pacific (USP), a seminar on the Pacific Islands and the Belt and Road Initiative was held here on Tuesday with the participation of experts from China and Fiji, students, local Chinese community leaders and representatives of Chinese enterprises.Wang Yiwei, a professor and director of the Institute o…
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