China’s recent global infrastructure development initiatives serve to place it at the center of Asian regional and worldwide economic activity, while also meeting a critical need in the developing world. In marked contrast, the United States lacks a strategic approach to supporting global infrastructure investment. While the U.S. government does have the instruments in place to increase […]
Key Facts
ECA Chief Formalizes Partnership With China to Promote Africa’s Transformation
Addis Ababa — The Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia, Kuang Weilin, will henceforth serve as China’s Permanent Representative to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). While presenting his credentials today to ECA’s Executive Secretary, Carlos Lopes, Ambassador Kuang said he was glad to be the first Permanent Representative of China to ECA, and that China counts […]
COMESA Ministers push for TFTA ratification, take stock of progress
Members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) were urged last week by the COMESA Council of Ministers – the highest decision making structure within COMESA— to sign and ratify the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) agreement. The Council also reviewed the negotiations of the TFTA agreement at the 35th Meeting of […]
Asia and Latin America Look to Strengthen Trade, Financial Ties
There is great potential to deepen trade and financial linkages between Asia and Latin America, and implementing the right policies will be key to a successful partnership, conference participants said. The March 3 conference, entitled “Economic Linkages between Asia and Latin America: Opportunities, Challenges, and Policies,” noted that trade and financial ties between Latin America […]
China to expand skills programme to Africa
Under the arrangement, some of the African nationals will travel to China while others will be trained locally. Keen to strengthen relations with Africa, China will over the next three years train at least 200,000 African professionals in skills-based fields. Ambassador Lin Songtian, the director general of African Affairs at China’s foreign affairs ministry revealed […]
BRICS Bank to begin funding of projects
The New Development Bank (NDB) set up by the BRICS countries will approve one project from each member nation in April followed by finalisation of about 10 to 15 projects, mostly green energy ventures, its President K V Kamath said on Friday. Addressing media here in the Communist giant’s financial hub ahead of signing of […]
Non-tariff barriers hounding trade in region
FREE TRADE REGIMES such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (AEC) have ushered in zero to minimal tariffs for the export of goods and services, but non-tariff measures have become more pronounced, the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) said yesterday. These are often more expensive and challenging as they come in various […]