Written by Catherine Sancho Since 2013, Chinese diplomacy has shown noticeable signs of expansionary and cooperative interest in the Middle East. Some of China’s most successful initiatives have been through the form of foreign direct investment in technology and infrastructure, like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to integrate many of the world’s…
Category: International Economics
How Saudi Arabia is Shaking Up Soccer, in a Bad Way
Written by Beck Smolak In early January, a bombshell announcement dropped that Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to join Al-Nassr FC in the Saudi Pro League, securing a staggering $315 million a season for the next two and a half years. With Ronaldo already 38 years old and entering a different stage of his…
What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative?
Written by Christian Potts The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a massive international infrastructure and economic development program that China began in 2013. The $1 trillion and decade-long project has expanded China’s global economic influence by increasing international dependency on their financial institutions. The BRI continues to grow, with “147 countries …hav[ing] signed onto…
Tony Gao: The Invisible Side of a Young Entrepreneur
Written by Hanzhang Qin Tony Gao, born in 1994, is a young entrepreneur who was listed on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in 2017. He co-founded Easy Transfer, China’s largest platform for international students to pay their tuition fees. How did he break into the competitive market for tuition payments, and what inspired him to…
A Comparative Analysis of the US and UK Health Care Systems
Written by Zara Jacob Economics is often framed as the study of choice. When it comes to healthcare, making better choices can mean significantly improving, if not outright saving, lives. Three years out of the start of the pandemic, health care systems around the world are still grappling with the structural flaws the pandemic brought…
Manufacturing Friendship with India
Written by Holly Teeters As war with China hangs on the horizon, the United States primes India to take over China’s role on the global stage. Coined “friend-shoring,” the US and other Western countries are looking for more predictable economic relationships that won’t be uprooted by a cold war with China and geopolitical tensions with…
Zambia’s Cobalt Economy
Written by Kacper Janowski Our earth has what seems like unlimited resources. The most useful and popular resources are water, fossil fuels and metals. Water is one of the most used resources on earth and it is essential for all living organisms. Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, are another important resource, used…
Why the World is Not Trusting China’s NBS: A Political Storyline
Written by Kuzma Gu The National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS) has been the official statistical agency of China since 1949. With regards to China’s unique political environment, the credibility of NBS, unlike the statistics bureaus of other countries, has always been questioned. Nevertheless, Rome wasn’t built in one day, so was the depravity…
Microchips and Economic Dips – Fallout From The US Ban on Exporting Advanced Microchips to China
Written by Szymon Ficon The future of the ever-accelerating technological revolution relies on a product which can fit on the tip of a finger: the advanced microchip. The microchip (semiconductor) is the building block of every piece of technology produced, ranging from phones and medical equipment to missiles and tanks. Consequently, the race to dominate…
Colombia’s Modern Robin Hood: Gustavo Petro
Written by Holly Teeters Dubbed an “ex-rebel” by the media, Gustavo Petro’s recent presidential victory in Colombia has many on edge. Petro won the election with 50.4 percent of the vote, beating his construction magnate opponent by a very narrow margin (“Colombia Elects,” 2022). His win has shocked the world as Petro’s promised economic policies…