Reports of Dr. Nicola Casarini
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Chinese firms’ spending spree favors Europe over U.S.
Chinese companies made record bids for foreign acquisitions in the first quarter of 2016, focusing especially on agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. But while such investments have been met with open arms in Europe, regulatory resistance is stiff in the United States. With Chinese firms eager to gain Western technology, brands ...
Beijing tries carrot and stick as Taiwan vote nears
Taiwan will hold presidential and legislative elections on January 16, 2016. Opinion polls show the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is set to win. If it does, writes GIS guest expert Dr. Nicola Casarini, it will be the culmination of a trend that began with local elections in November 2014 when ...
China’s push towards Europe through Piraeus boosts infrastructure and tensions
Beijing’s investment outflows are growing fast, and Europe is one of the main beneficiaries of this trend. By mid-2015, China had invested more than US$60 billion in shares of European companies, passing Japan to become the fourth-largest investor in the ‘Old Continent.’ Since 2014, Chinese investments have targeted Central and ...
Troubled waters in the South China Sea as China’s bid for control raises tensions
China is fast developing its defence capabilities. At the third plenary session of the Communist Party’s 18th Congress in November 2013, Party Leader Xi Jinping announced the most ambitious reforms of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in more than three decades. Much of this military investment is being directed towards ...
Corruption, the biggest threat to China's military power
A flurry of reports have recently highlighted the rapid modernisation of China’s military and its growing capabilities - both long range and in cyberspace. But many analysts point out that the Chinese army still lags behind other major military powers in many aspects. Rampant corruption, particularly, paints a grim picture, ...
A changed political landscape in Taiwan
How far can the ruling party in Taiwan, the KMT, go in getting closer to China without being wiped out in elections. Results from the November 2014 elections resulted in the best electoral outcome to date for the opposition. This changed the political landscape in Taiwan and throws open the ...
