We are in good hands – reflections upon the speech of the EU Ambassador to China Mr Nicolas Chapuis during International Think Tank Forum in Commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of China’s Reform and Opening-Up in Shenzhen. It took me some time to think over what the EU Ambassador to…

Now that Malaysia is celebrating its peaceful transition of power it is easy to forget how grim political situation looked only a week ago. It is true that the end of 40 years long governing of Barisan Nasional and freeing political prisoners are definitely reasons to celebrate, but nevertheless it…

You can also download the article below in the PDF format free of charge.   Introduction The main objective of the paper is to find the answer to the question “When did the Great Divergence between China and the West take place?”, and provide the explanation for the answer. This…

  The Republic of Maldives is a country known best for its tropical sun and palm beaches. But the Maldivian tourist industry that dominates worldwide perception of the archipelago has existed only since 1972. The Maldivian country and nation are much older, spanning across millennia of change and development. To…

In the first days of February we have witnessed what some describe as a coup d’état in the tiny island-country of the Maldives, where president Abdulla Yameen cracked down on the Supreme Court and the opposition. The ensuing crisis will determine the geopolitical future of the Maldives, at least for…

“We are at an inflection point in this century. Many of our traditional arrangements are failing. To achieve stability in this century we need to discover new solutions. We have to work together to ensure China’s rise is peaceful. We need a strong regional group that can ensure that Chinese expansionist…

The United Arab Emirates stand proudly at the forefront of the world’s oil exporters with its 97,800 billion barrels of oil reserves. Being a federal absolute monarchy consisting of seven states: Abu Dabi, Dubaj, Sharjah, Umm al-Quwaim, Ras Al-Khaimah, Fujairah and Ajman, the United Arab Emirates thrive on their precious…

IMPORTANT POLITICAL SOLUTION ASEAN-China Framework for the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea   On 6 August 2017 in Manila, the foreign ministers of China and ASEAN endorsed the framework on the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea (COC). The framework had earlier been approved by…

Chapter IV IS THERE REALLY A BUBBLE IN THE CHINA’S REAL ESTATE MARKET? Demand on real estate market in PRC is fueled by expectation of ever growing property prices but not on the basis of occupancy; as a result real vacancy rate is 30 to 50 percent in properties which…

Chapter III BUBBLE’S ENVIRONMENT Presumably, the earliest known example of the asset price bubble is the tulip-bulb craze (so-called ‘tulipomania’) in Netherlands that started in 1634 and burst in February 1637. “Amid the general fascination with rare species of tulips among the Dutch, prices on rare tulip bulbs rose, attracting…

Chapter II CHINA’S HOUSING SYSTEM 2.1. The urban housing sector before the reform between 1949 and 1995 Past policies connected with political intervention have created a situation in which the Chinese housing sector was massively controlled by the government. Between 1949 and 1978 public rental housing was the predominate form…

INTRODUCTION  The fact is Chinese are among the best savers in the world and they do not have enough places to invest their money. This situation contributes to the formation of asset bubbles. And the bubble on the real estate market – that was the first investment choice in People’s…

In a last year’s poll, 96% of Chinese job seekers surveyed said they were prepared to go abroad for work. And the authorities are cheering them on. Gone are the days when a typical expatriate was a Westerner on an assignment in Asia, whether a senior executive managing a subsidiary,…

One month on from the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States, the shockwaves of his victory show no sign of subsiding. Quite the opposite. As 70-year-old Trump assertively espouses his „America First” policy, rulebooks are being torn up and acclimation to unpredictability is the…

Krzysztof Zalewski: India is a large country, both in terms of its population and its land area, with a fast-growing economy. It is perceived as a major new player on the global stage. What would the world order look like if co-organized by India? Samir Saran: India’s impact on the…

In 2016 it took Chinese companies less than four months to surpass the record $145,7 billion of overseas deals they announced in 2015. The amount surpassed 208 US$ bn. Already in 2015 China outbound foreign investments – ODI- did surpassed inflow of foreign direct investments – FDI -from abroad. Chinas…

The experiences of many countries all over the world are broadly consistent with the hypothesis underlying the so-called Williamson Curve, formulated in economic literature in 1960s. Williamson (1965) stated that when a country enters a fast growth path, regional disparities increase in the early stages of development, but later on,…

Recent Philipines President Rodrigo Duterte steps should be the cause of strong headache for U.S policymakers, putting into doubt strategy of pivot into Asia-Pacific. Philippines shift toward China makes a giant hole in U.S strategy of encirclement China, as Philippines were key strategic partner in the so called “First island…