The South African economy just narrowly escaped a credit rating downgrade but it is not in the clear yet.
Reuters
South Africa is breathing a sigh of relief after escaping a credit rating downgrade. But there are still serious concerns around structure of the country’s economy and finances.
China’s capacity to participate in Arctic affairs is still weak.
Anna Filipova/Reuters
China has been very quiet in negotiations over fisheries regulations for the central Arctic Ocean. Why is the country’s behaviour there so dramatically different from what it pursues in Antarctica?
China is trying to fix its debt woes with financial hocus pocus.
Shutterstock.com
Chinese debt levels are unsustainable and its plan is more of the same. China needs real market reform if it is to avoid a debt crisis.
Oops.
PA images
Some will be hoping that Trump’s phone call with Taiwan’s leader was a wrong number.
New government procurement rules negotiated into the ABCC bill by Nick Xenophon are set to favour local Australian steel producers over their Chinese rivals.
Qilai Shen/EPA
Changes to construction material requirements from negotiations on the ABCC will give Australian steelmakers a chance to step-up.
It is unclear how a Trump presidency will shape foreign policy.
Reuters/Lucas Jackson
Uncertainties about America’s trajectory under Trump come at a particularly awkward moment in post-Cold War history.
shutterstock.com
Football is becoming an increasingly important weapon in Britain’s soft power arsenal.
Demonstrators protest against Beijing’s interference over local politics and the rule of law.
Tyrone Siu/Reuters
In recent months, the flimsy foundations of Hong Kong’s autonomy have been exposed by a series of dramas.
EPA/Larry W Smith
The incoming Trump administration could do worse than learn from China in devising a new policy of economic engagement with North Korea.
A glimpse of China’s ‘export machine’ at Ningbo port in Zhejiang province.
Reuters
China’s goods are everywhere, thanks to the gains China has made from trade and foreign investment. Now that China wants to return the favor, the US may risk losing out if it chooses to turn inward.
China’s latest energy plan would see coal power increase by 200 gigawatts.
Coal image from www.shutterstock.com
China has pledged to peak carbon emissions before 2030, but is planning a 20% increase in coal power by 2020.
markseton/Flickr
From Chinese tourists in Kidlington, to Brits slumming it in Rio, everyone wants an ‘authentic’ experience.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart François Hollande can help to drive global climate action.
AAP/Yann Korbi
If Donald Trump turns away from climate action as George W. Bush did, Europe and China can respond by forming an alliance that will turn the United States from a climate leader into a follower.
The research projected what would happen through to 2050 if fertility levels were to rise in response to China’s two-child policy.
Jason Lee/Reuters
Analysis shows China’s GDP per capita would fall by 21% in 2050 under the new two-child policy.
As the US withdraws, it’s time for China to shine.
Reuters
All is not lost for the climate with the election of Donald Trump.
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa at the BRICS summit in Goa, India. Brazil’s position is shaky.
REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Brazil’s place within the BRICS bloc is becoming questionable. Since the new President Michel Temer took over, Brazil’s foreign policy has shifted away from BRICS ideals to favour western interests.
Terracotta warriors date from over 2,000 years ago and are considered to be one of the most important recent archaeological finds.
Nicky Loh/Reuters
For centuries, historians have assumed that ‘primitive societies’ couldn’t have possibly come up with advanced techniques on their own.
EPA/Erik S. Lesser
China may have more to gain from Trump’s rise than any other nation – but the risks of a miscalculation are enormous.
Watch out.
Igor Zh.
They used to be boring. Now they’re little arsonists.
‘No more milkshake for me.’
Plavevsky
New research shows why the milk of panda mothers is far better than formula.