https://www.scmp.com/rss/324363/feed Andre Wheeler is CEO of Asia Pacific Connex, with more than 25 years’ experience in international business. He is currently working towards his doctorate on the Impact of China's Belt and Road initiative on infrastructure and logistics in the Asean region. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Discussion on the China-Myanmar relationship has focused on the risks rather than the opportunities that the Belt and Road Initiative, of which the China-Myanmar economic corridor is one part, offers. In an earlier piece, I argued that, depending on the economic development model adopted, the belt and road plan could help the country leapfrog development and lift its citizens out of poverty. These claims had an important caveat attached, arguing that all participants in the belt and road scheme... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/asia/article/2157848/how-negotiations-gave-myanmar-and-china-both-better?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/asia/article/2157848/how-negotiations-gave-myanmar-and-china-both-better?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Aug 2018 07:00:30 +0000 A plethora of articles have discussed the risks associated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The discussion is often portrayed within a “winners versus losers” framework, focusing on the divisive nature of the project. On Myanmar, for example, commentary has become increasingly vitriolic about security and sovereignty threats. This is evident in the concerns raised by the recently announced China-Myanmar economic corridor. Criticism includes claims that China is deliberately destabilising... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/china/article/2154839/far-debt-trap-chinas-belt-and-road-allows-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/china/article/2154839/far-debt-trap-chinas-belt-and-road-allows-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2018 18:00:45 +0000 The newly elected prime minister and government in Malaysia has sent an unwelcome shot across the bow of Singapore with the announcement that Malaysia is withdrawing from the high-speed rail project connecting Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. While there had been some controversy around the project in both countries, the rail project should not be seen in isolation but as a key component connecting Singapore to Chinese inland logistics hubs, such as Chongqing, thereby improving Singapore’s port role... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2148458/how-malaysian-election-result-could-change-singapores-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2148458/how-malaysian-election-result-could-change-singapores-role?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 May 2018 09:53:10 +0000 With Singapore hosting the Maritime Week recently, many obser­vers and com­men­tators have been waxing lyrical about the island-state’s status as the maritime capital of the world. When doing so, they refer to the size of the shipping industry. Headlines have referenced the Menon report this year, which places Singapore at No 1. This report uses five metrics to benchmark maritime centres worldwide: shipping; finance and law; technology; ports and logistics; and competitiveness. The outcome of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2092296/chinas-belt-and-road-push-will-help-hong-kong-top-regional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2092296/chinas-belt-and-road-push-will-help-hong-kong-top-regional?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 May 2017 08:54:26 +0000