https://www.scmp.com/rss/324653/feed Friedrich Wu is an adjunct associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He served as chief economist for the DBS Banking Group (1985-2001) and economics director at Singapore’s Ministry of Trade & Industry (2001-2005). en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Since Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled his country’s ambitious “Belt and Road Initiative” in 2013, some detractors in Asia and the West are looking at it as the most audacious challenge yet to America’s global primacy. Since the Chinese government, banks and state-owned enterprises will be the main financing sources for the construction of these transcontinental infrastructure projects, critics have warned that China could become a “new imperial power” pursuing a “debt-trap... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2135483/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-no-more-imperial-pax?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2135483/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-no-more-imperial-pax?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Mar 2018 06:01:31 +0000 On July 1, Hong Kong will commemorate the 20th anniversary of its transfer of sovereignty from Britain to China. The Hong Kong government has budgeted an extravagant HK$640 million to celebrate this milestone, but ironically has also revealed that it will mobilise 10,000 police officers to “protect” the attending state leaders, including President Xi Jinping ( 習近平 ). The local authorities also disclose that “huge barriers” will be erected to cordon off the hotel where China’s VIPs will take up... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099446/summer-hong-kongs-discontent-20-years-after-its-return-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099446/summer-hong-kongs-discontent-20-years-after-its-return-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jun 2017 09:18:30 +0000