In response to what are regarded as “democratic setbacks” in Cambodia, the European Commission announced on 5 October 2018 it would hit the country with trade sanctions. Damaging the national economy on which ordinary people depend for their health and welfare as the means to attain policy goals raises a significant ethical debate. Historical experience
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From the shrinking of the Aral Sea to the tensions on the construction of hydroelectric dams in the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya rivers, Central Asia (CA) has witnessed one of the biggest human-induced environmental disasters of the 20th century and has been classified as one of the regions with the highest probability of
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On 17 July 2018, leaders from the EU and Japan met in Tokyo to sign the dual Economic Partnership Agreement and Strategic Partnership Agreements (EPA and SPA). These agreements, for which negotiations started in 2013, represent a significant change in the relationship between these two great civilian powers, ushering in a new era of increased
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Key Takeaways: Asia’s needs for infrastructure finance rise to USD 2 trillion a year. Under the theme of “Mobilizing finance for infrastructure: innovation and collaboration” the AIIB’s President Jin Liqun called on all stakeholders to take responsibility and act. President Jin is shaping ‘his’ AIIB into a nimble and innovative multilateral development bank that is
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The annual meeting of the ADB, Asia’s leading development bank, is where you can feel the pulse of Asia. It was quite upbeat this year. Paying due but sober attention to China’s infrastructure focused Belt and Road initiative, the ADB nudges Asia to embrace new technologies to further drive growth in Asia. Panelists discussed whether
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Discussions around the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) tend to focus on its tangible aspects; primarily related to physical infrastructure including roads, rail and power plants. However, in addition to the two tangible “Silk Roads” – the Silk Road Economic Belt (land route) and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (sea route), a third “Silk Road”
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Time and again, China’s compliance with international law is a contentious issue between the People’s Republic of China and the European Union. Contrary to the widespread belief in the West, China does not treat law as unimportant but references it frequently. However, both sides have a very different approach to law. Where do these differences
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At the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party last October, China’s President Xi Jinping outlined the country’s future foreign policy. In Europe, most observers interpreted Xi’s speech as a turn to a more nationalist foreign policy that strives for fundamental changes in the international order along the lines of Chinese interests. This perception
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Given the global attention received by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and its impact on international affairs, it is remarkable how ambiguous the initiative remains. This is hardly astonishing, as Chinese foreign policies tend to strategically focus on general trajectories and leave more elasticity in comparison to Western ones. A reason for the government’s
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Having recently raised its economic status from low-income to lower-middle income, and on its way to becoming an upper-middle income country by 2030, increasingly open to foreign investments and businesses and with a dynamic and tech-savvy young population, Cambodia is a country that cannot leave its Muslim minority behind on its fast-paced development path. Despite
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