Vol 6 (AAC) No 4 | LIBERIAASIA Farmers take on agribusiness 11th February 2013 Asian agribusiness companies face opposition from NGOs and locals who claim that communities have the right to manage their lands Uncertainty over land rights is stirring controversy for palm oil developers in Liberia. Local and international non-governmental organisations have targeted two agribusiness giant...
Vol 6 (AAC) No 4 | MALIASIA China cool on intervention 11th February 2013 Japan and India have pledged their support but China has legal – and ideological – doubts about the French response to the crisis Japan promised US$120 million, India $101 mn. and China $1 mn. These headline pledges in emergency aid to Mali graphically illustrate Beijing’s unease at a crisis-management strate...
Vol 6 (AAC) No 4 | SOUTH AFRICAASIA South Africa scrambles for Africa 11th February 2013 The African National Congress (ANC) government has ordered South African state-owned companies to mount an aggressive trade offensive into Africa to counter the onslaught of invest...
Vol 6 (AAC) No 3 | AFRICAASIA Growth in a time of global austerity 15th January 2013 Despite the global slowdown, Africa-Asia trade moves full steam ahead State-owned oil company PT Pertamina made its largest African acreage purchase in December. A deal for stakes in three Algerian blocks owned by United States company ConocoPhillips...
Vol 6 (AAC) No 2 | ZIMBABWEASIA Asian ambassadors offer economic advice 4th December 2012 Jettisoning their traditional reticence, Asian ambassadors to Zimbabwe are now advising the government on how to turn around the economy, build infrastructure and attract foreign i...
Vol 6 (AAC) No 1 | CONGO-KINSHASAASIABRIEFING Asian builders get close to Inga billions 30th October 2012 The Kinshasa government plans to begin discussions in November with three consortiums that are interested in the construction of a third hydroelectric dam capable of producing seve...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 12 | AFRICAASIA Textile trouble 2nd October 2012 The garment industry is Africa’s first rung on the ladder of industrialisation but Asian competition has been wrecking it Asian textile factories in Africa are often the scene of angry confrontation between workers and management, governments and traders. Asian production is widely seen as a threat to...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 12 | AFRICAASIA A temporary revolution 2nd October 2012 A new study from the University of Oxford’s Centre for the Study of African Economies* reveals that the boom in Asian textile investment in Africa is over. To avoid quotas imposed ...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 12 | AFRICAASIA Noel Naval Tata 2nd October 2012 Managing Director, Tata International Noel Tata was never a serious contender to succeed his half-brother Ratan Tata at the head of Tata Group. He seems content with running Tata International, the overseas arm of ...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 11 | SUDANSOUTH SUDANASIA Getting the oil to flow again 3rd September 2012 Chinese oil companies have been involved in the talks between Juba and Khartoum but Beijing still prefers quiet, behind-the-scenes pressure There is a surprising mood of optimism amongst politicians and oil company officials in Juba as South Sudan and Sudan enter the latest round of negotiations on oil and border issue...