The incoming Imran Khan government of Pakistan will ask the IMF for a USD 12 billion bailout package, highlighting the new economic reality facing some Belt and Road Initiative participating countries and the need to formulate new rules governing the program.
The unexpected election result that saw the Conservative Party losing its parliamentary majority plunged the UK into political instability and raised the spectre of an exit from Brexit — an almost unthinkable black swan event.
Out of the top ten biggest companies by market capitalization at the end of May 2017, seven belong to the new economy. Except for the third-ranking Microsoft, none of the other six was a household name twenty years ago.
The issues of income distribution, inequality, and labor market stress at the center of re-globalization will be complicated by the rapid technological development under the 4th Industrial Revolution.
India, a notable absence from the BRI, raised the issues that the projects do not follow internationally-recognized norms of good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency, and equality.
Yu’e Bao is a repository for leftover cash from online spending. The speedy growth of the fund highlights the pervasive role now played by technologies, which at the same time disrupts important erstwhile state-controlled economic pillars such as finance.
The rise of Uber and the challenges it now faces illustrate the pitfall of innovation. While one cannot argue against the sharing economy aspect of Uber, one cannot also ignore the regulatory arbitrage issues raised by the taxi drivers.
The bankruptcy of Westinghouse raised the spectre of a Chinese takeover of the nuclear power plant projects. Bloomberg reported that cabinet officials had been involved in discussions about how to keep Westinghouse out of the control of a Chinese entity.