Question: What happens when an 80% shareholder of a company decides that the $165 million in bonuses contracted to employees prior to the purchase of shares are an abuse of the over $170 billion given in taxpayer bailout? Answer: American International Group CEO, Edward Liddy, asks bonus recipients who received $100,000 or more to return […]
It’s no secret that North Korea and China are close. Of all Pyongyang’s neighbors, it has the most intricate and rosy relationship with Beijing. Today Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao welcomed North Korean Prime Minister Kim Yong-Il (not to be confused with Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il) to Beijing. The two men held a very cordial conversation […]
In a strange piece of spin, the New York Times says today that the financial crisis will wind up being good for China. It’s an unconvincing position to say the least. It’s true that, unlike the West, China has no trouble with currency exchange or stock markets, which are state regulated, or bank failure, because […]
On Sunday, Chinese authorties reported that the Chang’e-1 space probe made a successful and planned crash landing on the Moon. This is the first time any Chinese spacecraft has touched the Moon. China’s Xinhua state-controlled news service explains that the Chang’e probes are part of an extended mission aimed at eventually sending recoverable and manned missions to the Moon. Xinhua reports:
In his inaugural speech, President Barack Obama asserted that the United States remains “the most prosperous, powerful nation on earth.” No matter how powerful a nation is, however, its priorities still need to be rearranged and sometimes compromised, especially when dealing with key allies and partners. This much was evident by U.S. Secretary of State […]
The SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) has grown in prominence during the past several years as a regional counterweight to NATO. Comprised of China, Russia, and 4 of the “Stans” (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan), the SCO was formed in 1996 with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions. The organization […]
On Tuesday, Russian and Chinese leaders signed a massive $25 billion energy deal. The agreement sees Russia providing energy-hungry China with secure oil supplies (300,000 barrels per day) for the next 20 years. In return, China will provide Russia with advantageous loans with $15 billion to Rosneft (the state-owned oil company) and $10 billion to […]
Last week, I spoke in front of the San Diego World Affairs Council North Chapter (an affiliate of FPA) about the rising objectives and capabilities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Here is my presentation in slides (go to the bottom of the page). I though some you might be interested in some of the articles […]