Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: Steel

The trade deficit is widening. Is that really such a bad thing?

The trade deficit is widening. Is that really such a bad thing?

Recent US Commerce Department figures showing a widening of the country’s trade deficit serve to illustrate the inherent contradictions in President Trump’s vow to narrow the gap while urging faster economic growth.

read more

Stranded Chemical Tanker Threatens Vietnamese Shores

Stranded Chemical Tanker Threatens Vietnamese Shores

The ship Chemroad Journey, en route to China with some 30,000 tons of chemicals and 27 crew members, has reportedly been grounded on a rocky bottom off the coast of Vietnam.

read more

One Year On From Vietnam’s Worst Environmental Disaster

One Year On From Vietnam’s Worst Environmental Disaster

Marking the first anniversary of the Formosa Plastics spill, protesters in the town of Kỳ Anh blocked the country’s main highway the first week of April.

read more

Robert Lighthizer on Trade with China

Robert Lighthizer on Trade with China

The new pick for U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, recently signaled the new administration’s get-tough approach to China over trade issues.

read more

Iron ore and fiber optics in the works for Nunavut

Iron ore and fiber optics in the works for Nunavut

Nunavut, Canada is home to a wealth of mineral resources, yet it suffers from a dearth of high-speed internet. New developments in both of those areas could bring big changes to the territory. First, after four years of assessment and analysis, the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) approved the Mary River iron mine on Baffin Island, in […]

read more

The Rio Tinto Case —When Governments Attack

Monday, the four executives, three Chinese nationals and one Australian from Australian mining giant Rio Tinto (and so dubbed The Rio Four by Mineweb) , were convicted of bribery and stealing commercial secrets after a closed, two-day trial in Shanghai. Their sentences ranged from seven to fourteen years. One defendant has already said he will […]

read more

The dangerous intersection of energy, politics and business

The dangerous intersection of energy, politics and business

Australian Foreign Minister Steven Smith stated today that Stern Hu, General Manager of Rio Tinto China, was detained on espionage charges earlier this week. Hu’s firm, Rio Tinto, is a major Australian supplier of iron ore (a necessary ingredient for making steel). The company is currently negotiating annual contracts with China that dictate pricing terms […]

read more

About Us

Foreign Policy Blogs is a network of global affairs blogs and a supplement to the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions program. Staffed by professional contributors from the worlds of journalism, academia, business, non-profits and think tanks, the FPB network tracks global developments on Great Decisions 2014 topics, daily. The FPB network is a production of the Foreign Policy Association.