China – KCS Group Asia Ltd

Supply Chains and Sovereignty: the rising trend of localisation vs globalisation

Articles / Asia Pacific, China, Due Diligence, European Union, Geopolitics, Global trade, manufacturing, risks, supply chains, USA / 10/2025

In the past, the logic behind global supply chains was deceptively simple: source components where they were cheapest, assemble products where production was most efficient/ economical, and sell where demand was strongest. This model, refined over decades, essentially prioritised cost and scale above nearly all other considerations. Yet, in recent years, geopolitical pressures, technological competition [...]

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Scandium Stockpiling: the new minerals arms race

Articles / Canada, China, Due Diligence, exports, minerals, risks, Russia, scandium, supply chains, USA / 10/2025

Scandium has quietly shifted from an obscure industrial input to a geopolitical bargaining tool. In mid-2025, Beijing brought it under its export licensing system, meaning buyers now wait longer and face tougher approvals. The EU reacted in July with a formal resolution criticising the move, underlining how even minor minerals are being pulled into bigger

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Laos, China and the Corridor

Articles / Australia, China, Due Diligence, European Union, Foreign investment, Global trade, Japan, Laos, risks, Southeast Asia, trade corridor, United Kingdom, USA / 09/2025

Since the China Laos Railway (CLR) began service in December 2021, Laos has shifted from a land-locked cul-de-sac to a viable overland bridge into China and, by extension, East Asia and Europe. Throughput is climbing with the line moving close to 3 million tonnes in the first half of 2025, up 8.8% year-on-year, indicating deeper

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Building Blocks – Suriname’s Emerging Offshore Oil Sector

Articles / China, Due Diligence, Europe, Geopolitics, GranMorgu, Guyana, Malaysia, offshore, Oil, Staatsolie, Suriname, TotalEnergies, USA / 09/2025

Suriname is moving from frontier to pre-producer. TotalEnergies and APA’s October 2024 Final Investment Decision (FID) on Block 58 means it planned to start producing first oil in 2028, shifting attention from exploration to execution risk and market access. Staatsolie’s role and consolidation, reinforced by TotalEnergies’ entry into Block 53 in mid-2025, provide scale and

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A Geothermal Gold Rush – how East Africa converts heat into industry

Articles / China, East Africa, energy supply, Ethiopia, European Union, Foreign investment, geothermal, green hydrogen, Kenya, USA / 09/2025

East Africa’s Rift Valley holds high-enthalpy geothermal resources that provide steady, 24/7 power. This reliable output can support energy-intensive uses such as industrial parks, data centres, desalination and, in time, green hydrogen. Kenya has converted its geology into grid strength. About 80% of its electricity now comes from renewables, with geothermal supplying around 45%, the

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Mongolia’s Rare Earth Strategy: balancing risks and rivalries

Articles / China, Due Diligence, economic growth, Foreign investment, global trade routes, minerals, Mongolia, political instability, risks, Russia, supply chains / 08/2025

Wedged between China and Russia, Mongolia is often viewed through the prism of its geography: landlocked and dependent on its neighbours for access to global trade routes. Yet, beneath its deserts and steppes lies a resource base that has the potential to redraw supply chains for critical minerals. Copper, gold and rare earth elements make

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Energy, Politics and Power: Guyana’s High-Stakes Ascent

Articles / China, Due Diligence, economic growth, energy markets, energy supply, Foreign investment, Guyana, Oil, risks, supply chains, USA / 08/2025

ExxonMobil’s deepwater discoveries in Guyana’s Stabroek Block have transformed the country from a marginal player to one of the most promising oil frontiers globally. The block holds over 11 billion barrels of recoverable reserves, placing Guyana among the largest new offshore producers. Since 2022, Guyana’s GDP growth has been the fastest in the world, averaging

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Central Asia: from sanctions to strategy

Articles / Central Asia, China, Due Diligence, Economy, Europe, Foreign investment, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, risks, Sanctions, trade corridor, Uzbekistan / 08/2025

Kazakhstan is moving the fastest. Construction is under way on the new Darbaza-Maktaaral rail link to Uzbekistan (US$523 million) and a second track on the Dostyk-Moiynty section to lift China-Europe capacity five-fold by 2027. At the Caspian end, Aktau will add a 200,000 TEU container hub by 2025 for just US$42 million, while Kuryk gains

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Corridors or Chokepoints – the infrastructure bet driving Ethiopia’s future

Articles / Africa, China, Denmark, Due Diligence, Economy, energy supply, Ethiopia, European Union, Foreign investment, Geopolitics, Infrastructure, risks, Saudi, trade corridor, UAE / 08/2025

Although the Pretoria accord halted open warfare, Ethiopia’s political temperature has begun to rise again. Rival factions inside the Tigray People’s Liberation Front now contest the authority of the federally backed Interim Administration; analysts warn that internal splits could ignite a fresh insurgency and draw Eritrea back in. In parallel, the Fano militia in Amhara

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From Conflict Zone to Energy Hub: Mozambique’s LNG Gamble

Articles / China, Due Diligence, energy markets, European Union, Geopolitics, Global trade, Mozambique, natural gas, Russia, security risks, supply chains, USA / 07/2025

In northern Mozambique, lies one of the world’s richest undeveloped gas basins, just offshore in a province still scarred by jihadist violence. Since 2017, the Cabo Delgado insurgency has claimed at least 4,600 lives and uprooted about a million residents, forcing TotalEnergies to suspend work on its flagship LNG complex in 2021. Fast‑forward to July 2025: Rwandan and

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