Europe – KCS Group Asia Ltd

Is the EU at war with the US or with itself?

Articles / Due Diligence, Europe, European Union, Geopolitics, global energy security, Global trade, Industrial, International Security, NATO, political instability, risks, Russia, USA / 12/2025

The claim that the EU is “at war” with the US sounds hyperbolic at first glance. Washington remains Europe’s principal security guarantor, its largest external trading partner and (through NATO) the backbone of continental defence. Yet, beneath the formal architecture of alliance, a more corrosive dynamic has emerged. Policy choices taken in Brussels and several [...]

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ARC and the powers determined to stop it

Articles / China, Due Diligence, energy markets, Europe, exports, Geopolitics, Global trade, NATO, risks, Russia, Sanctions, tariffs, Technology, trade relations, United Kingdom, USA / 12/2025

For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the world’s three largest powers (the US, Russia and China) are showing signs of drifting into a pragmatic triangular balance. It is not an alliance, and it is not ideological. It is, instead, the product of converging interests. Quiet US-Russia communications on energy and

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Europe’s push for rare earth magnet production: can it wean off China?

Articles / Canada, China, Due Diligence, Estonia, Europe, Geopolitics, minerals, rare earth magnet, risks, supply chains / 11/2025

Europe’s debut into large-scale rare-earth magnet manufacturing via the newly opened plant in Narva, Estonia, is a bold signal. Backed by EU funds and Canadian Export Credit Agency loans, this facility represents a strategic effort to break China’s long-standing stranglehold on critical magnet supply chains. But as promising as that may seem, the road to

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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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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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Turkish Tales: why investors are looking again at Turkey

Articles / Business Risk, China, Due Diligence, economic growth, Europe, European Union, Geopolitics, Gulf, India, international business, Middle East, Russia, trade corridor, Turkey / 07/2025

After an eighteen-month monetary overhaul, Ankara is finally putting a lid on the price spiral that peaked above 70 percent last spring. The OECD’s April survey notes that, provided interest rates remain restrictive and fiscal discipline holds, consumer inflation should sink to single digits by 2027, bringing Turkey back within striking distance of its long-forgotten

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Kazakhstan: The Eurasian Trade Pivot

Articles / Asia, China, Due Diligence, economic growth, energy markets, Europe, Foreign investment, Geopolitics, Industrial, Kazakhstan, risks, Sanctions, Turkey, USA / 06/2025

Kazakhstan enters mid-2025 in a somewhat different position from previous years. The economy is showing signs of stable growth, with the World Bank projecting GDP expansion driven by non-oil sectors, and revived investor interest. Inflation has eased, and fiscal buffers have been replenished following earlier shocks from the pandemic and energy price volatility. While hydrocarbons

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China’s Opportunities: Western partners and allies

Articles / China, Due Diligence, economic growth, Europe, Foreign investment, Geopolitics, Global trade, manufacturing, trade relations, USA / 05/2025

The evolving rift between Washington and Beijing is reshaping international trade and diplomacy. As the United States promotes a strategy of "de-risking" from China, aimed at reducing economic exposure without complete disengagement, Beijing is reinforcing its position as a necessary global partner. China continues to be as open for business as ever, offering investment opportunities

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The Tripolar Era: Trump’s bold moves, Xi’s strategy, and Europe’s fight for relevance

Articles / China, Donald Trump, Due Diligence, Europe, European Union, Geopolitics, global economy, Global trade, International Security, President Xi, USA / 03/2025

The world economy is entering a new era - one in which power is increasingly divided among three major continental blocs: the US, China and Europe. No longer a uni-polar world under post-Cold War US hegemony, the current landscape is defined by conflicting regulatory frameworks, trade policies and geopolitical ambitions. At the forefront of these

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The Rise of Economic Nationalism: how protectionist policies are ending globalism

Articles / China, Due Diligence, Europe, Foreign investment, Geopolitics, global economy, Global trade, Russia, supply chains, USA / 02/2025

Global trade’s share of economic output has decreased, while industrial policies focused on bolstering domestic industries are increasing, especially in wealthier countries. This change has since last year been dubbed "slowbalisation", signalling a slowdown in globalisation. However, rather than indicating a complete reversal, this shift reflects a growing emphasis on the protection of domestic industries,

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