Global trade

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

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

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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Japan, US: a golden age?

When Sanae Takaichi was elected as Japan’s first female prime minister on 21 October, many observers were quick to raise scepticism and criticism. But taking a step back from the usual negative-narrative lens reveals a number of real indicators that Japan might be entering a much more dynamic era; one in which strong leadership, a

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

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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Laos, China and the Corridor

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

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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China’s Opportunities: Western partners and allies

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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Climbing High: India’s role in rewriting global supply chains

India entered 2025 maintaining its status as one of the world's few high-growth economies, but when one peers beneath this encouraging data, the outlook is one of resilience and restraint. While government spending continues to drive infrastructure expansion and consumer demand remains steady, the momentum in private sector investment has not kept pace. According to

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Tariffs – opportunities amid the chaos?

On the back of President Trump’s tariff announcement (“Independence Day”), a massive dive across the world’s stock markets drove panic to huge levels. But was that panic really necessary? So many experts have claimed for years that trade tariffs were the worst thing a country could possibly do against its own economy, yet, if the

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

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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