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September 24, 2023

Andrew's October 2023 Newsletter

(My quarterly Newsletters go out to some 8,000 professional contacts worldwide. The following is my October 2023 issue. Back numbers may be accessed under What is New on my website.)

Greetings!
 
The muddled contest for shaping the World Order is accelerating. In face of a seemingly endless proxy war of attrition in Ukraine and quickening 2024 U.S. election challenges, President Biden is walking a tightrope balancing a no-holds-barred China-containment campaign with America's best economic interests.
 
Meanwhile, the "Global South" tectonic plates are shifting, typified by recent Arab Peninsula rapprochements brokered by China and droves of  developing nations wanting to join the BRICS group. However, grappling with multiple headwinds both domestic and international, China is not yet out of the woods, notwithstanding signs of resilience belying much of anti-China doomsday rhetoric. 
 
Hopefully, the following may throw up some useful perspectives in navigating through an increasingly complex and treacherous world!
 
World Order
China's Role in a Multipolar World (A 60-slide PowerPoint presentation)
 
China
Sinophobic "de-risking" unlikely to derail China's renaissance (China Daily Op-ed) Republished by Rome-based World Geostrategic Insights in French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic. Chinese versions appeared in China Daily and 网易首页
What do China’s curbs on Gallium and Germanium mean for the World? (China Daily Op-ed) Republished by World Geostrategic Insights in French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic 
China's defeated youth (An in-depth analysis)     
China expands legislation against espionage (Exclusive TV interview with Aljazeera English)
Rome-based World Geostrategic Insights - Compendium of China Op-eds (A specially-created feature on World Geostrategic Insights)

Global car revolution
How China shifted gears on electric vehicles - and why it matters (An in-depth analysis in The National Interest) 

EU
China-EU economic row (Live interview with Press TV)   

Taiwan 
 
North Korea
 
Azerbaijan
What brings Azerbaijan and China close to each other?  (Exclusive TV interview with Azerbaijan's Institute for Development and Diplomacy)
 
Hong Kong 
8th Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong  (Backchat on RTHK)         

Cheer Up and Chill Out
Inspirational videos and excerpts for life's down-moments
2023 Summer vacation in London, Wales and Scotland (A YouTube music video) 

International investment opportunities
I am on the International Advisory Board of Silk Road Partners, an international investment firm. Mr Yves Leterme, ex-Prime Minister of Belgium (November 2009 to December 2011) has joined the same Board. If you are interested in getting in touch with us, please give me a shout.

Consultation services
Please email me at [email protected] or text my Hong Kong mobile +852 98198987.  I can also be reached on Skype at andrew.k.p.leung, LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/andrewleunginternational, Whatsapp at (852) 98198987, WeChat at Andrewkpleung, Facebook at andrewkinpongleung, and Twitter at @Andrewkpleung


Business networking and speaking platform in Hong Kong
As an Advisor to the Denmark-based Executives' Global Network Hong Kong, I welcome your suggestion of a suitable speaker for an EGN event in Hong Kong. This will be entirely at our own cost with acknowledgement of your support, provided that we are not asked to cover any speaking fee, travel or accommodation expenses.

RSS feed and weblinks
My posts are regularly uploaded under my three blogs CHINAwatch, Publications and What's New .  A collection of leading China media and research sites can be found under China Links.

Please feel free to save my website on your computer, laptop, tablet, iPhone or iPad as a reference resource. If you wish instant access as soon as my postings appear, just click on “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” under RSS Feed on top of the right-hand column of each blog. Select the appropriate Google feed option. It is free of charge.  

This newsletter is uploaded to my website here.You may save it for reference or reading at leisure. You are free to share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Twitter or other social media devices.

Courtesies
I look forward to your guidance, advice, comments, suggestions, and criticisms. You may share the above contents with colleagues or friends. You are also welcome to publish any of them with full attribution.

If you think that I may add value to your endeavors in any way, please let me know how I may help.  If for any reason you do not wish to receive my emails, just ask me to delete your name from my data bank permanently.

Best personal regards,

Andrew K. P. Leung, SBS, FRSA              
International and Independent China Strategist
Andrew Leung International Consultants and Investments Company Limited

Positions
Chairman and CEO, Andrew Leung International Consultants and Investments Limited
(Founded in London, now re-incorporated in Hong Kong; name changed from Andrew Leung International Consultants Limited as from 10 July, 2017) 
China Futures Fellow, Berkshire Publishing Group, Massachusetts, USA (2011-13)
Brain Trust member, The Evian Group (global think-tank), Lausanne, Switzerland
Gerson Lehrman Group (Global Experts) Council Member
International Expert, Reuters Insight Community of Experts, Thomson Reuters
Senior Analyst, Wikistrat , a cloud-sourced global strategic consultancy based in Washington D.C.
Senior Consultant, MEC International (a UK-based global strategic energy consultancy) 
Distinguished Contributor, Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance (ATCA) (global think-tank)
Certified Sustainable Development Planner, World Institute of Sustainable Development Planners
Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA)
Elected Member, Royal Society for Asian Affairs
Think-tank Research Fellow, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus, PRC (14.4.2017-13.4.2020) 
International Advisory Board Member, Silk Road Partners
Advisory Board member, The e-Centre , European Centre for e-Commerce and Internet Law, Vienna 
Honorary Adviser, International Institute of Management (IIM) 
Advisory Board member, The Global Analyst, India
Honorary President, China Hong Kong Economic and Trading International Association (from 28 March, 2016) 
Global Commercial Agent, Changsha City, China
Hong Kong Advisory Board member, Denmark-based Executive Global Network (EGN)
Visiting Professor, London Metropolitan University Business School 
Governing Council Member, King’s College London, UK (2004-2010)
Advisory Board member, China Policy Institute, Nottingham University, UK (2005 -2010)
Visiting Professor, Sun Yat-sen University Business School, China (2005-10)
Founding Chairman, China Group, Institute of Directors City Branch, London, UK (2006-2010)
Vice Chairman, 48 Group Club, UK (2008-2010)
Committee Member of RSA, London Region, UK (2006-2010)
Included in UK's Who's Who since 2002
Awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) in the July 2005 Hong Kong Honours List  

Posted at 02:11 PM in Asia, Banking, Biotechnology, BRICS, Business promotion, China Business, China's politics, China's Rise, Climate Change , Consumption, Currencies, Current Affairs, Defense, Democracy, Development_, e-Commerce, Economy, Emerging Economies, Energy, EU, Eurasia, Europe, Finance, Food and Water Security, Future, Gas, Geopolitics, Globalization, Hong Kong, Innovation, Investment , Japan, Life, Lifestyle, Manufacturing , Middle Class, Middle East, Military, North Korea, Population, Regional development, Russia, Science, Sustainable Development, Taiwan, Technology, Television, United States, Vietnam, World | | Comments (0)

April 15, 2023

The Beginning of the End of Dollar Supremacy and the Looming Financial Turmoil

A presentation to the EGN (Executive Global Network) Founding Chairmen Group Hong Kong on 14 April 2023.

Download The Beginning of the End of Dollar Supremacy (PDF)

Posted at 12:28 AM in Africa, Asia, Banking, Brexit, BRICS, Business promotion, Central America, China Business, China's politics, China's Rise, City Profile, Climate Change , Consumption, Currencies, Current Affairs, Development_, Dollar, e-Commerce, Economics, Economy, Emerging Economies, Energy, EU, Eurasia, Europe, Finance, Future, Geopolitics, Globalization, History, India, Investment , Latin America, Middle East, Politics, Russia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Technology, Turkey, UK, Ukraine , United States, Warfare, World | | Comments (0)

March 26, 2023

Andrew's April 2023 Newsletter

(My quarterly Newsletters go out to some 8,000 professional contacts worldwide. The following is my April 2023 issue. Back numbers may be accessed under What is New on my website.)

Greetings!
 
From Europe to the Middle East, the world's geopolitical tectonic plates are shifting fast.  Uncertain outcomes are confronting the Great Powers. America and its European allies remain united against a revanchist Russia. However, they appear anxious, if not paranoiac, about a rapidly rising, and sure-footed China, suddenly emerging from three years of pandemic lockdown to demonstrate its growing global gravitas. Meanwhile, a prolonged continental-scale proxy war over Ukraine has resulted in persistent inflation, repeated interest-rate hikes, social unrest, and an apparently contagious banking crisis.

Much of the West's mishaps and misguided actions reflects an unspoken denial.  Unable to call all the shots, the West's absolute dominance over the world order no longer endures. While the art of peaceful, inclusive co-existence (or "harmony despite differences" according to ancient Chinese philosophy), has yet to be learnt, the world is becoming a more dangerous place. The supply of "depleted uranium shells" to Ukraine may risk bating a heavily-nuclear-armed Russia in a downward spiral towards nuclear Armageddon.  

The following may offer fresh perspectives on some of the world's most critical flashpoints.  

Xi-Putin Meet - Ukraine War
Deciphering the Xi-Putin meeting in Moscow (Exclusive live TV interview with RT)
 Xi Jinping's Russia Visit: Official talks between Putin and Jinping held on March 21 (Live TV interview with WION TV of India)
Macron has urged Beijing to pressure Russia to end the war  (Live exclusive interview on WION TV of India)

Two Sessions - National development
Eleven ways the two sessions will safeguard advancement of China 3.0  (Op-ed in China Daily) Republished by Rome-based World Geostrategic Insight in French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic.
What were the key takeaways from China’s National Congress session? (Live exclusive TV interview on TRT World, based in Istanbul)
How country is overcoming demographic challenges (Op-ed in China Daily)
China a sunny spot amid global dark clouds (Op-ed in China Daily) 
The Great Tech Rivalry - China v the US (A YouTube podcast of Harvard Kennedy School findings)
Economics of the Two Sessions in Beijing (Backchat on RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong)
"After coming to live in China, I have loved it here" American digital entrepreneur Cyrus Janssen (TED Talk on YouTube)
"Most of what the Western media says about China is wrong" (A YouTube blog by retired Australian social-media commentator based in Zhongshan)
Is it too late for the US to contain China? (Aljazeera English TV interview with Kishore Mahbubani)
"China's Growth Is Seen As Threat To US' Hegemony”   China Strategist  (Live TV panel discussion on NDTV of India)
“US trying to derail China as emerging rival” (Live interview with Press TV)

The Chinese Balloon Saga
'Balloon incident may not bode well for Biden, Xi' (Commentary quoted in article featured on Turkey's independent Anadolu Agency)
India  
The Debate: Xi Jinping Handed Unprecedented 3rd Term, What Does It Mean For India? (Live TV panel debate on Republic TV of India)
North Korea says it has test-fired four strategic cruise missiles (Live interview with Press TV)

Roundup on China's Covid strategy
A roundup on China's Covid strategy  (A live TV on-location recording for Russia's NTV's weekly analytical show)

Cheer up and chill out
I have added a new entry "A Flash of Inspiration" and some other translations to a repertoire of inspirational music, videos, songs and words.

My coming London sojourn mid-July through August
I will be staying in London from 17 July to 31 August, where I remain open to business meetings, interviews, speaking engagements, lectures, social get-togethers etc.

International investment opportunities
I have joined the International Advisory Board of Silk Road Partners, an international investment firm. See its corporate profile. Mr Yves Leterme, ex-Prime Minister of Belgium (November 2009 to December 2011) has joined the International Advisory Board. If you are interested in getting in touch with us, please give me a shout.

Consultation services
Please email me at [email protected] or text my Hong Kong mobile +852 98198987.  I can also be reached on Skype at andrew.k.p.leung, LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/andrewleunginternational, Whatsapp at (852) 98198987, WeChat at Andrewkpleung, Facebook at andrewkinpongleung, and Twitter at @Andrewkpleung

Business networking and speaking platform in Hong Kong
As an Advisor to the Denmark-based Executives' Global Network Hong Kong, I welcome your suggestion of a suitable speaker for an EGN event in Hong Kong. This will be entirely at our own cost with acknowledgement of your support, provided that we are not asked to cover any speaking fee, travel or accommodation expenses.

RSS feed and weblinks
My posts are regularly uploaded under my three blogs CHINAwatch, Publications and What's New .  A collection of leading China media and research sites can be found under China Links.

Please feel free to save my website on your computer, laptop, tablet, iPhone or iPad as a reference resource. If you wish instant access as soon as my postings appear, just click on “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” under RSS Feed on top of the right-hand column of each blog. Select the appropriate Google feed option. It is free of charge.  

This newsletter is uploaded to my website here.You may save it for reference or reading at leisure. You are free to share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Twitter or other social media devices.

Courtesies
I look forward to your guidance, advice, comments, suggestions, and criticisms. You may share the above contents with colleagues or friends. You are also welcome to publish any of them with full attribution.

If you think that I may add value to your endeavors in any way, please let me know how I may help.  If for any reason you do not wish to receive my emails, just ask me to delete your name from my data bank permanently.

Best personal regards,

Andrew K. P. Leung, SBS, FRSA              
International and Independent China Strategist
Andrew Leung International Consultants and Investments Company Limited

Positions
 
Chairman and CEO, Andrew Leung International Consultants and Investments Limited
(Founded in London, now re-incorporated in Hong Kong; name changed from Andrew Leung International Consultants Limited as from 10 July, 2017) 
China Futures Fellow, Berkshire Publishing Group, Massachusetts, USA (2011-13)
Brain Trust member, The Evian Group (global think-tank), Lausanne, Switzerland
Gerson Lehrman Group (Global Experts) Council Member
International Expert, Reuters Insight Community of Experts, Thomson Reuters
Senior Analyst, Wikistrat , a cloud-sourced global strategic consultancy based in Washington D.C.
Senior Consultant, MEC International (a UK-based global strategic energy consultancy) 
Distinguished Contributor, Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance (ATCA) (global think-tank)
Certified Sustainable Development Planner, World Institute of Sustainable Development Planners
Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA)
Elected Member, Royal Society for Asian Affairs
Think-tank Research Fellow, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus, PRC (14.4.2017-13.4.2020) 
International Advisory Board Member, Silk Road Partners
Advisory Board member, The e-Centre , European Centre for e-Commerce and Internet Law, Vienna 
Honorary Adviser, International Institute of Management (IIM) 
Advisory Board member, The Global Analyst, India
Honorary President, China Hong Kong Economic and Trading International Association (from 28 March, 2016) 
Global Commercial Agent, Changsha City, China
Hong Kong Advisory Board member, Denmark-based Executive Global Network (EGN)
Visiting Professor, London Metropolitan University Business School 
Governing Council Member, King’s College London, UK (2004-2010)
Advisory Board member, China Policy Institute, Nottingham University, UK (2005 -2010)
Visiting Professor, Sun Yat-sen University Business School, China (2005-10)
Founding Chairman, China Group, Institute of Directors City Branch, London, UK (2006-2010)
Vice Chairman, 48 Group Club, UK (2008-2010)
Committee Member of RSA, London Region, UK (2006-2010)
Included in UK's Who's Who since 2002
Awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) in the July 2005 Hong Kong Honours List   

Posted at 10:00 PM in Asia, Banking, Biotechnology, Books, Business promotion, China Business, China's politics, China's Rise, Cities, Climate Change , Consumption, Currencies, Current Affairs, Defense, Democracy, Development_, e-Commerce, Economy, Emerging Economies, Energy, EU, Europe, Finance, Food and Water Security, Future, Geopolitics, Globalization, Healthcare, History, Hong Kong, Innovation, Investment , Japan, Life, Manufacturing , Middle Class, North Korea, Philosophy, Population, Regional development, Russia, Science, Sustainable Development, Taiwan, Technology, Television, United States, Urbanization, Vietnam, World | | Comments (0)

December 26, 2022

Andrew's January 2023 Newsletter

(My quarterly Newsletter goes out to some 8,000 professional contacts worldwide. The following is my January 2023 issue. Back numbers may be accessed under What's New on my website) 

Greetings! May I first wish you and your loved ones a Happy Holiday Season and a rewarding 2023!

As we experience some festive relaxation, dark clouds continue to gather on the horizon. How would the Ukraine war pan out, with Russia losing or regaining the upper hand? Is a new multipolar World Order beginning to take shape, or will American hegemony continue to endure? Would US-China relations stabilize into a new normal, flashpoints like Taiwan notwithstanding? How would China's population, a fifth of humanity, cope with a sudden transition from a "dynamic zero-Covid" strategy to "living with the virus", as the pandemic appears to morph into a less deadly endemic like many other countries? 

Testing uncertainties remain. The following may hopefully offer some useful perspectives, including sunshine in the horizon.  

World Order

How Xi’s Saudi Arabia visit shows rise of new world order beyond US hegemony (Op-ed in the South China Morning Post)

China-Arab ties enter new era Op-ed in China Daily national and global version; republished on Rome-based World Geostrategic Insights.

Momentum building for more inclusive global order  (Op-ed in China Daily, national and global version). The Hong Kong version is titled US still mired in a 'Cold War' mindset, but the tide's turning Also published in Chinese by Hong Kong's Chinese media and by Rome-based World Geostrategic Insights in French, Spanish and Russian.

Russia's Medvedev met with President Xi alluding to emergence of new world order?  (Exclusive live interview on RT) 

China, including HK, could turn ‘winter of despair’ into ‘spring of hope’ (Op-ed in China Daily) Republished with attribution by World Geostrategic Insights in French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and by Chinese media outlets (some abridged): 來論｜冬天來了，春天還會遠嗎？; 文匯論壇 | 香港如何在全球變局中轉危為機？ 

The West is misreading China’s Party Congress at the peril of world stability (Op-ed in Rome-based World Geostrategic Insights), republished in French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic. Also appeared in China Daily

Cambridge Poll shows 70% of World Now Supports China (An analysis) 

How the World Order is transforming into a Multipolar Contest for Global Power (and if a Brave New World is possible?) (An 80-slide PowerPoint presentation) 

China urges US to abandon its bullying to reign in the Asian country’s development (Live discussion on Press TV)

Xi: China opposes interfering in other countries' domestic politics, opposes double standards (Interview with Press TV)

Forum MEDays 2022, Tangier, Morocco, 2-5 November; "From Crises to Crises; Towards a New World Order?" (Conference highlights) 

China's Party Congress 

Deciphering China's 2022 National Party Congress (Live TV interview with WION, India) 

China's ruling party approves sweeping reshuffle at end of week-long gathering in Beijing (Live interview with Press TV)

President Xi opening the Party Congress - Hong Kong and Taiwan (Live interview with WION TV of India) 

China's Party Congress underway (Live interview with NDTV of India)

20th Party Congress - Common Prosperity (RTHK Backchat) 

应抓住世界百年未有之大变局加快粤港澳大湾区融合发展  (Chinese transcript of a talk "Seizing the opportunity of century to accelerate Greater Bay Area integration") 

China's Covid strategy

Is China hiding its COVID-19 numbers? (TV panel discussion on TRT World) 

China: dilemma of Zero-Covid strategy (Live TV interview with WION TV of India)

Is China's Covid model broken (Live interview with India Today TV) 

China's Protests

Rare anti-Xi protest in Beijing days before China's Communist Party meet (Live TV panel discussion on India Today TV) 

What actually happened outside the Manchester Chinese consulate (Live interview with RT)

Taiwan

President Xi doubles down on Taiwan; praises Hong Kong for emerging from chaos to governance (Interview with Press TV) 

Ukrainian delegation visits Taiwan - why and wherefore (Live interview with RT)

North Korea

North Korea says needs indigenous missile program for self-defense (Live interview with Press TV)

North Korea: Missile tests self-defense against direct US military threats (Live panel discussion with Press TV)

Cheer up and chill out

Experiencing Tangier, Rabat, Chefchaouen (Blue City), and Casablanca (A music video clip) 

I have added a new entry "Enjoying Nature to the Full" on Song Dynasty poet Lu You (陆游) and some other inspirational translations to my repertoire of inspirational music, videos, songs and words.

Speaking and lecturing opportunities

I will be having a month-long sojourn in London in March 2023.  During my stay, I remain open to invitations or proposals for interviews, speaking engagements, visiting lectures or tailor-made electives as a visiting/adjunct professor. 

International investment opportunities

I have joined the International Advisory Board of Silk Road Partners, an international investment firm. See its corporate profile. Mr Yves Leterme, ex-Prime Minister of Belgium (November 2009 to December 2011) has recently joined the International Advisory Board. 

If you are interested in getting in touch with us, please give me a shout. 

Consultation services

Please email me at [email protected] or text my Hong Kong mobile +852 98198987.  I can also be reached on Skype at andrew.k.p.leung, LinkedIn at andrewleunginternational, Whatsapp at (852) 98198987, WeChat at Andrewkpleung, Facebook at andrewkinpongleung, and Twitter at @Andrewkpleung

Business networking and speaking platform in Hong Kong

As an Advisor to the Denmark-based Executives' Global Network Hong Kong, I welcome your suggestion of a suitable speaker for an EGN event in Hong Kong. This will be entirely at our own cost with acknowledgement of your support, provided that we are not asked to cover any speaking fee, travel or accommodation expenses.

RSS feed and weblinks

My postings are regularly uploaded under my three blogs CHINAwatch, Publications and What is New on wwwandrewleunginternationalconsultants.com  A collection of leading China media and research sites can be found under China Links.

Please feel free to save my website on your computer, laptop, tablet, iPhone or iPad as a reference resource. If you wish instant access as soon as my postings appear, just click on “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” under RSS Feed on top of the right-hand column of each blog. Select the appropriate Google feed option. It is free of charge.  

This newsletter is uploaded to my website here.You may save it for reference or reading at leisure. You are free to share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Twitter or other social media devices.

Courtesies

I look forward to your guidance, advice, comments, suggestions, and criticisms. You may share the above contents with colleagues or friends. You are also welcome to publish any of them with full attribution. 

If you think that I may add value to your endeavors in any way, please let me know how I may help.  If for any reason you do not wish to receive my emails, just ask me to delete your name from my databank permanently. 

Best personal regards, 

Andrew K. P. Leung, SBS, FRSA               
International and Independent China Strategist
www.andrewleunginternationalconsultants.com 

Positions

Chairman and CEO, Andrew Leung International Consultants and Investments Limited
(Founded in London, now re-incorporated in Hong Kong; name changed from Andrew Leung International Consultants Limited as from 10 July, 2017) 
China Futures Fellow, Berkshire Publishing Group, Massachusetts, USA (2011-13)
Brain Trust member, The Evian Group (global think-tank), Lausanne, Switzerland
Gerson Lehrman Group (Global Experts) Council Member
International Expert, Reuters Insight Community of Experts, Thomson Reuters
Senior Analyst, Wikistrat , a cloud-sourced global strategic consultancy based in Washington D.C.
Senior Consultant, MEC International (a UK-based global strategic energy consultancy) 
Distinguished Contributor, Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance (ATCA) (global think-tank)
Certified Sustainable Development Planner, World Institute of Sustainable Development Planners
Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA)
Elected Member, Royal Society for Asian Affairs
Think-tank Research Fellow, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus, PRC (14.4.2017-13.4.2020) 
International Advisory Board Member, Silk Road Partners
Advisory Board member, The e-Centre , European Centre for e-Commerce and Internet Law, Vienna 
Honorary Adviser, International Institute of Management (IIM) 
Advisory Board member, The Global Analyst, India
Honorary President, China Hong Kong Economic and Trading International Association (from 28 March, 2016) 
Global Commercial Agent, Changsha City, China
Hong Kong Advisory Board member, Denmark-based Executive Global Network (EGN)
Visiting Professor, London Metropolitan University Business School 
Governing Council Member, King’s College London, UK (2004-2010)
Advisory Board member, China Policy Institute, Nottingham University, UK (2005 -2010)
Visiting Professor, Sun Yat-sen University Business School, China (2005-10)
Founding Chairman, China Group, Institute of Directors City Branch, London, UK (2006-2010)
Vice Chairman, 48 Group Club, UK (2008-2010)
Committee Member of RSA, London Region, UK (2006-2010)
Included in UK's Who's Who since 2002
Awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) in the July 2005 Hong Kong Honours List   

Posted at 07:11 PM in Asia, Banking, Books, BRICS, Business promotion, China Business, China's politics, China's Rise, Cities, Climate Change , Consumption, Currencies, Current Affairs, Defense, Democracy, Development_, e-Commerce, Economics, Emerging Economies, Energy, EU, Europe, Finance, Food and Water Security, Future, Gas, Geopolitics, Globalization, Healthcare, Hong Kong, Innovation, Investment , Japan, Life, Manufacturing , Middle Class, Middle East, Military, North Korea, Population, Regional development, Russia, Science, Sustainable Development, Taiwan, Technology, Television, United States, Urbanization, World | | Comments (0)

June 05, 2022

How the Ukraine war is likely to play out in global geopolitics

At the start of the War on Ukraine, President Putin initially seemed to be losing his grip. Massive losses of armors and combatants were incurred with little territorial or other strategic gains.  As a result, there was a prevailing sense of triumphalism in Washington and the US-led NATO coalition that Putin's "adventurism" has spectacularly backfired. 

The Western commentariat has been busy speculating on a looming ignominious Russian defeat, the emergence of a more unified Ukraine, a more united Europe and NATO rallying behind America's global anti-Russia leadership, a probable collapse of Putin's regime, and even his eventual consignment to a health sanitorium. 

For good measure, America's China strategists were quietly rubbing their hands that finally the United States would now be placed in a much better geopolitical position to concentrate on subjugating China, the “most serious long-term challenge to the international order”. "China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do it", according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken's China policy address at George Washington University on 26 May, 2022, his velvet-glove rhetoric of not wanting a Cold War against China notwithstanding. Some quarters in America's intelligentsia are even cheerleading for an enduring American Century. 

However, according to Ukraine President Zelensky, Russia has now controlled some 20% of Ukraine. This is seen as President Putin's "Plan B" focusing instead on occupying the Donbas region with a possible land bridge linking Russia-occupied Crimea. He has reaffirmed that Russia will not let up until all his goals are reached, banking on a prolonged war of attrition with Ukraine and its Western backers.  

Europe has been bearing the brunt of energy and food shortages with resultant price hikes, inflationary pressures and prolonged economic recession fears. Now over 100 days into the War, a sense of "Ukraine fatigue" in the West coalition is beginning to set in, according to Edward Luce of the Financial Times.

Gazprom has cut off at least 20 billion cubic meters of its annual gas supplies to customers in six European countries —Poland, Bulgaria, Finland, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, because they failed to make payments in rubles, a retaliatory demand President Vladimir Putin made back in March. This amounts to nearly 13% of the European Union's total annual gas imports from Russia.

While some of the European countries are wriggling out of these strictures by converting their Euro payment into Russian currency at Putin's designated Russian bank, replacing Russia's readily-available piped gas-supply through maritime oil or gas imports from the Middle East or America is unlikely to be a smooth logistical and economic solution.

Even as Europe is stocking up energy supplies in preparation for the coming winter, such precautions are unlikely to be adequate for households, let alone impact on Europe's economic activities. 

Additionally, Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, accounting for more than 18% of international exports. In 2019, Russia and Ukraine together exported 25.4% of the world’s wheat, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).

In addition, Russia exports nearly 20% of the world’s nitrogen fertilizers and, combined with its sanctioned neighbor Belarus, 40% of the world’s exported potassium. Most of these commodities are now off limits to the world’s farmers, thanks to Western sanctions and Russia’s recent fertilizer export restrictions. That's why the Chairman of the African Union, Senegal's President Macky Sall, called on President Putin on 3 June to ask for help freeing up Ukrainian grain exports. 

Meanwhile, energy and agricultural price hikes worldwide are boosting Russian coffers, strengthening instead of weakening the ruble.

After branding Saudi Arabia as a "pariah state" over the murder of journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, President Biden's planned goodwill visit to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is unlikely to yield adequate results, given Saudi Arabia's long-established prudent oil production and pricing policies. Moreover, windfall energy price hikes are a bonanza to the Saudis and other major oil producers in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, President Biden's domestic ratings are back in the doldrums, raising the odds of  losing Congress at mid-term elections in the autumn. Biden risks  becoming a "lame-duck" President for the remainder of his term. 

Nevertheless, the United States seems turbo-charged to segregate the world into two camps, framing this a contest of the century between democracy and authoritarianism.

However, notwithstanding draconian across-the-board sanctions and other restrictions, according to Wang Huiyao, founder and president of Center for China and Globalization (CCG) in Beijing, in 2021, "global trade hit a record $28.5 trillion, up 25% year-on-year and 13% higher than in 2019, before the pandemic struck. For all the talk of decoupling, U.S.-China trade swelled more than 20% last year, to $687.2 billion. Even with war in Ukraine, global trade is forecast to grow in 2022, albeit at a slower pace". "Cross-border investment also surpassed pre-pandemic levels last year, swelling to $1.65 trillion. China, in particular, is more integrated into the global economy than ever. In 2021, its foreign direct investment inflows rose by a third to an all-time high of $334 billion. In the first quarter of this year, they grew by more than 25% year-on-year". Click here "Globalization isn’t dead, It’s just not American anymore", Wang quipped. 

This shows how robust China's centrality remains in the world's inter-connected supply and value chains. After all, China remains the largest trading partner for 130 nations worldwide, compared with 57 for the United States. This centrality is being cemented by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This consists of ASEAN and its main trading partners including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, representing a third of the world's population and a third of the world's GDP. China is at the trading and logistical heart of it all. 

Beijing is doubling down on its global footprint. Witness the latest round of island-hoping in the South Pacific, signing a number of cooperation and law enforcement deals. 

This represents a further extension of China's massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), now being reformed to address concerns about debt-sustainability, transparency, corporate governance and environmental sustainability. The BRI already covers land and sea in Asia, Africa, Eurasia and Europe. Added to this is a "Polar Silk Road" capitalizing on the now more navigable, much shorter Artic Circle route linking the Pacific with the Atlantic, thanks to Climate Change, and a "Digital Silk Road" linking businesses across the globe including undersea fiber-optic telecommunication cables. 

A key strategic consideration of the BRI is to neutralize the threats posed by transit choke points such as Singapore's Malacca Strait controlled by America's Seventh Fleet. Energy and international trade, China's economic life-blood, can now transit overland, for example, through China-friendly countries in Eurasia, the Middle East, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)., including the port of Gwadar. 

Save bipartisan unanimity to confront China, the United States remains a politically deeply-divided country, undermining its overarching geographical, natural resources, technological, cultural, financial and military dominance. It is now engaged on war on two fronts, against both Russia, the world's largest landmass, and China, the world's second largest economy, soon to become the world's largest. It is struggling with how best to keep using its "exorbitant privilege" of money-printing to prop up its economy without undermining global trust in the greenback. 

Meanwhile, China is pushing ahead with completing its own single-handedly-built Space Station by the end of this year. This will eventually replace the US-led 21-year old International Space Station (ISS), whose useful life has been repeatedly extended to 2031. The ISS has been excluding China right from the start. 

This speaks volumes about China's technological capabilities, along with its head start in certain domains of 5G, Big Data, and Internet of Things (IoT), technologies set to change lives and how businesses are conducted in a "Fourth Industrial Revolution" of the 21st century. China already dominates the world in e-payment systems. It is fast developing a digital sovereign currency (digital yuan), which is set to challenge the dollar's hegemony on multiple fronts,considering China's status as the world's largest trader, manufacturer and logistical hub. 

In addition, China is also achieving a breakthrough in nuclear fusion, a source of endless, sustainable energy, according to the South China Morning Post of 11 November, 2021. This is supported by China's leading positions in solar, wind, hydro energy capacities and as the world-largest electric vehicle production and market. Additionally, the country seems on track to realize its Paris Agreement pledge of "carbon peak" by 2030 and "carbon neutrality" by 2060. 

China has launched the world's fastest programmable quantum computers, a million times more powerful than its nearest competitor, Google’s Sycamore, according to a report of 26 October 2021 in the South China Morning Post. 

According to a research paper dated August 2021 of George Town University, by 2025 Chinese universities will produce more than 77,000 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) PhD graduates per year compared to approximately 40,000 in the United States. If international students are excluded from the U.S. count, Chinese STEM PhD graduates would outnumber their U.S. counterparts more than three-to-one. 

Militarily, China is also catching up by leaps and bounds. China's navy has already become the world's largest in numbers. It is about to launch a third state-of-the art aircraft carrier. Apart from its Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) medium-range high-precision aircraft-killer missiles, according to a report of 18 December 2019, The New Missile Gap in The National Interest,  Dan Goure, Ph.D., vice president at the Lexington Institute, a public-policy research think-tank, opines that America is losing to Russian and Chinese hypersonic weapons. This includes China's "Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS)" that can circumnavigate the globe in all directions before striking targets with guided, hypersonic, multiple warheads, neutralizing extant missile defense systems. 

Some critical technological bottlenecks remains, such as high-end micro semiconductor chips (smaller than 10 nanometers).  However, to assume that China would for long be crippled technologically underestimates the nation's technological resilience. 

Along with robotics and digitization, a three-child policy with measures to support child births, China is grappling with its worsening demographics with increased productivity through nationwide high-speed transport connectivity.  

Long the talk of the town, China's high-speed rail network accounts for two-thirds of the global total. This will be nearly doubled to 70,000 km over the next 15 years. The will link up all cities over half a million people, while an additional 200,000 km of modern railway would connect all towns of 200,000 people and above. Even the remotest  parts of the country are to be connected. This would hasten China's urbanization rate from 60.6% in 2019 to 65%, doubling China's consumer middle class to 800 million by 2035. Various city clusters are formed, capitalizing on their mutual transport connectivity. All these will boost overall productivity. 

To address widening socio-economic inequality, China is adopting a strategy for "common prosperity", targeting monopolistic or predatory behavior of the nation's biggest and wealthiest conglomerates. This is part of President Xi's strategy to build "China 3.0", creating a fairer, healthier, stronger and ecologically more sustainable nation in fulfilment of the "China Dream". China's miraculous economic transformation in recent decades explains the Chinese people's overwhelming support of China's Communist Party (CCP), (over 90%), multiple ranks above many countries including the United States, according to recent Harvard Kennedy School findings. 

As pointed out by Kishore Mahbubani, a world-renowned Singaporean academic, diplomat and geopolitical consultant in his book Has China Won? (Pubic Affairs, New York, 2020), while America's bottom half have seen their incomes stagnate over the past thirty years, China's bottom half have the best lives ever, for the past 4,000 years! A resounding answer to the West's continuing aspersions about the CCP's legitimacy.

When the Ukraine war eventually comes to an end, a weakened and ostracized Russia and a devastated, partitioned Ukraine are likely to ensue, along with an extended NATO encompassing Finland and Sweden. A more nervous yet resilient Russia surrounded by enemies at the gates is likely to double down on friendship with China "without limits", both countries being arch enemies of the United States.

In particular, Russia would rely on China as its largest customer for its energy and agricultural products, the latter production likely to expand thanks to global warming. China's trade and investments are likely to replace Russia's domestic markets vacated by Western enterprises and brands. As a gateway to the rest of Europe, Ukraine is also likely to resume having China as its largest customer of its wheat and other commodities, capitalizing on the BRI's deep wallets. .

Wary of the perceived "China Threat" to values and security, the European Union is unlikely to return to its former coziness with China. While relying on America's leadership and NATO's combined military might to deter an embittered Russia, leading countries like Germany, France, Italy and Spain are likely to foster growing European capabilities, including the military, to conduct the EU's own independent affairs of state.

Europe's overall attitude towards China, therefore, may not be on all fours with that of the United States. On the one hand, it would erect firewalls and safeguards against perceived threats, on the other hand, it is likely to capitalize on the EU's excellent institutions and unique traditions to foster a more constructive relationship with a more powerful China pivoting more to Europe and Eurasia in preference to a hostile United States. This is likely to translate into more EU-China trade, investments, research, and people-to-people exchanges, to say the least. 

All told, the War in Ukraine promises to be a global game-changer. It exposes Russia's and Ukraine's vulnerabilities as well as resilience. It is ushering global dynamics more in tune with China's quest for its China Dream of national renaissance than with the United States' hope of not having to share power ever with a vast country of diametrically different civilization, culture, race and ideology. It would also beg the question whether the United States' current hard-wired anti-China mindset and policies needs some major modification. 

 

Posted at 03:14 AM in Africa, Asia, Banking, Biotechnology, Books, BRICS, Business promotion, China Business, China's politics, China's Rise, Cities, Climate Change , Consumption, Currencies, Current Affairs, Defense, Democracy, Development_, e-Commerce, Economics, Emerging Economies, Energy, EU, Eurasia, Europe, Finance, Food and Water Security, Future, Gas, Geopolitics, Globalization, Innovation, Investment , Japan, Manufacturing , Middle Class, Middle East, Military, Pakistan, Politics, Regional development, Russia, Science, South China Sea, Sustainable Development, Taiwan, Technology, United States, Urbanization, World | | Comments (0)

July 04, 2021

Andrew's July 2021 Newsletter

(My quarterly Newsletter goes out to some 8,500 professional contacts worldwide. The following is my July 2021 issue. Back numbers may be accessed under What's New on my website) 

Greetings! May I first wish you a relaxing summer, pandemics permitting!
 
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has just celebrated its centenary. Under its tutelage, the lives of the Chinese people, a fifth of mankind, have been miraculously transformed. China has become the world's second largest economy, largest trader and manufacturer, with notable advances in computing, 5G, AI, military and space capabilities. After a "Century of Humiliation", the Chinese people can now hold their heads up high, embracing the China Dream of national renaissance, including a greener and "more beautiful China".
 
According to Harvard and PEW research surveys, across the globe, the CCP is the government most trusted and supported by its people, belying questions about its legitimacy.  Meanwhile, perhaps by 2028, China may overtake the United States as the world's largest economy (albeit not in per capita terms).
 
On the other hand, China's growing global clout, its perceived transgressions on human rights, undesirable trade practices and assertive actions over the South China Sea, Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, are troubling Western nations and Asian neighbors. Indeed, China's image is plummeting across the world. 
 
China has no intention to rival the United States' 800 military bases in more than 70 countries. Its scientific and technological breakthroughs in multiple fields remain way behind the United States. The mighty dollar still reigns supreme. Nor can China hope its ideology will be readily embraced by more than a handful of countries, or that its culture will be more popular. 
 
Regardless, intensifying Great Power contest has totally upended US-China relations across the board, including ideologies, the military and space. On the other hand, the world is becoming more multipolar, with many countries, including most Western allies, hedging their bets. 
 
In this generational geopolitical maelstrom, how to avert war and promote peace will continue to tax the best minds. Would a little less binary or Manichaean thinking help?  On ideological application to China, should one recall Deng Xiaoping's black cat, white cat, or perhaps a hybrid cat in between? 
 
The following may hopefully serve to stimulate some fresh thinking. 
 
China's politics, economy, and finance
China: No longer the Global Growth Engine? (Feature article in The Global Analyst and a Bloomberg Research report warning) 
China's digital currency (Feature article in The Global Analyst) 
Understanding China's Innovative Development (A PowerPoint presentation) 
China's 18.3% first quarter growth in 2021 - what's behind it? (Exclusive live TV interview on TRT World) 
 
US-China relations and Geopolitics 
New Concert of Powers (Feature article in World Geostrategic Insights, republished in Chinese, French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic. (Original commentary)
Waning US must overcome fear of China's inevitable rise (Op-ed in South China Morning Post) 
How Will We (U.S.) Win the Second Cold War? (A riposte in World Geostrategic Insights) 
Can Asia guide Biden's China Policy? (An insightful analysis (video) by Professor Kishore Mahbubani) 
 
 
Taiwan
Post-script on Taiwan (Feature article for the UK Liberal Democrats) 
 
Hong Kong
Changes at the top of the Hong Kong government (Backchat discussion on RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) 
Hong Kong's Apple Daily to shut down in a few days after asset frozen - smoke and mirrors  (Backchat discussion on RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) 
June 4 in Hong Kong under National Security Law (Backchat discussion on RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong and a brief note on the future of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China) 
Hong Kong to introduce Beijing-imposed electoral reform - whys and wherefores (Backchat discussion on RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) and a SCMP video documentary China’s Rebel City: The Hong Kong Protests.
Hong Kong Immigration Bill amendment controversy (Backchat discussion on RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) 
Suspension of HK protest documentary "Inside the Red Brick Wall"  (Backchat discussion on RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) 
 
North Korea
North Korea rules out 'any contact' with US (Live interview on Press TV and a Foreign Policy report) 
 
Russia 
Russia warns against Ukraine-NATO activities (Live interview on Press TV) 
 
Belt and Road  
Sri Lanka handing control over Hambantota Port to China  (Live TV panel discussion on CNN News 18 of India) 
 
History
Admiral Zheng He may have explored the New World way before Christopher Columbus (Exploring Zheng He's possible footprints in the New World) 
 
Cheer up and chill out
 
Here's a repertoire of inspirational music, videos, songs and words. There is also a collection in Chinese.

Invitation for expressions of interest in investment opportunities

An upended world abounds with fresh BUY and SELL investment opportunities on many fronts across the globe, including new technologies, new markets and new businesses. If you wish to avail yourself of my business network worldwide, please drop me a line on a strictly no-commitment basis initially. A UK property and alternative asset opportunity is featured here .

Consultation services

Please email me at [email protected] or text my Hong Kong mobile +852 98198987.  I can also be reached on Skype at andrew.k.p.leung, LinkedIn at andrewleunginternational, Whatsapp at (852) 98198987, WeChat at Andrewkpleung, Facebook at andrewkinpongleung, and Twitter at @Andrewkpleung

Speaking and lecturing invitations

I am open to invitations or proposals for speaking engagements, visiting lectures and tailor-made electives as a visiting/adjunct professor. 

Business networking and speaking platform in Hong Kong

As an Advisor to the Denmark-based Executives' Global Network Hong Kong, I welcome your suggestion of a suitable speaker for an EGN event in Hong Kong. This will be entirely at our own cost with acknowledgement of your support, provided that we are not asked to cover any speaking fee, travel or accommodation expenses.

RSS feed and weblinks

My postings are regularly uploaded under my three blogs CHINAwatch, Publications and What is New on www.andrewleunginternationalconsultants.com  A collection of leading China media and research sites can be found under China Links.

Please feel free to save my website on your computer, laptop, tablet, Blackberry, iPhone or iPad as a reference resource. If you wish instant access as soon as my postings appear, just click on “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” under RSS Feed on top of the right-hand column of each blog. Select the appropriate Google feed option. It is free of charge.  

This newsletter is uploaded to my website here. You may save it for reference or reading at leisure and to share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Twitter or other social media devices.

Courtesies

I look forward to your guidance, advice, comments, suggestions, and criticisms. You may share the above contents with colleagues or friends. You are also welcome to publish any of them with full attribution. 

If you think that I may add value to your endeavors in any way, please let me know how I may help.  If for any reason you do not wish to receive my emails, just ask me to delete your name from my databank permanently. 

Best personal regards, 

Andrew K.P. Leung, SBS, FRSA

International and Independent China Strategist

www.andrewleunginternationalconsultants.com  

Positions  

Chairman and CEO, Andrew Leung International Consultants and Investments Limited
(Founded in London, now re-incorporated in Hong Kong; name changed from Andrew Leung International Consultants Limited as from 10 July, 2017) 
China Futures Fellow, Berkshire Publishing Group, Massachusetts, USA (2011-13)
Brain Trust member, The Evian Group (global think-tank), Lausanne, Switzerland
Gerson Lehrman Group (Global Experts) Council Member
International Expert, Reuters Insight Community of Experts, Thomson Reuters 
Senior Analyst, Wikistrat, a cloud-sourced global strategic consultancy based in Tel Aviv and Washington D.C. 
Senior Consultant, MEC International (a UK-based global strategic energy consultancy) 
Distinguished Contributor, Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance (ATCA) (global think-tank)
Certified Sustainable Development Planner, World Institute of Sustainable Development Planners
Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA)
Elected Member, Royal Society for Asian Affairs
Think-tank Research Fellow, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus, PRC (14.4.2017-13.4.2020) 
Advisory Board member, The e-Centre , European Centre for e-Commerce and Internet Law, Vienna 
Honorary Adviser, International Institute of Management (IIM) 
Advisory Board member, The Global Analyst, India
Honorary President, China Hong Kong Economic and Trading International Association (from 28 March, 2016) 
Global Commercial Agent, Changsha City, China
Hong Kong Advisory Board member, Denmark-based Executive Global Network (EGN)
Visiting Professor, London Metropolitan University Business School 
Governing Council Member, King’s College London, UK (2004-2010)
Advisory Board member, China Policy Institute, Nottingham University, UK (2005 -2010)
Visiting Professor, Sun Yat-sen University Business School, China (2005-10)
Founding Chairman, China Group, Institute of Directors City Branch, London, UK (2006-2010)
Vice Chairman, 48 Group Club, UK (2008-2010)
Committee Member of RSA, London Region, UK (2006-2010)
Included in UK's Who's Who since 2002
Awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) in the July 2005 Hong Kong Honours List  

Posted at 06:23 PM in Asia, Banking, Biotechnology, Books, BRICS, Business promotion, China Business, China's politics, China's Rise, Cities, Climate Change , Consumption, Currencies, Current Affairs, Defense, Democracy, Development_, e-Commerce, Economy, Emerging Economies, Energy, EU, Europe, Finance, Food and Water Security, Future, Gas, Geopolitics, Globalization, History, Hong Kong, Innovation, Investment , Japan, Lifestyle, Manufacturing , Middle Class, Middle East, Military, North Korea, Regional development, Russia, Science, Sustainable Development, Taiwan, Technology, Television, United States, Urbanization, World | | Comments (0)

September 30, 2020

M & A opportunities

UK properties and other assets 

Download UK property portfolio & rare Scotch whiskies 

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June 10, 2020

Andrew's June 2020 Newsletter

(My quarterly Newsletter goes out to some 8,500 professional contacts worldwide. The following is my June 2020 issue. Back numbers may be accessed under What's New on this website) 

Greetings! 
 
In just a few months, the world has changed almost beyond recognition. The Coronavirus pandemic has revealed the true colors of nations and peoples. It has changed how lives and businesses can be conducted. It has intensified an epochal contest for global power leading to a face-off between the world's Superpower (with its liberal world order) and its perceived challenger, with increasing risks of miscalculations.
 
Hong Kong, where I am based, is right at the center of these shocks. As if that is not enough, Beijing's unilateral introduction of a national security law for Hong Kong rattles the dynamics underpinning One Country Two Systems. This unique status has been an incalculable boon not only for China and the Special Administrative Region but for the rest of the world. Now the United States is threatening unspecified sanctions which could undermine Hong Kong's survival as a global financial center. 
 
Amidst the doom and gloom, the following may hopefully offer some fresh perspectives in seeing through the smoke and mirrors.

 

Hong Kong

 

USA-China tussle: geo-strategically the report on the death of Hong Kong's autonomy is somewhat exaggerated (A dissection of what is behind Hong Kong's national security law) 

China's HK national security law threatens HK's One Country Two Systems? (Live interview on WION TV) 

Hong Kong leader slams ‘double standards’ on national security, cites US unrest (Live interview on Press TV) 

Hong Kong govt. warns removing US special status is "double-edged sword"  (Live interview on Press TV) 

Hong Kong’s leader reaffirms new law would not harm rights, freedoms (Live interview on Press TV) 

Should Hong Kong civil servants be loyal to Beijing? (A RTHK Backchat discussion) 

National Security Law and personal freedom (A RTHK Backchat discussion) 

Is the US posture on Hong Kong's national security law part of the anti-China "cold war"? (Live interview on TRT World) 

China's controversial security law becomes a flash point in Hong Kong (Live TV interview on WION of India and CCTV background documentary) 

Pompeo threatens China on impinging on Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms (Live interview on Press TV)

A "mid-term" Hong Kong Government ministerial reshuffle (A RTHK Backchat discussion) 

US-China great power rivalry

Strategic US-China decoupling in the tech sector (A Hinrich Foundation report) 
The Struggle for Power: U.S.-China Relations in the 21st Century (A prelude to a new US defining strategy)
US China "Cold War" and the Coronavirus Crisis (Live interview on Press TV) 
Where is China? - A perspective (A multi-angle look on multi-media) 
 
Coronavirus crisis
 
Covid-19 Crisis - Can China bounce back? (Feature report in The Global Analyst)
Is China to blame for Covid-19 pandemic?  (An in-depth analysis) 
RSF complains to UN about Coronavirus press freedom  (Live TV panel discussion on Indus News) 
US-China sprat over Coronavirus pandemic (Live interview on Indus News)
China raps Trump over Chinese virus tweet (Live interview on Press TV) 
China offers help to US to deal with Coronavirus (Live interview on Press TV) 
Economic impact of Covid-19 on global economy (Live TV interview on Ren TV of Moscow) 
Is the world prepared for a looming Covid-19 pandemic? (Live panel discussion on Indus News) 
 
World Order
 
China has created tech ‘new world order’ in Big data and AI (A Future Today Institute tech-trend report)
 
 
Energy
 
 
History 
 
Book Review of "The Last Journey Of The San Bao Eunuch, Admiral Zheng He" (Book review invited by author)
 
7th International Conference on Eurasian Politics & Society in Lisbon, Portugal postponed to 24-25 September 2020 
 
Subject to exigencies, I am scheduled to present at the above international conference my full-length Paper How will Eurasian Integration of China's Belt & Road Initiative fare in defending a Multipolar World Order. Should this materialize, I will upload my Paper and PowerPoint presentation to this website afterwards. 
 
Cheer up and chill out

A repertoire of inspirational music, videos, songs and words. There is also a collection in Chinese.

Invitation for expressions of interest in investment opportunities

An upended world abounds with fresh BUY and SELL investment opportunities on many fronts across the globe, including new technologies, new markets and new businesses. If you wish to avail yourself of my business network worldwide, please drop me a line on a strictly no-commitment basis initially. 

Consultation services

Please email me at [email protected] or text my Hong Kong mobile +852 98198987.  I can also be reached on Skype at andrew.k.p.leung, LinkedIn at andrewleunginternational, Whatsapp at (852) 98198987, WeChat at Andrewkpleung, Facebook at andrewkinpongleung, and Twitter at @Andrewkpleung

Speaking and lecturing invitations

I am open to invitations or proposals for speaking engagements, visiting lectures and tailor-made electives as a visiting/adjunct professor. 

Business networking and speaking platform in Hong Kong

As an Advisor to the Denmark-based Executives' Global Network Hong Kong, I welcome your suggestion of a suitable speaker for an EGN event in Hong Kong. This will be entirely at our own cost with acknowledgement of your support, provided that we are not asked to cover any speaking fee, travel or accommodation expenses.

RSS feed and weblinks

My postings are regularly uploaded under my three blogs CHINAwatch, Publications and What is New on www.andrewleunginternationalconsultants.com  A collection of leading China media and research sites can be found under China Links.

Please feel free to save my website on your computer, laptop, tablet, Blackberry, iPhone or iPad as a reference resource. If you wish instant access as soon as my postings appear, just click on “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” under RSS Feed on top of the right-hand column of each blog. Select the appropriate Google feed option. It is free of charge.  

This newsletter is uploaded to my website here. You may save it for reference or reading at leisure and to share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Twitter or other social media devices.

Courtesies

I look forward to your guidance, advice, comments, suggestions, and criticisms. You may share the above contents with colleagues or friends. You are also welcome to publish any of them with full attribution. 

If you think that I may add value to your endeavors in any way, please let me know how I may help.  If for any reason you do not wish to receive my emails, just ask me to delete your name from my databank permanently. 

Best personal regards, 

Andrew K.P. Leung, SBS, FRSA

International and Independent China Strategist

www.andrewleunginternationalconsultants.com  

Positions  

Chairman and CEO, Andrew Leung International Consultants and Investments Limited
(Founded in London, now re-incorporated in Hong Kong; name changed from Andrew Leung International Consultants Limited as from 10 July, 2017) 
China Futures Fellow, Berkshire Publishing Group, Massachusetts, USA (2011-13)
Brain Trust member, The Evian Group (global think-tank), Lausanne, Switzerland
Gerson Lehrman Group (Global Experts) Council Member
International Expert, Reuters Insight Community of Experts, Thomson Reuters
Senior Analyst, Wikistrat , a cloud-sourced global strategic consultancy based in Washington D.C.
Senior Consultant, MEC International (a UK-based global strategic energy consultancy) 
Distinguished Contributor, Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance (ATCA) (global think-tank)
Certified Sustainable Development Planner, World Institute of Sustainable Development Planners
Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA)
Elected Member, Royal Society for Asian Affairs
Think-tank Research Fellow, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus, PRC (14.4.2017-13.4.2020) 
Advisory Board member, The e-Centre , European Centre for e-Commerce and Internet Law, Vienna 
Honorary Adviser, International Institute of Management (IIM) 
Advisory Board member, The Global Analyst, India
Honorary President, China Hong Kong Economic and Trading International Association (from 28 March, 2016) 
Global Commercial Agent, Changsha City, China
Hong Kong Advisory Board member, Denmark-based Executive Global Network (EGN)
Visiting Professor, London Metropolitan University Business School 
Governing Council Member, King’s College London, UK (2004-2010)
Advisory Board member, China Policy Institute, Nottingham University, UK (2005 -2010)
Visiting Professor, Sun Yat-sen University Business School, China (2005-10)
Founding Chairman, China Group, Institute of Directors City Branch, London, UK (2006-2010)
Vice Chairman, 48 Group Club, UK (2008-2010)
Committee Member of RSA, London Region, UK (2006-2010)
Included in UK's Who's Who since 2002
Awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) in the July 2005 Hong Kong Honours List 

Posted at 11:38 AM in Asia, Banking, Biotechnology, Books, Business promotion, China Business, China's politics, China's Rise, Cities, Climate Change , Consumption, Currencies, Current Affairs, Defense, Democracy, Development_, e-Commerce, Economy, Emerging Economies, Energy, EU, Europe, Finance, Food and Drink, Food and Water Security, Future, Gas, Geopolitics, Globalization, Healthcare, History, Hong Kong, Innovation, Investment , Japan, Manufacturing , Middle Class, North Korea, Population, Regional development, Russia, Science, Sustainable Development, Taiwan, Technology, Television, United States, Urbanization, Vietnam, World | | Comments (0)

March 25, 2020

The Coronavirus could usher in a Brave New World

China Is Maneuvering for International Leadership as the United States Falters, notes an article in Foreign Affairs dated 18 March, 2020 - The Coronavirus Could Reshape Global Order.

The piece flags up China's initial coverup and its subsequent turning of the table on Western narratives. Boosted by its position as the world's dominant producer of critical anti-virus equipment and supplies, China is positioning itself as a global saviour as much of the West, especially the United States, is overwhelmed by sheer lack of preparedness, worry over economic interests, and a certain amount of wishful thinking. 

The EU has recently sounded warning bells about China's geopolitical ambitions as it emerges from the crisis. While many countries are benefitting from China's timely supply of medical equipment, especially life-saving ventilators, there is growing international momentum involving China and other countries to coordinate efforts, and share experience, expertise and research for an effective vaccine. The G20 video conferencing on 26 March is an important milestone. 

As the Southern Hemisphere is beginning to stand on edge, the crisis seems just unfolding. There is critical demand for more WHO monitoring, openness of testing statistics, joint research into the virus's origin and behaviour, more emphasis on human lives, and greater leadership of the world's two superpowers - the United States and China.

What's more, it's important to remember viruses have no borders. Before raising accusing fingers, it is instructive to recall where the 2009-10 global H1N1 "swine fever" first started to spread, infecting some 1.3 billion people worldwide and causing well over half a million deaths. 

In any event, when the crisis is all over, the world will not be the same again.

A new world order is already emerging. Economic gravitas has been shifting away from developed countries. They are no longer key drivers of global growth. More countries will become sensitive to external dependence, especially on critical health and security architecture.

On the other hand, the whole world will become even more connected thanks to new digital technologies. Supply and value chains may change but they have become intricately intertwined across the globe that complete decoupling is unlikely to be possible. More people will become aware of each other country's interdependence, thanks to the Coronavirus and growing threats of Climate Change. 

China, for one, seems more prepared than others to embrace a looming Brave New World. China in a new Era of Global Disruptions, my latest PowerPoint presentation, may offer more food for thought. 

Posted at 06:36 PM in Asia, Banking, Biotechnology, Books, BRICS, Business promotion, China Business, China's politics, China's Rise, Climate Change , Consumption, Currencies, Current Affairs, Defense, Democracy, Development_, e-Commerce, Economy, Emerging Economies, Energy, Ethics, EU, Europe, Finance, Future, Gas, Geopolitics, Globalization, Healthcare, Hong Kong, Innovation, Investment , Japan, Manufacturing , Middle Class, Military, North Korea, Philosophy, Population, Regional development, Russia, Science, Sustainable Development, Taiwan, Technology, Travel, United States, Urbanization, Vietnam, World | | Comments (0)

February 19, 2020

Andrew's March 2020 Newsletter

(My quarterly Newsletter goes out to some 8,500 professional contacts worldwide. The following is my March 2020 issue. Back numbers may be accessed under What's New on this website) 

Greetings from Hong Kong!

We are still in the grip of somewhat overlapping crises, epidemic and political. The Motherland is facing an unprecedented double-whammy. The economic fallout from a bitter trade war with the United States is far from over. At the same time, death of a prominent Covid-19 epidemic whistle-blower exposed the fault lines of China's top-down model for all to see, both within and outside China. This hands convenient ammunition to "China hawks" across the aisle on Capitol Hill at a time of sharpening contest between a US-led liberal world order and its perceived challenger. 

In a way, Hong Kong is an epitome of a disrupted world on all fronts. These include widening political divides, clamour for social justice, epidemic black swans, Climate Change, vulnerability to over-globalization and one-sided supply chains, and collateral damage resulting from intensifying US-China rivalry, not to mention disruptive technologies like 5-G and artificial intelligence. 

How these crises and disruptions unfold will not only re-configure economies, businesses, and international relations across the globe, but will likely re-shape the world order and people's daily lives in decades to come. 

Hopefully, the following may offer a little food for thought.

Covid-19 Crisis 

Latest development on the coronavirus crisis in Hong Kong and the Mainland  (Live radio panel discussion on Backchat with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK)

China injects $173 billion to stabilize economy following virus outbreak (Live interview with PressTV) 

WHO declares international health emergency on Wuhan novel coronavirus  (Live interview with PressTV)

Hong Kong under political stress

Six powerful reasons for Beijing to rethink how Hong Kong should be governed, in the interests of long-term stability (South China Morning Post Op-ed) 

Tsai’s win won’t help HK protests (Quoted in The Strait Times) 
The Brief: Hong Kong Protests: behind the smoke and mirrors (In-depth live interviews with A News Television of Turkey). 
Hong Kong protests after Beijing's Fourth Plenum (Two-part TV interview on Talk the Walk with HKIBC (Hong Kong International Business Channel) 
 
US-China Rivalry
 
China has agreed with US to cancel tariffs in phases (Live TV interview with Channel News Asia (CNA))
 
China in the 2020's
 
China in the 2020's - Expect Game-Changing Developments (Feature article in The Global Analyst) 
The article also appears on World Geostrategic Insights
The seven trends that will define China in the 2020s (Op-ed in South China Morning Post) 
 
Global Distrust Crisis
 
MEDays Forum 2019 - 13-16 November, 2019, Tangier, Morocco (Presentations (Speaking Notes) and photos) 
 
7th International Conference on Eurasian Politics & Society on 14th–15th May 2020 in Lisbon, Portugal.
 
Subject to exigencies, I am scheduled to present at the above international conference my full-length Paper How will Eurasian Integration of China's Belt & Road Initiative fare in defending a Multipolar World Order. Should this materialize, I will upload my Paper and PowerPoint presentation to this website afterwards. 
 
 
(A short music video capturing some special moments)  
 
Cheer up and chill out

A repertoire of inspirational music, videos, songs and words. There is also a collection in Chinese.

Invitation for expressions of interest in investment opportunities

An upended world abounds with fresh BUY and SELL investment opportunities on many fronts across the globe, including new technologies, new markets and new businesses. If you wish to avail yourself of my business network worldwide, please drop me a line on a strictly no-commitment basis initially. 

Consultation services

Please email me at [email protected] or text my Hong Kong mobile +852 98198987.  I can also be reached on Skype at andrew.k.p.leung, LinkedIn at andrewleunginternational, Whatsapp at (852) 98198987, WeChat at Andrewkpleung, Facebook at andrewkinpongleung, and Twitter at @Andrewkpleung

Speaking and lecturing invitations

I am also open to invitations or proposals for speaking engagements, visiting lectures and tailor-made electives as a visiting/adjunct professor. 

Business networking and speaking platform in Hong Kong

As an Advisor to the Denmark-based Executives' Global Network Hong Kong, I welcome your suggestion of a suitable speaker for an EGN event in Hong Kong. This will be entirely at our own cost with acknowledgement of your support, provided that we are not asked to cover any speaking fee, travel or accommodation expenses.

RSS feed and weblinks

My postings are regularly uploaded under my three blogs CHINAwatch, Publications and What is New on www.andrewleunginternationalconsultants.com  A collection of leading China media and research sites can be found under China Links.

Please feel free to save my website on your computer, laptop, tablet, Blackberry, iPhone or iPad as a reference resource. If you wish instant access as soon as my postings appear, just click on “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” under RSS Feed on top of the right-hand column of each blog. Select the appropriate Google feed option. It is free of charge.  

This newsletter is uploaded to my website here. You may save it for reference or reading at leisure and to share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Twitter or other social media devices.

Courtesies

I look forward to your guidance, advice, comments, suggestions, and criticisms. You may share the above contents with colleagues or friends. You are also welcome to publish any of them with full attribution. 

If you think that I may add value to your endeavours in any way, please let me know how I may help.  If for any reason you do not wish to receive my emails, just ask me to delete your name from my databank permanently. 

Best personal regards, 

Andrew K.P. Leung, SBS, FRSA

International and Independent China Strategist

www.andrewleunginternationalconsultants.com  

Positions  

Chairman and CEO, Andrew Leung International Consultants and Investments Limited
(Founded in London, now re-incorporated in Hong Kong; name changed from Andrew Leung International Consultants Limited as from 10 July, 2017) 
China Futures Fellow, Berkshire Publishing Group, Massachusetts, USA (2011-13)
Brain Trust member, The Evian Group (global think-tank), Lausanne, Switzerland
Gerson Lehrman Group (Global Experts) Council Member
International Expert, Reuters Insight Community of Experts, Thomson Reuters
Senior Analyst, Wikistrat , a cloud-sourced global strategic consultancy based in Washington D.C.
Senior Consultant, MEC International (a UK-based global strategic energy consultancy) 
Distinguished Contributor, Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance (ATCA) (global think-tank)
Certified Sustainable Development Planner, World Institute of Sustainable Development Planners
Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA)
Elected Member, Royal Society for Asian Affairs
Think-tank Research Fellow, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus, PRC (14.4.2017-13.4.2020) 
Advisory Board member, The e-Centre , European Centre for e-Commerce and Internet Law, Vienna 
Honorary Adviser, International Institute of Management (IIM) 
Advisory Board member, The Global Analyst, India
Honorary President, China Hong Kong Economic and Trading International Association (from 28 March, 2016) 
Global Commercial Agent, Changsha City, China
Hong Kong Advisory Board member, Denmark-based Executive Global Network (EGN)
Visiting Professor, London Metropolitan University Business School 
Governing Council Member, King’s College London, UK (2004-2010)
Advisory Board member, China Policy Institute, Nottingham University, UK (2005 -2010)
Visiting Professor, Sun Yat-sen University Business School, China (2005-10)
Founding Chairman, China Group, Institute of Directors City Branch, London, UK (2006-2010)
Vice Chairman, 48 Group Club, UK (2008-2010)
Committee Member of RSA, London Region, UK (2006-2010)
Included in UK's Who's Who since 2002
Awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) in the July 2005 Hong Kong Honours List 

Posted at 02:37 PM in Asia, Banking, Biotechnology, BRICS, Business promotion, China Business, China's politics, China's Rise, Climate Change , Consumption, Current Affairs, Defense, Democracy, Development_, e-Commerce, Economy, Emerging Economies, Energy, EU, Europe, Finance, Food and Water Security, Future, Gas, Geopolitics, Globalization, Healthcare, Hong Kong, Innovation, Investment , Japan, Life, Manufacturing , Middle Class, Military, North Korea, Population, Regional development, Russia, Science, Sustainable Development, Taiwan, Technology, Television, Travel, United States, Urbanization, Vietnam, Web/Tech, World | | Comments (0)

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