(My quarterly Newsletters go out to some 8,000 professional contacts worldwide. The following is my October 2024 issue. Back numbers may be accessed under What is New on my website.)
Greetings! I hope you have had a rewarding and enjoyable summer!
Barring uncertain outcome of the U.S. Election, American foreign policy continues to be dictated by chauvinistic hubris and political correctness borne of decades of American primacy and exceptionalism. This translates into an obsession with shaping the world in America's own image and bending countries to suit American interests, at the expense of balkanizing the world into divided camps. China, America's perceived primary "challenger", remains the elephant in the room.
The jury is still out on how best the United States should respond to an overhyped "existential threat" from China, how it could realize sustainable peace in the Middle East, and what role it should play to resolve the bloody Russia-Ukraine connundrum for a more peaceful Europe.
Serial U.S. proactive actions or measures, whether sanctions or shuttle diplomacy, seem to be running around in circles, talking past opposite numbers, if not tilting at windmills, while humanitarian crises deepen in war zones and disruptions continue to degrade livelihoods across the globe.
Absent cool-headed analysis of viable and sustainable endgames, confrontation hardly equates to credible strategy. Apart from the scale and dimension of China's rise including the best support of its people, we now live in a very different and closely-connected world, driven by the digital Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions, rampant pandemics, and multifacted impacts of quickening Climate Change.
The following may hopefully offer some different perspectives, if not practical insights for making the world a better place.
Great Power Rivalry
To avert Thucydides Trap, US should compete with China in Olympic spirit (Op-ed in China Daily). Sanitized and abridged versions in Chinese can be accessed here and here.
U.S. and China: Edging Toward the Brink? (An Aspen Institute discussion by eminent international experts)
The Arctic Silk Road (TV panel discussion on TRT World)
Malaysia's bid to join Brics - implications (Backchat on RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong)
China-Africa
China-Africa Summit 2024 - Implications (Backchat on RTHK)
China's development
Gradual increase of Mainland China's retirement age - Implication (BachChat on RTHK)
China's Third Plenum 2024 - Behind the jargons and the rhetoric (Full-length feature article in The Global Analyst)
"China needs more than hikes in Total Factor Productivity to realize its 2035 ambition" (An in-depth analysis)
How to read China correctly in the coming Third Plenum (An in-depth analyis)
China's auto industry
A CSIS podcast (An in-depth discussion by American experts)
Hong Kong
Enacting HKETO Certification Act will sacrifice Washington’s own interests (Op-ed in China Daily)
Hong Kong Editors Convicted of Sedition in "Blow to Press Freedom" (Live TV interview on Aljazeera English Channel)
Climate Change
Fast fashion typified by SHEIN invokes ecological backlash (TV panel discussionn on TRT World)
UK
2024 UK election result - implications (Backchat on RTHK)
Cheer Up and Chill Out
A 10-point Multimedia Outlook on Life (Music video)
Inspirational videos and excerpts for life's down-moments
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 firm as Senior Partner. 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.
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Courtesies
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Best personal regards,
Andrew K. P. Leung, SBS, FRSA
International and Independent China Strategist
Andrew Leung International Consultants and Investments Company Limited
Positions
Brain Trust member, The Evian Group (global think-tank), Lausanne, Switzerland
International Expert, Reuters Insight Community of Experts, Thomson Reuters
Elected Member, Royal Society for Asian Affairs
Advisory Board member, China Policy Institute, Nottingham University, UK (2005 -2010)
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