Hong Kong has long been a particularly important meeting point of different cultures. It has been a bridge between East and West, between communism and capitalism, and in some cases between autocracy and democracy. This dualistic interpretation of the territory obscures its actual complexity, but at the same time highlights some of its most striking features and successes. Born out of the height of the … Continue reading The Future of Hong Kong: Adapting to Political Challenges

At the 19th Party Congress, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) unveiled its latest plans for China. Central to the CCP’s vision of modernization and harmonious coexistence is the role which China will play in climate change and pollution mitigation, both domestically and globally, perhaps in response to the controversial withdrawal of the United States from The Paris Agreement in June 2017. President Xi Jinping’s stance … Continue reading Xi’s Green Thumb: China’s Modern Environmental Leadership

Over the past two decades, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has undergone extraordinary economic growth, transitioning from a low-income economy to an upper middle-income economy and maintaining its status as the largest contributor to global growth. Now the second largest economy in the world, China is playing an increasingly important role in the world’s economic affairs and development, not the least in Africa. While … Continue reading How the US Lost: China’s Growing Foothold in Africa