Geopolitics – Page 3

China alleged to invest in EU Infrastructure Fund

Reuters recently announced that the Chinese government shall contribute ‘an multi-billion dollar investment’ towards European Union’s investment fund, the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI). According to a draft communiqué presented to Reuters, the exact figure of the investment offer has not yet been confirmed. Furthermore, it has been suggested that China will make the pledge at a Brussels summit in late June 2015. The Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is also expected to participate at the high-level event. Both EU and China representatives have noted that China will predominately seek to back projects within the areas of telecommunication and technology. The EFSI was initiated by the European Commission in late 2014 to offer finance infrastructure programs in sectors such as energy, transport, education, and innovation . However, its introduction was met with criticism from the European press. In November 2014, The Telegraph commented that the investment fund, worth 315 billion euros, “ provide[s] almost no new money of its own and is relying on subprime forms of financial engineering [and] depends on leverage that increases the headline figure by 15 times, leaving EU taxpayers bearing the heaviest risk while private investors are shielded from losses.” As a result, the prospect of a financial injection from China will very likely come as a great relief to European Commission. The news coincides with […]

Uncategorized Dec 14, 2015

The Rickshaw Report: The UN Climate Change Summit

1. This December, 140 world leaders of the most powerful world leaders will meet in Paris for the UN Climate Change Summit. Xi Jingping made a speech at the Opening Ceremony. What do you know about Climate Change? I think climate change is real. Over the past years, the temperature seems to be steadily increasing. I think this phenomenon has been provoked from mankind’s activities. 2. Consequences of global warming include heat waves, droughts and flooding, which threaten the lives of humans as well as animals. Do you find this worrying? That’s what will happen if global warming continues. I heard also that the polar icecaps are already melting, causing the sea to rise by 2 meters a day. Before, we had no vehicles on the streets, so there was no pollution at all. But now, the technology is getting more developed, and the automobile making industry has boomed leading to more and more pollution. But I think, as common people, we do not have any control over this matter. We cannot stop anything, but we will have to suffer from the results. 3. Is climate change a big topic amongst Chinese people? Of course, Chinese people talk about it. We also complain a lot about the polluted air. But, just like I said before, I do not think our […]

Uncategorized Dec 10, 2015

Confucius Peace Prize Provokes Confusion

On September 28th, Zimbabwean President and current Chair of the African Union, Robert Mugabe, was declared the honourable recipient of the Confucius Peace Prize. To put it mildly, the news has managed to raise an eyebrow or two. However, to the dismay of many, the winner seems to have actually declined the award – a tasteful golden figurine of Mr Confucius himself – as well as the 500,000 yuan (around 78,910 US Dollars) cash prize. The surprising turn of events has left us with only one question: why was the prize rejected? According to Liu Zhiqin, whom The Global Times describes as a ‘special consultant’ to the judging panel of the Confucius Peace Prize, the Zimbabwean leader may have refused the award due to ‘political pressure’ – arguably inflicted by the Western media or Zimbabwean political opponents. However, it seems that Mugabe has refused the award after discovering it actually bears no relation to the Chinese government. According to The Guardian, Mugabe’s his spokesman George Charamba stated “The Chinese government informed the Zimbabwean government it was not associated with the conferring organization. The matter ended there as far as government and the president were concerned.” Instead, the Confucius Peace Prize – which seems fairly unknown amongst most Chinese – was founded by a group of scholars in 2010 as a […]

Uncategorized Dec 5, 2015

Climate Change: The Greatest Challenge for Our Generation

Global warming is an undeniable reality. Its adverse effects threaten both humanity and nature. Indeed, mounting evidence makes clear that climate change may very well be the greatest challenge that our generation will have to face. As a result, the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (also known as the COP21) is one of the most significant events of 2015, not only for the 195 nations who have sent their teams to negotiate at the Paris summit, but also for ordinary citizens. The agreements reached at the summit will have a long-term impact on the lives of people throughout the globe. As The Guardian notes “the decisions […] will affect everything from which power plants provide you energy to what food you eat and how likely your home is to flood or be hit by extreme weather in the future.” Over the next two weeks, countries will endeavor to work out a deal for beyond 2020 ( the year the Kyoto Protocol expires) in order to maintain global warming to a 2c increase. In particular, countries will need to agree on commitments to limit their greenhouse emissions as well as usage of polluting fossil fuels. Needless to say, the outcome of the convention will also be greatly influenced by the endeavors of […]

Uncategorized Dec 1, 2015