Chaguan
There will be reassuring words for foreigners and radical ones for the audience at home
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N LATE MAY 1949, as China’s civil war neared a blood-soaked end, America’s consul-general in Shanghai, John Cabot, was startled when resident Western businessmen cheered the city’s capture by Communist soldiers. Foreign traders and factory bosses admired the discipline of the troops, who declined gifts of food and handed out notices in English promising safety for “normal” businesses.
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Blithely discounting the Communists’ pro-Soviet, anti-imperialist rhetoric, the Westerners focused on the party’s stated mission to save the country from hunger and want. That would surely involve trade with the West, and thus them. At the American Chamber of Commerce a day after Shanghai’s takeover, Cabot found members convinced that they would thrive under Communist rule. “The rejoicing couldn’t have been greater
World is warming up to China for trade. But India is left with just a handful of minilaterals
It seems China is able to impose itself as a critical business partner even at a time when countries have been grouping up against its increasing belligerence under Xi Jinping.
Nayanima Basu 18 January, 2021 9:38 am IST
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Despite repeated warnings from the US, the European Union’s recent Comprehensive Agreement on Investment with China raised eyebrows across the world. And even Donald Trump’s parting shot was to revive the trade pact with the Beijing administration. Australia also signed a 15-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership with China in November. In a slowing economy, all three have revived some level of trade relationship with China. But as countries scramble to find new partners and new trade pacts in the wake of Covid, India is looking at a future where there is no China because of border tensions, and instead has lined up a few
It has been a bad few months for relations between the US and China. The Trump Administration has used its last few months in office to impose a series of sanctions against Chinese companies, while ostentatiously developing closer ties with Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. Congress has passed laws targeting China over a number of issues, including China’s handling of Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The Chinese have struck back with sanctions of their own, retaliating against each perceived American slight.
Canadians look to gain in Vietnam on back of CPTPP 14:00 | 14/01/2021
The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement has opened new horizons for economic ties between Vietnam and Canada. Behzad Babakhani, consul general of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City shared with VIRâs Thanh Van about the opportunities for the two countries to expand and deepen their economic relationship.
What have been the key takeaways regarding Vietnamese and Canadian economic ties after two years of implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)?
Behzad Babakhani, consul general of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam has been Canadaâs top trading partner in ASEAN since 2015 and we continue to see stronger economic ties each year. Since the implementation of the CPTPP trade deal in 2019, bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Vietnam reached a new record of C$7.9 billion ($6.15 billion), the sa