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China Builds Reach By Backing Middle East Water Projects
September 24th, 2023
Via Al Monitor, a look at how – in its latest financial deal – China has agreed to provide a new credit facility to expand Saudi Arabia’s water generation and power portfolio: China is looking to take on a bigger role in bringing water-related solutions to the Middle East. Among its latest deals is a three-year […]
Read more »Mekong: A Vital Regional River Can Be a Route for U.S. Diplomacy
September 10th, 2023
Courtesy of Foreign Policy, a commentary that U.S. President Biden’s Vietnam deals should center on the Mekong: On Sept. 10, Joe Biden pays his first visit to Vietnam as U.S. president, where he is expected to ink a deal to elevate the U.S.-Vietnam relationship from “comprehensive” to “comprehensive strategic”—the highest level of Vietnam’s diplomatic hierarchy. […]
Read more »Beyond Borders: Navigating Asia’s Water Challenges
August 24th, 2023
Via The Diplomat, an article on how solving Asia’s water stress will require a concerted diplomatic effort on the international stage: Once an abstract concern, water stress in Asia is now an undeniable reality exacerbated by rapid population growth, urbanization, and climate change. The region is largely failing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Unpacking China’s Climate Priorities
August 24th, 2023
Via Brookings, a report on China’s climate priorities: The year 2023 has seen China grapple with high-profile geopolitical tensions, post-pandemic economic headwinds, and societal strains. But in the background, the world’s most populous nation is also wrestling with an intensifying environmental crisis. This past year, China set new records for extreme temperatures, faced the heaviest rains in […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: How Floods, Drought, and Extreme Heat Could Test China’s One-Party System
August 10th, 2023
Courtesy of The Washington Post, a look at how floods and extreme heat could test China’s one-party system: Two years ago, nearly eight inches of rain poured on the Chinese metropolis Zhengzhou within a single hour during storms that flooded subways and killed nearly 400 people. In a country with centuries of experience tackling river floods, […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Climate Change & Water Scarcity Threatens China’s Rice Bowl
August 6th, 2023
Via East Asia Forum, an article on the impact that climate change is having upon China’s agricultural sector: Downpours in late May 2023 in northern China flooded wheat fields, stirring both domestic and international concern about China’s wheat supply and the potential impacts on food security. Chinese officials described the flooding as ‘the most destructive rain event’ for wheat […]
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