Belt And Road Weekly Investor Intelligence #106

Tuesday, November 8, 2022   

Compiled by Chris Devonshire-Ellis      

In this week’s round-up we discuss opportunities for German investors and exporters in China in the wake of Chancellor Scholz’s visit to Beijing, examine new Pakistan railway funding, and Beijing’s debt forgiveness in Tanzania. In ASEAN, we have a comprehensive report into how Malaysia, with BRI projects, is transforming its economy, while we also look at prospects for BRICS following the recent Brazilian elections and more calls for the SCO to be involved in payment structures. We look at Russian plans to offer interest on Asian currency accounts in 2023, and how Moscow is already planning for post-Ukraine conflict economic development.     

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CHINA     

China Turning Some Belt & Road Loans Into Non-Refundable Grants 

Tanzanian President Visits Beijing, Negotiates Loans Into Grants, And Signs Off Additional Infrastructure Deals.   

Scholz’s German Business Delegation Looking To Understand China Opportunities 

An overview of what China industrial investment opportunities are available for German Chancellor Scholz’s business delegation in China, why, which sectors, and where.   

China, Pakistan Agree US$10 billion Main Line 1 Railway Link 

China’s President Xi Jinping has agreed to spend a further US$10 billion on Pakistan ‘Main-Line 1’ railway project, which is intended to provide high-speed rail between Pakistan’s southern Indian Ocean port of Karachi to Peshawar, an industrial city close to Pakistan border with Afghanistan. That can be expected to eventually be part of an extended CPEC reach into Jalabad and Afghanistan itself.  

ASEAN & RCEP  

Malaysia’s Economic Transition: From Plantations and Palm Oil to Tech and Green Energy 

Our latest, complimentary issue of Asian Investment Research (AIR) is a unique, in-depth report into Malaysia’s key economic and investment environment, complete with detailed project tracking through mid-2022, as well as sector growth and opportunity prospect analysis for financial and corporate investors alike. 

BRICS  

Brazil’s Lula Presidential Victory Likely To Lead To Potential BRICS Expansion 

A win for the ‘Global South’, with Lula keen on establishing the BRICS grouping – which also includes China, India, Russia, and South Africa – as a counterbalance to the United States. His knowledge and relations with Mercosur – Latin America’s trade bloc – nations may also extend to a BRICS expansion. 

SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION  

Russia Urges Shanghai Cooperation Organisation To Set Up Joint Payments Network 

Such a move would cut transactional dependence on the West and usher in a new era of regional business activity.  

RUSSIA     

Russian Banks May Start Offering Interest Bearing Deposit Accounts In Asian Currencies From April 2023 

Chinese Yuan, Hong Kong Dollars, Indian Rupees, UAE Dirhams, Turkish Lira, Kazak Tenge and others all set to be part of interest-bearing accounts in Russia.   

Russia’s Pro-Investment Policies, Post-Ukraine Conflict 

Russia has begun planning for business development and attracting foreign investment in the period following an end to the current Ukraine conflict. Russia’s manufacturing PMI is at 52% while the Eurozone is in recession. Moscow’s planning ahead is narrowing the EU development gap. 

BRI GLOBAL      

China’s Belt and Road & Beyond     

A global media roundup of all the latest international news, analysis, and opinion from the BRI.   

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