Sights on Africa Minxin Pei, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund says China gets blamed for practicing economic colonialism in Africa, but there have been large pitfalls for the Middle Kingdom. For one, the value of the assets in Africa that collateralized China’s loans have plunged during the current crisis, making repayment less likely. He thinks the larger Belt and Road Initiative may now be in trouble. Both the U.S. and EU have their sights on Africa for improved relations. The United Nations says COVID-19 deaths in Africa could hit 300,000 people. Some in Europe are pressing to reshape the Continent’s relationship with Africa via an effective post-COVID assistance program. U.S. officials are touting the fact that...
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.