Showing 1 - 10 of 15
China's globalisation paradox
Oped, Published on 30/08/2024
» China's trading partners are once again fretting about the country's supposedly unfair economic practices. This time, the focus is on China's alleged attempt to export its excess capacity, especially in emerging sectors such as electric vehicles (EVs), and to undermine domestic industries in the United States and Europe.
Unpacking China's global influence
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 29/08/2024
» Is China an enigma? If it is difficult to decipher the country on some fronts, there are other elements which are more accessible. While it might be easy to look at its impressive growth in recent decades as diverging from other global players in key areas, there are other areas which are mutually convergent. From the multidimensional panorama of a complex world -- the "multiplex" world, a preferred approach is not to generalise too much but to analyse the specifics of our times for possible confluence.
Real action or CSR stunt?
News, Editorial, Published on 14/08/2024
» The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's initiative to launch a pilot "low-emission zone" (LEZ) project in five districts sounds literally like a breath of fresh air for Bangkok residents who have suffered from high levels of air pollution for too long.
When climate commitments fall short
News, Rapeepat Ingkasit, Published on 24/07/2024
» By early next year, Thailand and other countries are expected to update national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The Paris Agreement mandates that nations submit new NDCs every five years, with each round more ambitious than the last. These NDCs are essential for countries to collectively tackle the global climate crisis.
Long road ahead for EV industry
Editorial, Published on 14/07/2024
» The ongoing price wars and uncertainty surrounding insurance coverage for electric vehicles serve as reminders that Thailand's EV industry is still in a transitional stage. However, these challenges should not deter the nation from its path towards an electric future.
After another boom and bust, where to for lithium?
Published on 13/07/2024
» Lithium boom has turned to lithium bust over the last two years as a wave of new supply overwhelms weaker-than-expected demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Thailand's era of economic stagnation
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 05/07/2024
» After two decades of political instability and turmoil, it was a matter of time before the Thai economy would exhibit signs of distress and desperation. For decades, the Thai economy has proved resilient with an uncanny knack for bouncing back. But Teflon Thailand may have become a thing of the past. Headlines on the Thai economy have been heading south precipitously. Unless fundamental political reforms take place, Thailand will likely enter a period of low and plateaued growth with risks of grinding stagnation.
Levy on China's cleantech hurts green transition
Oped, Jeffrey Frankel, Published on 27/06/2024
» With historic heat waves sweeping across the United States and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere, June is expected to be the 13th consecutive month of record-breaking global temperatures. The primary cause, of course, is the enormous amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Despite the threat posed by rising atmospheric concentrations of GHGs, emissions continue to increase at a faster pace than previously anticipated.
Being protectionist and world leader isn't possible
News, Published on 31/05/2024
» President Joe Biden likes to call the United States "the indispensable nation". By that, he means that America is the only power simultaneously mighty and benevolent enough to preserve whatever is left of a liberal order -- one in which rules and multilateral institutions govern, among other things, a system of relatively free international finance and trade.
The high costs of new US tariffs on Chinese EVs
Published on 25/05/2024
» US President Joe Biden’s administration has just announced 100% tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) manufactured in China, prompting Donald Trump to promise a 200% tariff on Chinese cars made in Mexico if he is elected in November. Neither policy would have notable effects on the US car market because imports of Chinese EVs are minuscule, owing to past tariffs and the anti-Chinese sentiment that has gripped the country in recent years. Nonetheless, the announcement is significant for three reasons.