PARIS — During his first three-day state visit to China, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Chinese leaders to join a global New Deal on environment in a speech he delivered at Beijing’s Tsinghua University. He urged counterpart Hu Jintao to play a greater role in promoting sustainable development and to go in-depth on energy [...]

Read the full story

WASHINGTON — While capitals are awaiting the results of the international Troika of mediators and facing upcoming choices about next steps in the unresolved dispute over Kosovo’s legal status in the coming weeks and months, Kosovo’s interim government came due for their 4-year elections. In the midst of uncertainty about statehood, Kosovo’s political leaders were [...]

Read the full story

HANOI, Vietnam — A number of the posts already on Vietnam at least mention China, if not focus on it. China is the 800-pound gorilla next door, and much of what Vietnam hopes to accomplish in the international marketplace is in spite of or in direct competition with China. I’ve talked before about Vietnam’s focus [...]

Read the full story

WASHINGTON — This is far from my area of expertise, but I found it interesting that the FT is reporting that the dollar, widely used as the currency of international commerce and reserve holdings, should withstand a challenge by the euro to displace it in that role despite the euro’s steep appreciation against the dollar. [...]

Read the full story

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — This past Tuesday marked the day of the first Cambodian genocide hearing. The trial starts almost thirty years after the end of Pol Pot’s cruel Khmer Rouge regime. During its three years, eight months, and twenty days of rule from 1975 to 1979, 1.7 million Cambodians, more than one-fifth of the [...]

Read the full story

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Like many developing countries, Vietnam is dealing with challenges that are caused by its own success: Exponentially growing market demand and the influx of direct foreign investment – to a large degree due to Vietnam’s recent WTO accession – have caused shortages in the areas of infrastructure and energy. [...]

Read the full story

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Keeping good relations with China will certainly continue to be one of the Vietnamese government ‘s main priorities. The reasons for this have been of political nature; but increasingly economic reasons take priority. While there are some success stories like Vietnamese companies winning back the local beer market, the [...]

Read the full story

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Vietnam’s history with China has been long, complicated, and difficult. Vietnam’s future with China may also be long, complicated, and difficult. The two countries produce many of the same kinds of goods, especially textiles. But China, with its billion-plus people, dwarfs Vietnam’s 85 million.  China’s factories have economies of [...]

Read the full story

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — A few of our participants are also blogging their experiences in Vietnam. The Atlantic Monthly’s Megan McArdle has touched on pollution, the labor market, and the communist legacy. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Andrew Ross has written about the motorbike craze (and crazies) and an outbreak of cholera that has [...]

Read the full story

HANOI, Vietnam — Life is pretty good for the members of the Hanoi Young Business Association. The Vietnamese economy is booming, salaries and profits are rising, recent WTO accession has been a big step in the country’s increasingly open and internationally integrated market economy, and the quality of life is continually improving. Twenty years ago, [...]

Read the full story