Big events obscure little events, especially when the media gets hold of them. To borrow a military analogy, little events creep under the radar, undetected, rather like stealth aircraft (ominously China has its own now), and may have a big or a small impact, depending upon their purpose and outcome. Clausewitz called it the ‘fog […]

Has Zhejiang Geely’s adventure into Europe’s automotive brands turned sour?  There would be every reason to think so judging by recent events over the last few weeks. Firstly, there is the news that British-based Manganese Bronze, the maker of London’s iconic black taxi, has gone into administration. Since 2007 Geely has had a 20 percent […]

It started as a diplomatic dance reminiscent of a stately pavane, delicately side-stepping recent trade controversies. It wasn’t meant to be rock ‘n’ roll (in any case, most unsuited to the classical environs of Brussels’ Palais d’Egmont where the proceedings took place) but it very nearly became that. On the face of it, bilateral trade […]