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Big leap forward? Weighing pluses/minuses of Belt and Road Initiative after 10 years
China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) offered an opportunity to stimulate economic growth, enhance connectivity and bridge infrastructure gaps for participating nations. Yet serious concerns arise regarding geopolitical influence, debt sustainability and transparency.
The success of the BRI relies on addressing these challenges through collective efforts from all participating nations, including China. All that can be said at this juncture after 10 years is that it remains a work in progress but if properly handled has the potential to become a transformative force for inclusive development and global cooperation. 
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Having ChatGPT artificial intelligence see what the WEF has in mind for world trade
Mao's "Four Olds" slogan reminds one of the objectives of today's woke folk at the World Economic Forum (WEF). Mao sought to obliterate "old ideas, old habits, old culture and old customs". How different is that from the doctrine of the WEF, which is emerging as something of a command and control centre of the Woke World in combination with the UN and its increasingly powerful agencies.
Given these thoughts, we sought out the WEF plan for international trade in the years to come by calling on artificial intelligence (AI) portal, Chat-GPT.org for news of the future.
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Flurry of newbuilds anticipate harder times ahead for shipping and most everyone else
The recent swelling order books at shipyards for newbuilds might have seemed mysterious to those who have experienced a barely discernible peak season and not much in the way of decent prospects ahead.
But it begins to make sense when one recalls the burgeoning war chests carriers possessed after the ridiculous Covid scare, which panicked factories and beneficial cargo owners (BCO) to produce and ship out as much as they could, while they could before health and safety bureaucrats swept in with fresh edicts and mandates.
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Drone technology linked to artificial intelligence is the latest challenge to world shipping
Drone technology has gained considerable prominence in peace and war in recent years. There are active experiments backed by mega bucks from mega corporations that are looking to autonomous navigation on land, sea and air. We can also count on the same scale of investment into these technologies in military affairs.
More immediate concern arises from armed drone attacks - not just in the Black Sea where the Russo-Ukrainian War rages, but also in the Arabian Gulf. the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Back in 2021, an exploding drone killed two crewmen on a merchant tanker, Mercer Street, off the coast of Oman.
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