Our Insights
Featured Insights Selected by Our Experts
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Trump 2.0
Tholos Talks with The Trade Guys, Hosted by Jake E. Jennings
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China Economic Stimulus Tracker
A comprehensive timeline of announcements and policy actions implemented by the Chinese government to stimulate economic activity.
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When Mistakes Need a Manual: China’s Guidance on Acceptable Decision-making
By Deborah Lehr, Basilinna Chair and CEO
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Silicon and Sovereignty: What Trump’s AI Pact Means for the Gulf
Talking Points by the Basilinna Team
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Why Do Culture and Heritage Matter? with Irina Bokova
Tholos Talks with Irina Bokova, Hosted by Deborah Lehr
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Is Xi Jinping Undermining China’s Path to Tech Superiority?
By Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
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Making Acquisitions in the Public Affairs Sector: Lessons from Both Sides of the Table
By Leigh Wedell, President and COO
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Trade is No Longer a Way of Opening Up Markets
With Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO
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From the Middle Kingdom to the Saudi Kingdom: Opportunities Abound
By Yasser Elnaggar, Chair of the Middle East and Africa
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The New Trump Administration: Perspective from China
Talking Points by Gracie Sun, Chair of Asia-Pacific
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Media Type
From Blueprint to Reality: China Builds a Free Trade Island for Its Next Ambitious Opening Experiment
In December 2025, China will formally implement the independent customs operation of Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) (also referred to as “customs closure”), marking a turning point from policy planning to institutional execution.
Recovery Yet Cautious: China’s IPO Path in 2025
China’s IPO market is showing early signs of recovery after a sharp regulatory-driven slowdown in 2024. While listing activity has picked up in 2025, the era of high-volume IPOs is unlikely to return, as financial regulators shift focus from rapid expansion to long-term value creation.
Bridging the Biodiversity Finance Gap: Green Finance as a Catalyst for Global Sustainable Development
The global community stands at a critical juncture where the loss of biodiversity is not only an environmental concern but a profound economic and developmental challenge. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem services that are vital for human survival, including food security, disease regulation, and climate stability. Yet, the loss of biodiversity, driven by perverse subsidies, bad policy, and climate change, continues at an alarming rate.
When Mistakes Need a Manual: China’s Guidance on Acceptable Decision-making
In China, a nation known for five-year plans and centrally choreographed actions, it turns out that what’s really hard to plan for is fear of action. In the last year, Chinese authorities quietly released what can be described as guidance for “getting things wrong the right way” – policy guidelines outlining which mistakes by government officials are permissible and which are not.
Rising Opportunities for Business: Key Takeaways from the 11th China-Arab Business Conference
The 11th China-Arab Business Conference and 9th Investment Seminar of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum took place in Haikou, Hainan, from April 27–30, 2025, drawing over 1,000 political and business leaders from China and Arab countries.
Facing Trade Pressures, China Renews Its ‘Opening Up’ Pledges — But What Do They Really Mean?
As global trade tensions rise and the U.S. escalates tariffs worldwide, especially against China, Beijing is taking a different path. Instead of retreating, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed during a March meeting with global business leaders that “China’s door to opening up will only become broader,” calling for the accelerated implementation of opening-up measures.
Seeking the next DeepSeek: What China’s Generative AI Registration Data Can Tell Us About China’s AI Competitiveness
In the early months of 2025, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek caught global observers off guard by releasing a highly advanced large language model (LLM) that matched top-tier Western offerings in both performance and scale.
U.S.-China Post-“Liberation Day” - What’s Ahead
The Administration’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement has already sparked retaliation and potential escalation with China, the world’s second largest economy. While a tariff rate of an additional 34% was announced, combined with pre-existing tariffs, the rate came closer to the 60% that the President said he would impose during the campaign.
China’s 2025 Economic Plan
The headline developments in China this week are likely to stay relevant for some time – at least the next couple of years – as they help answer two key questions: How do senior Chinese leaders plan to shepherd the domestic economy in the years ahead? And what is the state of China’s evolving approach to the second Trump administration when it comes to tariffs and broader economic statecraft?
The Power of the Creative Economy: A Pathway to Growth and Global Influence
As the global economy evolves and industries become increasingly knowledge-driven, nations are looking toward new sources of growth beyond traditional sectors. One of the most promising and fastest growing of these is the creative economy—a diverse sector encompassing arts, media, design, fashion, technology, and cultural industries. According to UNESCO, the creative and cultural sectors contribute $4.3 trillion to global GDP, and generate 50 million jobs worldwide, almost half of which are held by women. These industries are expected to account for 10% of global GDP by 2030.