Few travellers visit the Russian province of Kaliningrad, which until 1945 was German East Prussia. The Baltic Sea province is an exclave separated from Russia proper by Lithuania and Belarus. Several years ago, preparing my book Exploring New Europe, I cycled across Kaliningrad. To my pleasant surprise I felt safe and found the Russian people friendly and welcoming. This one minute video is an introduction … Continue reading Cycling Kaliningrad
Host Peter Lewis, Cititrust’s Stewart Aldcroft, Ping An’s Le Xia, and Barry D. Wood discuss the corona vaccine rollout, the British-EU negotiations and Hong Kong’s future as a financial center. Listen Continue reading Money Talk, RTHK-Hong Kong, December 9, 2020
Back in 2000 it took five weeks until the winner of the tied presidential election was known. George W. Bush triumphed over Democrat Al Gore only after the Supreme Court ruled that Bush won a disputed recount in Florida and thus achieved a bare one vote majority in the electoral college. Gore narrowly won the popular vote. When it was determined that Bush would be president, … Continue reading 2020: Looking Past the Gloom
(expanded version) San Francisco and Prague are beautiful cities. In San Francisco it’s the lucent blue of a vast bay, pastel homes climbing formidable hills, and a magnificent bridge spanning the chasm where bay and ocean meet. In Prague it’s the low graceful Charles Bridge spanning the river that winds through a bejeweled city. Cathedral spires pierce the sky above and Prague Castle looms over … Continue reading Remembering Magical Times in San Francisco and Prague
Click here to listen The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement signed on Sunday in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, is seen as a major coup for China. Its growing influence in the Asia-Pacific underlines America’s declining voice under President Trump who pulled the US out of a trade pact of its own, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. So will RCEP cement China’s position more firmly as … Continue reading RCEP–A New Free Trade Arrangement in East Asia
Barry D. Wood 