Author: HeraldStar

By Qaiser Nawab, Chairman BRISD President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing on May 13-15 marks the first trip by a sitting US president to China in nearly a decade. Occurring against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty and ongoing Middle East tensions, particularly the conflict involving Iran, the summit provides a critical opportunity for the world’s two largest economies to manage their rivalry through pragmatic engagement rather than escalation. For nations like Pakistan, which maintain important relationships with both Washington and Beijing, the outcome carries implications for regional stability, trade flows, and development cooperation. The visit, originally postponed due…

By Qaiser Nawab, Chairman BRISD In an era of intensifying strategic competition, the persistent reliance of American enterprises on the Chinese market and supply chains offers a sobering counterpoint to narratives of easy decoupling. From consumer electronics giants to leaders in artificial intelligence, many US companies continue to depend on China as both a critical marketplace and a manufacturing backbone that remains difficult and expensive to replace at scale. As Washington considers further restrictions, the practical economic realities facing corporate America deserve honest examination. This dependence stems from decades of integration. China is the world’s second-largest consumer market and possesses…

By Qaiser Nawab, Chairman BRISD As the United States grapples with stagflation risks — sluggish growth coupled with persistent inflation — pragmatic trade engagement with China offers a practical buffer. Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has warned repeatedly in recent weeks that the US economy has entered a stagflationary period, driven by high fiscal deficits, sticky inflation, and external shocks including energy price volatility. In this environment, disrupting ties with the world’s leading manufacturing base risks amplifying domestic pressures rather than easing them. Bilateral trade remains substantial despite tensions. In 2025, the US imported $308.4 billion in goods from China while…

By Wania Tahir A newly published study, Voice of Balochistan’s Youth: Identity, Development and Geopolitical Perspectives, offers a valuable window into the minds of young people in Pakistan’s largest province. Authored by researchers from institutions in Quetta and based on surveys and discussions with youth across urban and rural districts, the paper reveals a generation that is proud of its Baloch heritage, committed to Pakistani identity, and deeply frustrated by persistent development gaps. Rather than viewing these voices through a lens of grievance alone, Pakistan should treat them as a practical roadmap for more effective provincial policy and national cohesion.…

By Hadia Safeer Choudhry As China enters the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), the focus has shifted from declaring victory over absolute poverty in 2020 to the harder, quieter work of consolidation and expansion. After lifting nearly 100 million rural residents out of extreme poverty, the challenge now lies in preventing relapse, raising incomes sustainably, and narrowing the persistent urban-rural divide. The recently released 2026 No. 1 Central Document outlines a pragmatic path: regular and targeted assistance, stronger industrial support for farmers, and steady progress toward modern living conditions in the countryside. This transition from intensive campaign to institutionalised support…

By Qaiser Nawab, Chairman BRISD From the world’s first fully automotive-grade, fully redundant L4 autonomous light truck, to smart cockpits that can understand driver intent within 150 milliseconds and chat with users in different personalities, to the world’s first 32Gbps in-vehicle SerDes display chip, to Blade batteries capable of charging from 10% to 97% in nine minutes…At the ongoing Beijing Auto Show, “intelligent cars” take center stage, with 181 vehicles debutting and 71 concept cars on display, showcasing how AI is transforming China’s auto sector at a stunning pace. Iyiou, a think tank, estimates that China’s AI-powered EV market reached…

By Hadia Safeer Choudhry Eight months after German auto giant Volkswagen announced a partnership with Chinese EV upstart XPeng on electronic and electrical architecture, the alliance has delivered results, debuting two brand-new battery-electric models this month. The second, unveiled at the ongoing Beijing Auto Show, comes equipped with Level 2 advanced driver-assistance systems—evidence of how legacy carmakers can reinvent themselves for the intelligent age. As global demand for electric vehicles accelerates amid volatile oil markets, automakers are flocking to the innovation frontier to keep pace with cutting-edge technology and close the gap in smart mobility. In its iX3 and i3…

By Hadia Safeer Choudhry Many developing countries continue to face chronic energy shortages. Frequent power cuts disrupt industries, limit access to healthcare and education, and slow economic progress. In Pakistan, load-shedding has long been a fact of life. Across sub-Saharan Africa, hundreds of millions still lack reliable electricity. Against this backdrop, equipment and expertise from China’s renewable energy sector have become an important source of practical relief. Chinese-made solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and related systems are reaching markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America at competitive prices, helping governments and private users add capacity faster and at lower cost…

By Qaiser Nawab, Chairman BRISD Recent data from the International Monetary Fund has offered a revealing snapshot of how the world’s financial architecture is quietly evolving. Global foreign exchange reserves held by central banks climbed 6.5 percent in 2025 to a record $13.1 trillion — the highest level since the IMF began tracking the figures in 1995. Yet within that impressive total lies a subtle but unmistakable shift: the US dollar’s share slipped from 58.52 percent in 2024 to 56.77 percent, its lowest point on record. For the 12th quarter running, the dollar has stayed below the 60 percent threshold.…

By Qaiser Nawab, Chairman BRISD The release of China’s foreign trade data for the first quarter of 2026 offers a significant vantage point from which to observe the evolving architecture of global commerce. Reaching a total value of RMB 11.84 trillion—a 15 percent year-on-year increase—China’s trade sector has not only crossed the RMB 11 trillion threshold for the first time in a single quarter but has also recorded its highest growth rate in nearly five years.One of the most striking elements of the Q1 report is the geographic redistribution of trade. China’s trade with ASEAN and Latin America both grew…