The Knowledge to Decide

China accounted for 15% of the USD660 million professional Esports market in 2017. Can China cash in on this booming market before other players jump on the bandwagon? Spire’s viewpoint on Asia’s e-gaming landscape was cited in China Daily – Asia Weekly. Esports – sporting activity built around public performances of electronic game-play – is a booming industry world-wide. In comparison to other sports, Esports training does not require an actual stadium, pitch or course. All you need is stable net connectivity. Esports is set to go further at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in Eastern China, where it will be acknowledged as an official medal sport. The growth potential in Esports is immense. The International Olympic Committee has already partnered with Chinese tech giant Alibaba to power future Olympic Games with its infrastructure services for cloud computing. Such technology infrastructure would be a powerful enabler for the Olympic Games to em

In recent years, the Asia Pacific gaming industry has attracted the attention of investors, developers and analysts. Within Asia, Japan, South Korea and China are the leading markets. The Asia Pacific remains the largest games market and is expected to reach USD71.4 billion in revenue, with a spectacular 39 per cent growth in 2018. By 2021, domestic market revenue in China is poised to increase from USD27 billion to USD35 billion. Asia’s gaming market is being transformed by Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology as well as gaming on social media platforms. Above all, Esports looks set to transform the industry. These were the findings from a study conducted by Spire Research and Consulting in Q3 2018. Gaming market in Asia Pacific (APAC) The Asia-Pacific region has been leading the global electronic game market. In 2017, total revenue from the gaming market reached USD51.2 billion, almost twice the revenue of the second-ranked North American region.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), announced in 2013, is not only China’s most ambitious global infrastructure project but also one of the largest ever attempted anywhere. It aims to develop a free trade zone and improve global connectivity across the Eurasian landmass. With an estimated investment of USD4 to 8 trillion and affecting over 70 countries, can China successfully connect all these economies together? What is China's BRI? The BRI mega infrastructure project aims to cement links with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Russia and the Baltic Region. It aspires to establish a free trade zone through infrastructure developments among countries and continents. The idea of the BRI was inspired by the ancient trade routes used by Chinese traders to boost connectivity with not only neighboring nations but with distant countries as well, such as the Roman Empire. Pan-Eurasian trade routes were opened in 130 B.C. during China’s Han Dynasty, ostensibly for interna

Humankind’s future ability to feed itself is in jeopardy due to the concurrent degradation of land, water, climate and biodiversity on a global scale. The human population is set to reach 10 billion people by 2050, increasing the global demand for agricultural products by 70 per cent. By 2022, India will surpass China as the most populous country in the world. Will innovation in agriculture be able to feed the global population? The origins of agriculture Agriculture is derived from the late-Latin word Agricultura with ‘agri’ depicting land and ‘cultura’ meaning cultivation. Starting out as hunter-gatherers, humans have gradually learned to settle in fertile places for farming and later, started domesticating animals. The Fertile Crescent of the Middle East, which we now refer to as Egypt, Turkey, Israel and Iraq, is known as the earliest site of farming. While it is not without its detractors, the agricultural revolution has delivered benefits in term

The recent US trade tariff announcement will impact Chinese imports worth USD60 billion. Will China’s reaction and the prospect of continuing tit-for-tat tariff hikes cause more panic across global markets? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in China Daily – Asia Weekly. As the US Treasury explores restrictions on Chinese investment in the country, the value of stocks plunged across Asian markets. Industries that might come under more scrutiny for possible higher trade tariffs include maritime equipment, new materials, automated machine robotics and tools along with new advanced information technology and high-tech shipping to name a few. Voicing concern, Perera pointed out that China’s focus will still be on minimizing an escalation of mutual tariff hikes. China has hugely benefitted from global trade and FDI flows. However, China is clearly prepared to pursue retaliatory tariffs of its own for strategic reasons – it has announced tariff h