The Sahel is a vast landlocked savannah region in Africa that forms a transition between the Sahara in the north and the more fertile lands in the south.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the Arab world's main investors and trading partners for Africa.

The number of hungry people in the world decreased by 1.25 million in 2023, but still exceeds 730 million. Hunger is spreading, especially in Africa, where more than a third of hungry people live. The paradox is that some countries with starving residents are economically successful. For example, Egypt is the third most populous country on the African continent. Morocco is the fourth largest economy on the continent and the 11th most populous (more than 37 million residents). In other words, these two countries are leaders in terms of GDP per capita.

Saudi Arabia, as one of the leaders of the global energy market, is taking a course on diversifying its energy business model. In 2023, construction began on two major oil refining and petrochemical projects in Saudi Arabia, and a large petrochemical and oil refining facility was also acquired in China.

The National Coordinating Center for International Business Cooperation and the RAS Institute of China and Contemporary Asia present the report “Russia-China: Potential for Cooperation of East Siberia and the Far East with China,” prepared for the jubilee Eastern Economic Forum.

Since the late 1990s, leading economic powers have been paying close attention to the development of electric vehicle industry technologies.

The lack of full food security prompts an increasing number of countries to boost food imports. Iraq has to import more food due to the growing deficit of water and land under the influence of climate and environmental challenge.

The analysis of the "tax gross-up" instrument is a key material of the issue. Read about what it is and how it functions in an article by our experts. In the "Legislative Initiatives" section, you will find information on important changes in the taxation of controlled foreign companies. In the "Tax Practice" section, you can read about a crucial litigation that may create new tax risks when paying revenues to foreign organizations. Also in this issue, we begin a series of materials on cross-border settlements under sanctions.

Energy remains a key factor in geopolitics and the global economy that determines actions of great powers, the state of the global economy and the interaction between states and regions.

The National Coordinating Center for International Business Cooperation, jointly with the RAS Institute of China and Contemporary Asia and the Russian-Asian Business Council, presents the Russia-China report.