WESTERN EUROPE

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer recently updated Congress on on-going and potential U.S. trade negotiations. Among other things, he acknowledged that mainland China is not currently on pace to buy the amounts of U.S. agricultural and energy products that were agreed under the phase one trade agreement, due at least in part to the economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. More

The potential for the sale of consumer luxury goods in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is immense. At the same time, Hong Kong’s location, access and pre-eminence within Asia as a whole, together with its zero VAT on goods and straightforward product regulatory regime, are also believed to have considerable appeal for luxury brand retailers. More

Eurozone’s largest bank by market capitalisation and the leading bank in Latin America, Santander has a significant presence in every major market across the globe and, in recent times, has made significant inroads into Asia. Now the bank, founded on Spain’s Bay of Biscay, believes another bay area – the GBA – can become an engine room of regional, national and international economic growth. More

Anglo-Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca continues to see a rise in sales of its drugs in China – the world’s second largest pharmaceutical market. At the same time, it is also looking to boost scientific research in the country. It hopes that the jurisdictional obstacles in the fledgling Greater Bay Area (GBA) project can be overcome to allow it to use the region’s massive pool of patients to conduct clinical trials, which it hopes will take its research and development to new levels. More