"Where there is a will, there is a way," said the sage Lao Tzu. What does China want today and where does it go? Most of the commentators focus nowadays on the growth slowdown and the impact of the debt accumulated by real estate promoters and local governments on the financial and social stability of the country, which could threaten the global economy. This is not what is at stake.

First, comparing the growth rates over a long period of time is not relevant. In 2005, China had a GDP equivalent to that of France or the UK. Ten years ...

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In less than a year, three key companies of the French industry found themselves in a critical situation. The first, Alcatel, has been bought by a competitor, the second, Areva, has announced considerable losses and asked for the support of its shareholders, and the third, Alstom, had to sold two-thirds of its businesses. Telephone networks, nuclear power plants and turbines are not low-cost jobs destined for relocation. They have always been considered the strengths of French economy. So what happened? As surprising as it may seem, the same scenario happened in all three cases.

The combination of strategic mistakes of ...

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According to the latest figures from Agence France Trésor, France issued in the first quarter about 93 billion of 3 months, 6 months and one year treasury bonds at an average negative rate of 0.10%. Therefore, subscribers will pay around 100 million euros of interests to the State this year, if the rates remain at this level until December – and that is almost granted. France also issued 66 billion of medium- and long-term bonds. This represents more than a third of its plan for the year, at an average rate of 0.44%. The average rate in 2014 ...

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