Political advice is serious business

Many celebrities from Hong Kong were made members of provincial political consultative conferences across China this week, sparking a heated public debate.

US faces the gun and tax cliffs

The fiscal cliff and the "gun cliff" - the two big tasks US President Barack Obama faces in his second term - are not separate issues. The resolution of both will speak volumes about the true grit of American civilization.

Letters

Go green before it's too late

From the Chinese press

Ticket booking app unfair to many

Tectonic shifts in world economy

Whether we like it or not, the world around us is in a state of constant change. But recent economic trends suggest that this change may be shifting its direction in a fundamental way.

Cartoon

Better data for good trade policies

At the core of globalization in the 21st century is the growth of supply chains. It is a fact that over the last two decades, value chains have changed the old ways of organizing international specialization, of production and of understanding comparative advantages. They have changed the face of trade.

Visits offer opportunities

Though China and Japan are not out of the crisis, recent developments seem to show signs that neither wants to see the current confrontation over the Diaoyu islands spiral out of control.

Put power in cage

How the anti-graft campaign will be intensified and whether it will prevent the rampant abuse of power by officials, and thereafter usher the country into a new era for sustainable development, are the people's major concerns when it comes to their expectations of the Party's new leadership.

Hope rises for peace on Peninsula

This year will be critical for the Korean Peninsula. All the countries engaged in the Six-Party Talks have seen leadership transitions in the past year or so and, therefore, they may change their policies on the Korean Peninsula issue in accordance with the changing international situation.

The bane of domestic consumption

Retail sales in China grew 14.3 percent in 2012, ending with an encouraging year-on-year increase of 15.2 percent in December, and consumption (including government consumption) accounted for 51.8 percent of GDP.

Letters

Corruption must be eliminated