Whether the momentum of agricultural production can be maintained, whether surplus rural labor can be turned into urban residents in an orderly manner, and whether their interests and rights can be well protected will be key to the overall success of the country's economic development and social progress.
The Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, which has two amendments relating to China, was passed by the US House of Representatives and the Senate at the end of last week. The amendments, though not legally binding, sent the wrong signal to the Asia Pacific region and could cast a shadow over Sino-US ties.
The year 2012 turned out to be as bad as I thought. The recession in Europe was the predictable ,and predicted, consequence of its austerity policies and a euro framework that was doomed to fail. America's anemic recovery with growth barely sufficient to create jobs for new entrants into the labor force was the predictable, and predicted, consequence of political gridlock, which prevented the enactment of US President Barack Obama's jobs bill and sent the economy toward a "fiscal cliff".
The United States has a huge and growing stake in the Asia-Pacific region, one that offers great promise for the American economy through trade and investment but one that also poses some of the greatest foreign policy and diplomatic challenges.
The 23rd China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, held in Washington on Wednesday, has sent a clear signal that the world's two largest economies will benefit from a serious, careful handling of bilateral trade issues.
Driving in Beijing can be a dangerous experience because traffic is often congested and, worse, infested with reckless drivers who tend to cut into lanes or jump red lights or speed on emergency lanes to get ahead of others.
The fact that Vice-Premier Wang Qishan co-chaired the 23rd Session of the China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade with Acting US Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk on Tuesday and Wednesday indicates the importance attached by the Chinese government to China-US economic and trade relations, and also highlights the important role of the commission in promoting bilateral economic and trade cooperation and stabilizing overall China-US relations.
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