Moves toward a fairer world might help end terror

The bloody terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday in which at least 120 people were killed and hundreds injured was carefully planned. And this "act of war", as French President Francois Hollande described it, overshadowed something else that was carefully planned on Friday.

This was the statement by Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, that she endorsed her staff's suggestion that renminbi is qualified to be included in the special drawing rights basket of currencies. The 24 directors of the IMF executive board will vote to decide at the end of this month.

If the terrorist attacks had not seized the media's attention, Lagarde's statement would certainly have made headlines. It is fairly likely that China's currency will be given the same status as the US dollar, the British pound, Japanese yen and the euro, if United States does not abuse its veto power.