Resolutions the West should have made for the New Year

On New Year's Eve, one of my best friends sent me an emotional text message saying she was lucky to have taken off from Brussels International Airport in the early hours of March 22, just a few hours before the terrorist attacks at the airport and Maalbeek metro station in central Brussels. She wished us all the best for the New Year.

The bombs on the metro exploded during the morning rush hour just 500 meters from my office and only two stops from my home. My son had taken the metro on the fateful route that morning but luckily he got off one stop before Maalbeek to go to school.

My friend's good wishes touched my heart and I realized my loved ones escaped the disasters in the past year but many people did not. Her message also reminded me of the end of 2015, when I wrote that I hoped Europe would make a New Year's resolution to become safer and China would do the same to become greener. Needless to say my wish was not fully realized.