Still striding forward on the path of reform

Four decades into China's earthshaking reform and opening-up, some outsiders wonder whether that 40-year-old commitment will persist.

The apparently escalating trade friction with the United States, initiated by Washington alleging Beijing has failed to honor WTO obligations, for one, has inspired conflicting readings of China's behavior and intention as a rising economic powerhouse.

But one basic yet often-ignored truth is that China has an inherent need for deeper and wider reform and opening-up in order to move forward.