Comment
Uphill battle consumers are struggling to win
2016-04-01 08:29
The bright picture a recent McKinsey report painted about the rise of modern Chinese consumers is indeed tempting for businesses at home and abroad. The rewards must be substantial for those who get it right with the swelling consumer group, which has so far looked surprisingly confident.
'Three add-ons' needed for innovation
2016-03-25 08:26
Production overcapacity is something that regularly occurs in all regions of the world due to natural economic cycles.
Fear of China makes for poor policy
2016-03-25 08:26
It seems that in Europe, the debate over granting China market economy status is not hitting the spot. Semantics are often the cause of misunderstandings, and also in this debate.
Time to put AI knowledge to practical use
2016-03-25 08:26
Google is no stranger to headlines. But this time it is hogging the limelight because its artificial intelligence-powered AlphaGo defeated South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol 4-1 in a five-match series.
Czechs help build common prosperity
2016-03-25 08:26
My interviews with politicians, businesspeople, shop owners, writers, sports coaches and even people on the streets show the Czech Republic, which I visited recently, is tailor-made for China's Belt and Road Initiative, because Czechs are well-prepared to meet China's proposals, have a long list of ideas about how to engage with the Chinese people and are ready to turn those ideas into reality.
Terrorists cannot stop us traveling the world
2016-03-25 08:26
This column was intended to be a light-hearted look at the way international travel has evolved, and my experience of it over the years, but then the dark ugliness of the Brussels attacks erupted and I had to rethink my plans.
What Alibaba's rise really means
2016-03-25 08:26
Chinese media that covers technology businesses (mainly the so-called technology, media and telecommunications sector) is a lively part of the industry, dominated by a number of commentators who are usually hard to please.
Share responsibility to resettle laid-off workers
2016-03-25 08:26
Yin Weimin, the minister of human resources and social security, has said the central government will spend 100 billion yuan ($15.4 billion; 13.7 billion euros) in the next two years to help resettle 1.8 million laid-off workers in sectors that suffer from overcapacity, such as coal and steel.
Stable renminbi benefits China
2016-03-18 08:40
It has been common recently for some analysts and economists to advocate the depreciation of the renminbi, based on their understanding that the Chinese currency has been overvalued for a few years. In the belief that devaluation could stimulate exports and reduce the risks of deflation, some even suggested a drop of 10 to 20 percent.
No need for pessimism on the economy
2016-03-18 08:40
After 30 years of breakneck growth, the Chinese economy has entered a new normal. While accepting the fact that China's potential growth rate has slowed significantly, it is worth emphasizing that 6.5 percent is still a high growth rate. If such a rate is maintained, China will achieve its objective, set in 2010, of doubling per capita income by the end of 2020.
Opportunities for all as green growth pursued
2016-03-18 08:40
China has worked out a greener economic development blueprint for the next five years. Investors, businesses and the European Union should keep this bigger picture in mind when they look for new opportunities that may have been dished up by the annual sessions of the nation's legislature and its top political advisory body.
Death of a legend, and his part in my life
2016-03-18 08:40
His life was gentle, and the elements / So mixed in him, that nature might stand up / And say to all the world, this was a man.
Peek into Chinese politics reveals trends
2016-03-18 08:40
Every year, China's two sessions (annual meetings of the National People's Congress and National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) are not much like the parliamentary debates seen in other countries.
Help consumers better to do the heavy lifting
2016-03-18 08:40
To turn domestic consumption into an engine powerful enough to make up for the slack of other growth drivers, lawmakers and policymakers need to boost and meet consumers' increasing demand for quality goods and services.
AI's victory raises profound questions
2016-03-18 08:40
Lee Se-dol, the Go grandmaster, lost his best-of-five match with AlphaGo, the artificial intelligence program developed by Google, in Seoul recently. The South Korean was supposed to represent not only himself, but also the human race, so he understands the meaning of this defeat.
Golden opportunity to embrace green growth
2016-03-18 08:40
Will China make concrete progress toward its vision of a more inclusive and sustainable society in 2016, rebalancing its economy to better address the related challenges of eradicating poverty, reducing inequality and protecting the environment?
Aging population not necessarily a burden
2016-03-11 08:09
China has proposed to increase people's life expectancy by a year by 2020 from 76.34 in 2015, although women on average live longer than men. The goal was one among many announced by Premier Li Keqiang for legislators to discuss and vote on at the ongoing annual session of National People's Congress, the top legislature.
Five-year plan brings China watchers out to play
2016-03-11 08:09
Enter "China Five-Year plan" into Google and you get 29.4 million results thrown up in 0.39 seconds.
Leading areas foretell China's future
2016-03-11 08:09
One of the most noteworthy parts of China's two sessions (of the national legislature and the political advisory body) this year is the central government's acknowledgement of the country's changing economic geography, and the methodology it adopts to deal with it.
Making head and tail of eco-problems
2016-03-11 08:09
Purple haze. For those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, the words bring back memories of the electrifying Jimi Hedrix and his more electrifying ways with the guitar. For many living in North China today, they may sound more like one of the stanzas in the song: Purple haze all in my eyes/Don't know if it's day or night/You got me blowin', blowin' my mind/Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?
E-paper
We will not give up search, Li vows
International hunt for missing airliner continues after fruitless six-day search
Challenging times forecast as growth falls
IMF: China has pivotal role in 2016 economy
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