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New role of the diplomat in the new global order

2012-11-30 09:53

Now that the excitement of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the US presidential election are over, it is time for the world to turn its attention back to the diplomatic challenges that face it.

Delivering clean energy: Why policy matters

2012-11-30 09:53

Getting the fundamentals right is the path to success as china and germany have shown

Is the middle class turning nationalistic?

2012-11-30 09:53

Chinese nationalism as a whole has traditionally been viewed through the lens of foreign relations. Needless to say, this is very much the case now. But lately there has been a discreet shift in focus toward the nationalist values of people from all segments of society, with the emergence of a middle class with a growing political and economic voice generating nascent debate.

The marry-by date outlives its usefulness

2012-11-30 09:53

On weekends, Shijingshan Park in Beijing is the venue for a strange ritual: in one corner of the park, hundreds of people gather. Almost all of them are older than 50, and they hold large pictures of young people, overwhelmingly young, professional-looking women. The pictures are often glamor shots, accompanied by scribbled personal data such as height, educational background, employment and income.

A breaking of the ice that could benefit all

2012-11-23 09:07

As the melting of Arctic sea ice broke records this summer, Russia's arctic revival plan moved a step forward. Last month Russia set up its new floating research station, North Pole-40, to replace the previous one. Two new icebreakers also went into service. Moreover, in the budget for the next two years the Russian Department of Finance has included 100 billion rubles ($3.2 billion; 2.5 billion euros) to build three nuclear-powered icebreakers.

It pays to know where you stand on R&D

2012-11-23 09:07

Asia is seen as the engine of the global economy, and China, while continuing as a hot spot for investment in comparison with Europe and other regions, has encountered increased competition for foreign investment from its neighbors.

The goals are set, now for the hard part

2012-11-16 11:22

The just concluded 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has given us a smooth transition from the "fourth-generation" leaders headed by Hu Jintao to "fifth-generation" ones led by Xi Jinping. Hu, in his keynote speech on Nov 8, outlined the overall approach to modernizing China further in five areas: the economy, politics, culture, society and ecology.

How to become a high-income country

2012-11-16 11:22

A clear indication of China's global importance is that media all over the world have extensively covered the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. As the congress ended, all eyes were on the first public appearance of the members of the Politburo's new standing committee. These people will be at China's helm when it surpasses the United States to become the world's largest economy, based on purchasing power.

China poised for a larger role on world stage

2012-11-16 11:22

The past 10 years have been a golden period in China's history, one in which the country has achieved remarkable economic growth, become integrated internationally and rapidly expanded its influence. At the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China the Party's leadership changed, and new economic targets were set, positioning the country for a new phase of development that will continue to change the world. Before casting an eye over the future, it is worth looking at how China's foreign relations have evolved since the 16th Party Congress 10 years ago.

Choices lie ahead in world that is green

2012-11-16 11:22

The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that has just finished in Beijing will affect the country's social and economic development for at least the next 10 years. Many people will be interested in how the congress will affect China's green development.

Luxury brands are thriving, but they need to change tack

2012-11-09 10:04

With the backdrop of a sluggish global economy and saturated demand in developed markets, the affluent among China's 1.3 billion people have become critical to global luxury brands as their spending continues to increase in China.

Prodi the wise choice in a strategic and noble cause

2012-11-09 10:04

Ban Ki-moon, the secretary-general of the United Nations, has appointed the former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi as his special envoy to the Sahel region, a large zone between the Sahara desert and the Sudanese savanna that covers parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan and Eritrea.

In quest of an antidote for academic corruption

2012-11-09 10:04

Integrity and respect for knowledge trump coercion and cash rewards

Man at helm gives euro a fighting chance

2012-11-09 10:04

I have been reviewing an article I wrote in May about Europe titled "An end, with horror, is better than no end". The title refers to a German joke about the European situation, and in May a nasty crunch, with plenty of horror, seemed the likeliest outcome for the euro. I forecast that Greece would be the first country to leave the euro, probably as early as August this year, because the Greek financial and economic situation could not continue as it was, and others would follow.

The test that can save a lot of heartache

2012-11-09 10:04

Almost every day there is news coverage about the international expansion of Chinese business and the further penetration of the Chinese market by international business. But what is often overlooked and not discussed in sufficient detail is the resulting need for recruitment and selection of the most suitable people in order to secure and sustain such international expansion, which nearly always involves expanding across very different cultures.

Time for the cash cows to find new growth pastures

2012-11-02 10:28

The tenets of neo-liberal economics are right in preferring the market to the government in allocating resources. This principle also reminds us that an economy cannot expect fast and sustainable growth based on government control. This is borne out not only by what happened in the former Soviet Union, but in China as well until 36 years ago.

Note to neo-cons: Earth orbits the sun

2012-11-02 10:28

In the next 15 years one of the greatest turning points in world history can occur. In five to seven years China will become the world's largest economy. In about 15 years China will achieve the annual $12,000 GDP per capita qualifying it as a developed economy by World Bank criteria. China is so large that these events will change the world. For example, China's 1.3 billion population is larger than the combined 1.1 billion of all existing developed economies.

It's all a matter of long-term survival

2012-11-02 10:28

'In the long run we are all dead." There are varying interpretations of the famous words, written by the economist John Maynard Keynes in a tract written almost 90 years ago. Some interpret them as meaning we must seize opportunities while we can because time and tide wait for no one. But I do not think Keynes meant the long term is useless. Rather, he was pointing out its relationship with the short term.

EU debt crisis is a snake with nine heads

2012-11-02 10:28

The financial crises in Latin America and East Asia 15 or so years ago were essentially resolved within a year or two, but the European debt crisis set off in Greece has already lasted more than two years, and no end is in sight.

Tough choices ahead to alter country's direction

2012-10-26 10:08

October was an important month to get it right, and China nailed it. The debate over whether the economy is facing a hard or soft landing has raged for months, and seemingly in the course of a few days, fears of a hard landing were mollified and the road to recovery made clear as a raft of positive data came out. The data could not have come at a better time either, with the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China just weeks away.

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