Author Zhang Lijia talks about the importance of learning English, for herself and for the country, as anti-Western attitudes in China make it today less important for students to dive into learning English and other languages, she tells at the weblog of the China Institute.

Marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok looks at new lifestyle trends among China’s young consumers. With the Olympics around the corner, skiing is one of them, she writes in Jing Daily. “Many luxury brands hope to use the popularity of the Winter Olympics to promote their ski collections.”

China entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) was twenty years ago seen as a success for the global trade, but then the WTO was unable to enforce its rules onto its new member, says Harry Broadman, chief of staff of the US President’s council of economic advisers (1990-1991) and US assistant trade representative (1991-1993) in an interview with Politico. What are the options to deal with China in international trade?

US scholar and former foreign correspondent Howard French dives into the US debate on whether sanctioning and divesting from China are helpful. French does not think so and compares the position of China with North Korea – where sanctions did not work – and South Africa, where they did, at a debate at Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

Even if China does all right when all its customers have a problem, it still has a problem and has a tough 2022 ahead, says super investor Jim Rogers in an analysis of Xi Jinping’s speech at the World Economic Forum, for state broadcaster CGTN.