Tradition and an unequal political system hamper women in their development in China, says author Zhang Lijia at the Addison Gazette. “Women are being left behind in terms of political participation and the salary gap between men and women is becoming wider.”Read More →

After decades of promises for China’s economic and financial opening up, foreign companies have been careful before they start cheering. But veteran economist Arthur Kroeber, author of China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know®, optimistic about the latest changes, he tells in an interview for the China Daily.Read More →

One hundred years ago students protested in Beijing for patriotism and democracy. President Xi Jinping has jumped on the centennial anniversary by praising the patriotism of the May Fourth protests. Commentator Zhang Lijia notes that he ignored that democracy was an inherent part of its legacy, she writes in the South China Morning Post.Read More →

For the outside world, Xi Jinping looks like the effective authoritarian leader, killing effectively public debate in the country. But journalist Ian Johnson noted over the past few months an amazing growth of opposition inside the Party, he writes in the NY Review of Books.Read More →

In its fight against an economic slowdown, China has opened the bank vaults again and pumped more credit into its financial systems, again, says political analyst Victor Shih, author of Factions and Finance in China: Elite Conflict and Inflation to the New York Times. It is an old solution in a country where debts are already at dangerous levels, he says.Read More →

China veteran Ashley Dudarenok notices an upswing in the mood about China’s economy, she tells in her daily vlog. Prospects for the trade agreement between China and the US look good. Financial reforms, including a reduction of the VAT is in the pipeline, and president Xi Jinping supports more than ever private companies. Read More →

China is trying to pacify Islam by force, but is achieving the opposite of the stability it wants to secure, says Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China, to Foreign Policy. “By using more force to increase stability, the government is achieving the opposite effect.” Read More →