The View From Riyadh

正Understanding Saudi Arabia’s outlook both foreign and domestic Saudi Arabia rolled out a series of changes in its domestic and foreign affairs in 2015as it responded to a rather complex set of circumstances.In the face of challenges put forth by the so-called"Islamic State"(ISIS)militant group,the sharp decline in global oil prices,the continued war in Yemen,the ongoing     

Little Name,Big Value

<正>E-commerce leader Alibaba’s financial arm hopes to share the benefits of growth with the public Ant Financial Services Group(Ant Financial),a leader in China’s Internet finance sector,announced on July 3 that it had completed its first round of fundraising;notably,however,it did not disclose the exact amount.The company,an affiliate of China’s largest ecommerce business Alibaba Group,is devoted     

Bilateral Relations Intac Amid Debt Issues

正The international community is ablaze with questions as the economic situation deteriorates in Venezuela.Will the country default on its debts?What will China—one of Venezuela’s top creditors—do in the face of this dilemma?China has already consulted with Venezuela on its debt issues.While it’s natural for the former to be worried about the latter’s problems,reaching the conclusion that these issues will twist the relationship between the two countries is a stretch.     

Channeling Frustration

Transparency and inclusiveness should guide local governments to defuse NIMBY protests China’s largest oil and natural gas producer Petro China published a report on the environmental impact assessment it submitted to the government for its controversial refinery in Kunming,capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province.According to     

I Sing Beijing

A popular cultural exchange program for opera performersmakes its American debut As soprano Julia Metzler and baritone Brian Wahlstrom took the stage at New York’s Lincoln Center on February 16,the audience brimmed with enthusiasm in enthusiasm to hear the familiar,bouncy rhythms of MaKes Couple Learning to Read."I see a word on the card,and it’s a word Iknow,"     

A Legal First

Chinese companies have embarked on a new era of protecting their interests in overseas markets through legal means.Sany Group,the country’s largest machinery maker,vowed on October 18 to "fight to the very end" in its lawsuit against U.S.President Barack Obama after he blocked its wind farm project on national security grounds,making it the first Chinese     

China Still a Mecca for Foreign Direct Investment

China’s policies for growth haven’t changed. The country has stuck to its basic state policies and furthered the domestic reform agenda. It has opened its doors to the outside world wider than ever before.THE world economy has had a tough time of it recently. After the financial crisis it staggered along, and looked to be almost up on its feet till the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis blew up in its face     

Private Business Boosts China＇s Economic Development

正SINCE the policy of reform and opening-up in 1978,China has traveled a course of high-speed development on its way to becoming the economic power it is today.In 2013,as the world’s second largest economy,China not only ranked second in receiving foreign     

MARKET WACH

TO THE POINT: Although China’s stock market tanked on February 27, with the Shanghai Composite Index dropping 9 percent in a single day, it’s still too soon to tell whether this year of the pig will attract a bear or bull as its financial mate. Here’s what is known: China Premier Wen Jiabao expects GDP to grow at 8 percent this year, which would be a major decline from last year but obviously still strong And Chinese blue chip companies are still looking for ways to list back home, like CNOOC. Shanghai is also looking to open its stock exchange to Hong Kong investors, and let’sface it, when China opens up anything, business usually comes rushing in. The running of the bulls in China hasn’tbeen cancelled yet, even if some see thunderstorms in the financial forecast. In other news, China is getting tough on domestic automakers, Sinopec is planning big expansions,Baotou Iron and Steel isn’t, and stock index futures are in the works in China.     

SOCIETY

<正>SETTING SAILChina’s second aircraft carrier,also the first developed and built indigenously,is launched at a Dalian shipyard in northeast China’s Liaoning Province on April 26.The carrier began to be built in November 2013.In the next stage of its development,it will undergo outf itting,when engineers and workers will complete installation of its power plant,interior equipment and systems as well as weapons.     

PEOPLE & POINTS

正VOLLEYBALL STAR JOINS TURKISH LEAGUEZhu Ting,China’s star spiker and the Rio Olympic volleyball tournament’s Most Valuable Player(MVP),arrived in Turkey on September 17,becoming the frst Chinese female volleyball player to take part in a professional league in Europe.Zhu,21 years old and 1.98 meters(6 feet and 6 inches)tall,will play for Vakifbank Istanbul,one of the most successful women’s volleyball clubs in Turkey,from October 2016 to May     

Virtual Wars

<正>China must join hands with other countries to fight cyberattacks Users of the China’s most popular Internet search engine,Baidu,found the website inaccessible on the morning of January 12,2010. The company later confirmed its website had been paralyzed by a cyber-attack. "The reason why Chinese users could not log on to the website was that our domain name server in the United States was illegally attacked," it said in a statement.     

Taming Financial Cycles Carefully

<正>While the markets debate China’s latest round of economic growth,national regulators are focusing on an equally important factor in the economy—financial cycles.In its latest quarterly monetary policy implementation report,the People’s Bank of China(PBOC),the nation’s central bank,devoted a special column to this concept,describing it as an"increasingly significant issue"that should be handled with macroprudential approaches to prevent systemic     

Deciphering the RRR Cut

When the People’s Bank of China(PBC),China’s central bank,cut commercial banks’reserve requirement ratio(RRR)by 0.5 percentage point on January 6,a move expected to unleash 800 billion yuan($115 billion)in the market,many read it as a sign of China relaxing its monetary policy.The central bank’s efforts were seen as an attempt to stabilize the economy amid the economic slowdown.     

The Legacy of Reform

正Xiaogang Village renews its relevance to reform and opening up 40 years on Yan Yushan left home after graduating from middle school with nothing but a few books and the dream of making it in the big city.The year was 1992,when China’s urban centers began to get a facelift from the country’s renewed efforts toward reform and     

On Chinese Media

正South Reviews Issue No.12,published on June 1,2014Modern Chinese Corporations,30 Years on China’s opening-up and reform harks back to 1978,but it was 1984,when the central authority decided to shift its development focus from the countryside to cities,that marked the start of modern corporations in the country.It was in1984 that Deng Xiaoping made his southern tour to Shenzhen Special Economic Zone,so giving China’s business sector a shot in the arm.That year also saw the founding of a multitude of companies,including Lenovo,Vanke,Haier,     

The Ceramic Circle

Artists and entrepreneurs follow their dreams in China’s porcelain capital The city’s small size hasn’t confined its fame.Gifted with the best of everything needed to create porcelain,it has long been a mecca for both porcelain lovers and makers.Even the name of the town,Jingdezhen,was bestowed on it by an emperor over 1,000 years ago,who was enamored with the ceramics crafted there.Art is ubiquitous in this town,which is located in a mountainous area in Jiangxi Province.     

After Al-Baghdadi

正ISIS leader’s death should be a call for concerted action by the international community With the years-long U.S.-led hunt for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the terrorist group ISIS, coming to a dramatic end on October 27 with his death in Syria in a U.S.raid, the group has been dealt a blow at a time     

Stepping Forward In Political Reform

<正>It seems that the bulk of foreign media reports about China’s reforms have limited their focus to changes in China’s economic setup with little mention paid to its political reform.Actually,since China carried out the reform and opening-up policy in 1978,it has not only made fundamental changes to its economic system but also implemented a series of important reforms to its political institutions     

LETTERS

Last May,my wife and I returned from a month-long visit to Shanghai,Beijing and a number of other cities in China. It was a rewarding experience to see this vast country on its forward march. China recently overtook the United States as the world’s largest market for car manufacturers,and indeed it seemed to me that the country’s highways were packed with the latest models.