Difficulties,Solutions, and Hope

正THE 10th Beijing-Tokyo Forum convened in late September carries considerable significance,in light of the recent deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations to a new low.The seemingly intractable problems of territorial disputes and mutual political distrust that have further alienated the two nations bring to mind the phrase Chinese     

Improving BRICS Cooperation

正The Sixth BRICS Summit,themed"BRICS:Inclusive Growth,Sustainable Solutions,"was held in Brazil’s northeastern city Fortaleza.Chinese President Xi Jinping,Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff,Russian President Vladimir Putin,Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma attended the summit.The emerging-market bloc of BRICS announced to establish a development bank and a contingent reserve     

CAFIU Honorary Vice-President Wang Zhizhen Visited Turkey,Sudan and Attended the Third China-Africa People's Forum

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CIIS Released Report on China-US Cooperation

正On October 11,2013,China Institute of International Studies(CIIS),in cooperation with the Atlantic Council,released a report entitled"China-US Cooperation:Key to the Global Future"in Beijing.With generous support from the China-United States Exchange Foundation,the report was written by a China-US Working Group convened by the Atlantic Council in Washington and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing.Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang attended the event and made a keynote speech on Sino-US relations.     

FOCUS

正Photo News January 1,2014 A snow castle and other works on display at the first Jingyuetan National Snow Sculpture Contest in Changchun.     

Sci-Tech

正16th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting Concludes The 16th three-party talks between the environmental ministers of China,South Korea and Japan was held in Daegu,South Korea,from April 28 to 29.The participants exchanged views on their progress of environmental protec-     

Society

正China’s Energy Consumption Growth Slows Down The 2014 BP Statistical Review of World Energy shows that in 2013 China led the world in energy consumption.China used 22.4 percent of the world total,growing by4.7 percent,well below the 8.6percent average of the past decade.Meanwhile,China is also the world’s largest energy producer,providing 18.9 percent of global supply.Its No.1energy source is coal,which accounts for 47.4 percent of the global output.In line with the dip in consumption growth,growth in China’s energy production also fell to2.3 percent last year,far below the 7.4 percent average over the past 10 years.     

The New EU

正The european bloc strives for balance in its newleadership amid challengesWith Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk elected as president of the European Council and Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini appointed the EU’s foreign affairs chief at the European Council special meeting on August 30,the new leadership     

'Moves on a Chess Board': A Spatial Model of British Prime Ministers' Powers over Cabinet Formation

We use an institutional rational choice approach to help us understand how prime ministers in the UK make cabinet appointments and the implications for prime ministerial power. Assuming that prime ministers attempt to form a cabinet so as to get an overall package of policies as close as possible to their ideal, we show why the trade-offs they face are so complex, why apparently common-sense rules for making appointments might not always work well and why apparently strange choices made by prime ministers might actually be rational. Acknowledging the power prime ministers derive from their ability to appoint, we argue that the literature commonly fails to distinguish between power and luck, where lucky prime ministers get their way because they happen to agree with colleagues.     

Beijing Embraces APEC 2014

正On November 5-11,China hosts in Beijing the 2014 APEC Economic Leaders’Week,including the Concluding Senior Offi cials’Meeting,the 26th APEC Ministerial Meeting,and the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders’Meeting.During the Leaders’Week,China also hosts the APEC CEO Summit,APEC Business Advisory Council Dialogue with Leaders,and Leaders’spouse programs.