In Europe, the first stage of the transition to China’s leadership at the 18th Chinese Communist Party Congress in November was greeted with almost universal disappointment. The disappointment among many media commentators and other analysts was primarily based on the supposed “conservatism” of the new Politburo Standing Committee members, and also the lack of clear… » read more

Posted by Duncan Freeman

Now that Silvio Berlusconi has apparently confirmed he will once again seek to become Italian Prime Minister, if they have not learned from experience, Italians might note the advice of Han Fei, the most important of China’s Legalist political thinkers, written over 2000 years ago. The tenth chapter of the Han Fei Zi, titled Ten… » read more

Posted by Duncan Freeman

China’s leadership transition will mark a new stage in the development of the Chinese economy. The economy will be one of its key policy problems facing the new Chinese Communist Party Secretary General Xi Jinping and his colleagues. Rebalancing of the economy and creating a new development model was for many years the declared aim… » read more

Posted by Duncan Freeman