As free trade agreements flourish around the globe, He Weiwen examines the developments between the China-ASEAN FTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership noting that while the US and China have been left out of each negotiation respectively, it does not mean the countries are competing directly against each other.

After nearly $1.5 million worth of elephant tusks were seized by customs agents in Hong Kong, international attention has turned to the illegal ivory and rhino horn trade in Africa – fuelled by Chinese demand.

As the 3rd Plenary of the 18th CPC Central Committee approaches, people have high expectations for financial system reform. The focus will be enhancing the efficiency of resource allocation through finance, and supporting a real economy, writes Zhang Monan.

Some scholars have recently argued that “China has surpassed the United States and become the top industrialized country”. However, this claim is not supported by objective assessments of significant facts. By certain criteria, China has exceeded the United States in the scale of manufacturing. In terms of competitiveness, however, China is still far behind, writes Jin Bei.

Following the purchase of the former iconic landmarks in Detroit by Dongdu International Group, Tom Watkins discusses the need for further Chinese investment across the United States.

While North Korea has traditionally been a thorn in America’s side, Michael Justin Lee posits that reports Kim Jong-un has resumed the country’s nuclear development program could provide a rare opportunity to boost military-to-military relations between the United States and China, the DPRK’s long-time ally.

While the United States Congress once again tempted fate by approaching the nation’s debt limit, leaders of the international community expressed more concern than their American counterparts as the threat of a default threw financial markets into turmoil.

With 90 days left to bridge the ideological and partisan divide before another crisis erupts, the fuse on America’s debt bomb is getting shorter and shorter. As a dysfunctional US government peers into the abyss, China – America’s largest foreign creditor – has much at stake.

The launch of the Shanghai free trade zone portends much greater growth in the restructuring of China's financial system as a whole, writes Hu Shuli, editor-in-chief of Caixin Media.

After two decades of on-and-off talks, Washington and Brussels hope to conclude their trade and investment partnership. However, it is not a marriage, but a triangle drama. Emerging Asia is the third party.