Whether Secretary Kerry will clarify America’s position on the “pivot to Asia” is unclear, writes Dean Cheng. Kerry’s first visit to Asia could have provided much-needed clarification on this vital issue; instead, it likely only further muddies the waters.

As China prepares for Secretary Kerry's visit, Qian Liwei writes that it will take time and patience to convince China that it isn't the target of the U.S. rebalancing strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.

African leaders praised President Xi Jinping’s trip to the Fifth BRICS Summit, highlighting the close ties between China and sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the warm welcome, Professor Robert Rotberg warns that Xi’s ties to autocrats could harm China’s future prospects on the continent. As Xi cracks down on internal corruption, should he also reevaluate the corrupt practices of his African peers?

The US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, as President Barack Obama’s special envoy, flew to China, meeting Chinese new state leaders President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, just two days after the closure of China’s NPC. His trip will be followed immediately by John Kerry, the new US Secretary of State.

China appears to be fed up with North Korea’s belligerent attitude and reckless threats of nuclear war, but does this necessarily mean China will abandon it’s long-time ally? Zhu Feng examines the possibility of a radical policy shift by China and whether Kim Jong-un’s regime has gone too far with its latest saber rattling.

Since Xi Jinping’s call for establishing a new type of major power relationship between China and the US in February 2012 as then China's Vice President, various explanations and heated discussions have arisen within both the Chinese and the US academic, as well as diplomatic circles. Yang Jiemian brings us an inspiring and enlightening vision with his “Four News and Three Mutuals;” the core of the New Type of Major Power Relations.

Under the newly elected leadership of Park Geun-hye, South Korea is poised to transform its relations with China and North Korea through increased engagement.

The world’s task in addressing North Korea’s saber rattling is made no easier by the fact that it confronts an impoverished and effectively defeated country.

Thirty-four years after President Carter signed the Taiwan Relations Act, US arms sales to Taiwan continue to impede the positive development of Sino-US relations. However, with peaceful cross-Straits relations, Wu Zurong argues it’s time to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and allow US relations with both China and Taiwan to flourish.

President Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo, and his participation in the fifth BRICS summit in Durban has sparked speculation over China's diplomatic inclinations among some circles overseas.