China’s National People’s Congress was held last week, with few surprises. Most of the reforms laid out are extensions of existing or previously announced policies, including supply-side structural reform, reduced barriers to foreign investment, promotion of innovation, and enhanced military spending. Dominating the congress, however, was a proceeding not contained in the work report: the removal of term limits from the nation’s constitution.

Centralised authority and power are absolutely essential for overcoming the opposition of the local governments and the private moneyed interests and pushing forward the economic reform agenda in China.

Whilst China is appreciating the benefits of free competition, the West seems to have forgotten them.

China has evolved from repressing women to emancipating them.

Today the PRC’s middle class is thought to number about 430 million, larger than America’s entire population. As this number grows so will China’s buying power, offering one possible antidote to the Trump administration’s trade complaints.

To the extent that it raises living standards, the “China Model” fulfills some requirements of political legitimacy. But, once those living standards reach a certain level, the Chinese people will almost certainly demand more personal freedom and political accountability.

Much of China's future progress will depend on what happens in the countryside.

Unless we achieve a set of commonly agreed upon indicators to measure sustainability or what is high quality, and be able to compare the performance of cities and provinces based upon it, the chance to successfully implement any sustainable policy vision and hold policymakers accountable is grim.

On January 1, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for better relations with the South, before agreeing to participate in the Olympics. What accounts for Kim’s sudden extension of an olive branch to South Korea?

In 2018, the 40th anniversary of "reform & opening," how party leaders tell the story of China's transition over the past 40 years will shape future policy steps, both at home and abroad.