The Chinese Communist Party has decided that modernizing its state governance system will be the general goal of reform in the near future. This is of great theoretical and practical significance for China’s political development, writes Yu Keping.

Hollywood coffers are boosted by Chinese box-office figures, but Beijing’s guidelines are the cultural price to pay. Yet, as Philip J. Cunningham explains, the logic of box-office success and how political shifts can affect Chinese cultural production is far more confounding.

By nature, Chinese are no less creative than other people. Yet China hasn’t been a leader in innovation. How has creativity been lost in China? This essay is adapted from Yong Zhao’s recent book Who’s Afraid of the Big Dragon: Why China has the Best (and Worst) Education System in the World.

Reflecting on recent media coverage of “The Umbrella Revolution” in Hong Kong, Wu Sike outlines the three ways in which a “color revolution” typically unfolds and provides his explanation for why the political reform process will continue without being influenced by the demonstrations in Hong Kong.

Those in Hong Kong championing democracy should pay attention to the history of democratization around the world. The results are not so straightforward, and often involve painful sacrifice, writes Zhang Weiwei.

As the leaders of the umbrella movement sit down to negotiate with Hong Kong authorities after weeks of street protests, the big question is whether the two sides can find a compromise that meets both Beijing's concerns about stable and efficient governance on the one hand, and citizens' concerns about genuine, instead of sham, democracy on the other.

This month the Communist Party of China will hold its fourth plenary session of the 18th central committee with an emphasis on the rule of law. As Qin Xiaoying explains, Xi Jinping is making monumental progress by distinguishing himself from previous leaders and giving this issue a high priority on his policy agenda.

Living in Hong Kong since 1995, Muhammad Cohen reflects on his experiences in his adopted hometown and offers suggestions for Hong Kong’s leadership and Beijing to find a way forward in electoral reforms.

Tom Watkins argues that growing perceptions of fear and distrust in China’s economic and military rise threaten to destabilize the global order. However, the United States and China can continue to enhance bilateral relations and build mutual trust through the continued development of people-to-people exchanges in order for the two nations to find stability and prosper.

In the past few years there have been a slew of books decrying the political decay and dysfunction of Western democracy.