With tensions at a seemingly all time high in the Asia Pacific, cross-straits relations between mainland China and Taiwan remain positive and relatively peaceful. However, Ted Galen Carpenter posits that this quiet period may be coming to an end and the Taiwan issue could prominently reemerge in the near future.

A foreigner who is visiting Beijing or Shanghai, or any other major city in China, will be amazed to see how obsessed the Chinese are about the World Cup despite their national team not playing in the tournament, writes Qin Xiaoying.

Consultation and negotiation are indispensable for the mainland’s ideal of solving the Taiwan issue through peaceful means, writes Zhu Songling.

Examining Chinese culture and Wang Jianlin’s Dalian Wanda Group, Tom Watkins explains that Chinese soft power is expected to grow as its culture is exported through media, film and television.

What can students of effective communications techniques learn from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent trip to Europe?

Organized religion is growing at a quick rate in China. While five religions are acceptable under Chinese law, more Chinese are turning to them for guidance in a new world. The Communist Party will need to find a way to co-exist with emerging organized religions, in particular, Christianity, if it wishes to maintain power and domestic stability.

Even its American producers may be surprised that the TV series “House of Cards” could have been this popular in Chinese Internet users. For months, it has secured a prominent spot in ratings at various portal websites in China, writes Qin Xiaoying.

Following the official announcement of Mr. Li Chuncheng’s expulsion from the Communist Party, Minxin Pei applauds Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive and urges China’s new leader to go further by taking on China’s culture of corruption.

With China’s growing national strength and influence, Chinese elements are increasingly being included in American films and TV shows, writes Ji Yixin.

Among the most significant developments driving China’s economic growth and rising living standards is the shift from a rural, agricultural society to a modern, urban one. With almost 700 million Chinese – more than half of the population – already living in cities, the centrality of urbanization to China’s future is indisputable. But exactly how the trend will develop remains far from certain.