China's top diplomat in Washington poses three fundamental questions for the United States as it faces China's rise.

Nanjing has been the city of the counterfactuals and of alternative histories. Throughout China’s history, Nanjing has stood as a dynastic capital, a capital of the divine rebels, a republican capital, and now the epicenter of China’s semiconductor industry.

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.

Chinese cities have developed rapidly and this pace would not have been possible without relocating/displacing large numbers of both urban natives and migrants. Over the past decades, millions of such people have been mobilized to leave their original communities for the express purpose of making way for the new structures and amenities necessary for a modern city life.

China’s economy grew 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 from a year earlier, official data showed on Thursday, above expectations and unchanged from the previous quarter’s growth.

ASEAN has ably brought together former rivals and among the world’s most (ideologically and socio-economically) diverse nations under a single roof. Yet, with the rise of China and the demise of the old American-led order, the ASEAN is facing an existential moment, which may require strategic soul-searching and major institutional reforms.

China is issuing long-term visas to lure highly skilled people from abroad to work in the country.

What role does China play internationally? How will it use its international capabilities and military strength? With whom will it cooperate? These questions have been challenging observers since the beginning of this century.

The United States must live with the reality that China will continue to grow stronger; any attempt to curtail China’s influence will come to naught, be it engagement or containment or “congagement”.

With increased national strength and successful diplomacy, China has gained more international influence, which helps world peace and development. Chinese leaders will work for a world free of fear, poverty, isolation, and pollution. Is there anything wrong with this aspiration?