Opinion

  Few analysts following developments at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) plenary in South Korea expected India’s membership bid to sail through. As the dust settles, what is clear is that Xi Jinping’s China differs considerably from Hu Jintao’s China. The latter did not want to stand alone; the former is on the path to establishing China as the challenger …

  At the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani discussed the threats posed by “destructive change” and the countless opportunities offered by “creative change” in the Eurasian landscape and its emerging continental economy. He told his counterparts that “our greatest common project is the revival of the Silk Roads,” whose main gateway is …

  WASHINGTON It turns out that the middle class isn’t stagnant after all. You know the conventional wisdom. The richest 1 percent of Americans have siphoned off all the income gains of recent decades. Everyone else is treading water. The claim has been repeated so often that it’s taken on the aura of truth. The reality is different: Living standards …

  A new confrontation is in the offing between London and Brussels over the timing of Brexit process, as the EU wants the UK to immediately invoke the Article 50 to start the exit process to allay concerns of possible domino effect, and reassure perturbed markets. But London seeks an orderly exit during which the new relationship will be defined …

  Albert R. Hunt The contempt that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump express for each other will continue to play out in vitriolic sound bites. But their profound differences on what to do about the economy and the struggling middle class are far more important. “This election will be won by whichever candidate convinces middle-class voters they are better for …

  This month, the rule of law and China’s legal profession at large have received a lot of attention. This is out of recognition that both will be necessary to advance the country’s economic development, and yet both present a challenge to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) domination of China’s political agenda. On June 8, the “Hundred Jurists and Hundred …

  It was 22 years ago this month when the U.S. was preparing for combat. North Korea’s expanding nuclear weapons program prompted President Bill Clinton to order reinforcements. The administration was lining up votes in the U.N. Security Council to impose economic penalties on the Pyongyang government, which repeatedly denounced sanctions as a “declaration of war.” Any investors could see …

  Mong Palatino SPECIAL TO EMIRATES BUSINESS On June 9, the European Parliament passed a resolution expressing “deep concerns about the worsening climate for opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia.” Meanwhile, 41 international NGOs signed a letter urging the Cambodian government to stop the harassment of groups working for people’s rights. Cambodian authorities were quick to dismiss these …

  Shannon Tiezzi SPECIAL TO EMIRATES BUSINESS Well before Taiwan held its elections on January 20, Beijing made it clear that the “1992 consensus” was its bottom line for cross-strait relations. During an historic meeting with then-President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that “as long as the 1992 Consensus and its core values are acknowledged, we …

  WASHINGTON On June 1, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development issued its latest economic forecasts. In 2016, it predicted that the world economy would grow 3 percent, the United Kingdom 1.7 percent and the euro area (the 19 countries using the euro) 1.6 percent. We don’t know how these figures will now be revised, but we do know …