Opinion

“It’s great to be back in Beijing!” wrote Mark Zuckerberg in a Facebook post on Friday. “I kicked off my visit with a run through Tiananmen Square, past the Forbidden City and over to the Temple of Heaven.” This marks the latest in a series of attempts by the chairman and chief executive of Facebook to win the hearts and …

According to the National Development and Reform Commission’s (NDRC) Report on the Implementation of the 2015 Plan and on the 2016 Draft Plan for National Economic and Social Development, adopted March 16, considerable progress was made in 2015 and reforms were laid out for 2016. As China’s economy become more complex, planning has become more challenging. In 2015, the government’s …

The Gambia, formerly one of a handful of countries that recognized Taiwan, has officially resumed diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese and Gambian foreign ministers, Wang Yi and Neneh MacDouall-Gaye, signed a joint communique officially resuming diplomatic ties on March 17 in Beijing. Part of the communique, as is standard procedure for Beijing, had Gambia officially …

Recently, McDonald’s decided to raise wages for many of its hourly restaurant workers. The rise is modest, from about $9 to about $10, but already the company’s executives claim that they are seeing improvements in service quality: “It has done what we expected it to — 90 day turnover rates are down, our survey scores are up—we have more staff …

Of the many dangerous trends in the 2016 election, the revolt against free trade that has captured both parties could do the most long-term damage. That’s because protectionism would undermine future growth of the US economy and subvert America’s role as global leader. Globalization has undeniably hurt some American workers and cost some manufacturing jobs. But there’s strong evidence that …

Transnational education is becoming a game changer as young students leave their home countries to study abroad to acquire more new experiences and skills. They travel abroad in order to pursue higher education degrees, not bound by geographical borders. These students gain precious international exposure, and real-life international business experience. They become cosmopolitan citizens and could be outsourced anywhere for …

Shenzhen, China’s high-tech boomtown, sprung a surprise on its 12 million-plus residents this week. Construction has begun on three giant, state-of-the-art incinerators to handle the heaving tide of trash that the city tosses out daily. One of the mega-burners — resembling an American-style football dome — will be the world’s largest waste-to-energy plant when it opens in 2018. Far from …

Markus WINTER SPECIAL TO EMIRATES BUSINESS Not only opposition lawmakers, but also many members of the LDP, Japan’s ruling party, have been fuming over being shut out from much of the negotiations about the regional trade bloc known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The norin zoku (the LDP’s powerful agricultural grouping) in particular has rallied to attack the agreement, even …

The Republican Party’s incoherent response to the Supreme Court vacancy is a partisan reflex in search of a justifying principle. The multiplicity of Republican rationalizations for their refusal to even consider Merrick Garland radiates insincerity. Republicans instantly responded to Antonin Scalia’s death by proclaiming that no nominee, however admirable in temperament, intellect and experience, would be accorded a hearing. They …

The laundering of US$81 million from Bangladesh central bank demonstrates digitization — though necessary for enhancement of the banking transactions — comes with huge challenges that need to be addressed by boosting international cyber security and banking communication. The heist has prompted central banks around the world to examine cyber security measures, triggered the resignation of Bangladesh’s central bank governor …