People In The Know

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has given a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Wang met the media from both home and abroad, answering questions on China's foreign policy and external relations.So, what are the most significant features of China's foreign policy today? What do experts think are the biggest challenges China is facing internationally? And what more can be done to prevent misunderstandings between China and other countries? PIK speaks with Victor Gao, a current affairs commentator, and Tao Wenzhao, Senior Research Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The creation of more than 10 million new jobs in urban areas this year - this is one goal stated in China's 2016 government work report.Data from China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security show that over 13 million new jobs were created in China's urban areas in 2015. By the end of last year, China's urban unemployment rate was a stable 4.05%.So amid further economic slowdown, are there any challenges for China to achieve even this seemingly less than ambitious goal? PIK speaks with Zhao Zhong, Professor at the School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, and Cindy Fan, Professor in the Department of Geography and Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement, UCLA.

Chinese officials have suggested that the country's population will not grow out of control, despite the recent relaxation of the family planning policy. Li Bin, the minister in charge of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, answered questions on the subject on the sidelines of the fourth session of China's 12th National People's Congress in BeijingSo what are the biggest strains on the Chinese healthcare system? How can these be addressed? And what effects will the relaxation of the family planning policy have on Chinese society? PIK speaks with Lawton Robert Burns, Chair of the Health Care Management Department at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Yanzhong Huang, Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

China has set the country's GDP growth target at between 6.5% to 7% this year. This represents the first time that China has given a range instead of a specific number for its growth target. It also means the Chinese government has lowered the country's overall growth target for the second year in a row.So why has China given its growth target a range instead of specific number? What are the prospects for sustained growth in China in 2016? PIK speaks with Professor David Goodman, Head of the Department of China Studies at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou, He Fan, chief economist of Caixin, and Winston Wang, Managing Director of Shipstone Group Limited.

Believe it or not, more than 56% of China's population is currently living in urban areas. Among these people, nearly 30%, or more than 270 million, are migrant workers without urban residency, or hukou, something highly relevant to their access to public services in cities. So how can China make sure that migrant workers, as a group, are not forgotten amidst rapid urbanization? PIK speaks with Professor Lu Ming, Director of the China Center for Economic Development, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and  Gregory Ingram, former President and CEO of Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in the US.

The season of the Two Sessions is here.With the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference having already started, that of the National People's Congress will be opened on Saturday.One key task for the NPC deputies during the session, which lasts around ten days, is to review and amend a variety of laws that affect all aspects of people's lives.Among those laws is the draft Charity Law. Since being unveiled in October, this draft law has won wide-spread approval. It is considered not only as a guideline for the operation of charity organizations, but also an attempt to ensure transparency for the public, and much more.So what are the highlights of this draft law? What does it say about engaging more grassroots groups in charity? How can it be improved to better serve its goals? PIK speaks with Professor Karla Simon, Chair of the International Center for Charity Sector Law and Prof. Wang Chao, Associate Dean of the Tsinghua University Institute for Philanthro

China's first law on domestic violence has taken effect this week. Under the new law, domestic violence is no longer considered a "family matter," but a legal issue that demands action from courts and the police.So, what's the significance of this legal breakthrough? How will it be enforced? And what more still needs to be done? PIK speaks with Ms. Cai Yiping, Research Associate at the Kangzhong Health Education Center in Beijing and Professor Susan Finder, Visiting Lecturer of Law at Peking University's School of Transnational Law.

Good relations with neighboring countries are a high priority in China's foreign policy.The start of 2016 has witnessed a frequent exchange of visits between the leaders of China and those of its neighboring countries.On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Hoang Binh Quan, a special envoy of the Vietnamese Communist Party, pledging to boost the party-to-party relationship and bilateral ties.The visit came on the heels of a trip to Seoul by China's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs, Wu Dawei. That trip included a meeting between Wu and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, with both sides calling for the continued development of the strategic partnership between the two countries.So how do experts assess the outcome of these important visits? What can all parties do to safeguard peace and stability in East Asia and South East Asia? PIK speaks with Mr. LIM Tai Wei, Senior Lecturer at UniSIM (SIM University) of Singapore and Research Fellow Adjunct of the National Univer

A meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from the world's twenty largest economies has concluded in China. The G20 meeting in Shanghai was held against the backdrop of a slow-down in the Chinese economy, which has led global economists to adjust their outlooks.So, what were the major outcomes of the meeting? What predictions can we make about reforms to China's financial markets? And what are experts' expectations for the G20 Summit in Hangzhou later this year? We are joined by Dr. Hu Yuwei, Research fellow at the macro research department at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, Faizal Syed, Chairman of Calatrava Advisors Ltd, and Winston Wong, Managing Director of Shipstone Group Ltd.