People In The Know

China and the United Kingdom are enjoying what has been described as a golden era of bilateral ties. Ever since a visit to London by Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2015, relations between the two countries have reached even greater heights, with politicians and business leaders on both sides expressing their wish to cooperate even more closely in a range of fields.So, what better time to explore the potential of partnerships between the technology sectors of London and Beijing?At the recent Beijing-London Tech Venture Forum, PIK spoke to Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East and Deng Feng, founder and managing director of Northern Light Venture Capital.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a visit to the Middle East, which is taking him to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. The Middle East is a region of growing importance to China. Not only does China import more than half of its crude oil from this region, but it is also an important link in China's "One Belt and One Road" initiative. To safeguard the stability of the region is also a high priority for China. The year 2015 witnessed China taking up a greater diplomatic role in Middle East affairs.So how do experts analyze the importance of the Chinese president's visit? What potential can all sides tap into to elevate their ties in a comprehensive way? Ni Hao, you're listening to People in the Know, presenting you with insights into the headlines in China, and around the world. PIK spoke to Professor Chen Yiyi, head of Middle Eastern Peace Studies at Shanghai Jiaotong University and Professor Wang Suolao, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies in the School of Internat

The latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that China's economy grew 6.9 percent year on year in 2015, marking the slowest annual expansion in a quarter of a century. However, Chinese authorities say the result remains in line with the official target.Chief of the National Bureau of Statistics, Wang Bao'an, says China's economic structure continued to improve last year, as the service sector accounted for more than half of the country's GDP for the first time ever.He also points out that some thriving emerging industries and new business models were among the highlights of last year's economic growth.So how should we read China's latest economic figures? What are the worrying factors in the Chinese economy?To answer those questions, we had a conversation with Dr. He-ling Shi, Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics, Melbourne-based Monash University; Liu Baocheng, professor from the University of International Business and Economics; and Terrill

The two-day inaugural meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's board of governors has concluded in Beijing, marking the formal opening of the China-initiated lender. Thirty of the 57 prospective founding members, representing over 74 percent of the shares, have ratified the article agreement, thus becoming full members of the AIIB.Those remaining will have completed their membership processes by the end of this year.So how's the AIIB evaluated by analysts? How can the AIIB manage its business while also trying to boost world development? PIK spoke to Dr. Hu Yuwei, Research fellow at the macro research department at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China and Victor Gao, current affairs commentator.

President Xi Jinping will begin a visit to the Middle East today, marking his first official trip to the region since taking office. This trip will take Xi to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran from Tuesday to Saturday. It will be the first state visit in nearly 12 years by a Chinese president to Egypt. It also comes at a critical time, with Saudi Arabia and Iran tangled in a diplomatic spat. So how should we interpret Xi's first overseas trip in 2016? What can China and the three major Middle Eastern countries offer each other? PIK spoke to Dr. Teng Jianqun, senior researcher at China Institute of International Studies and Victor Gao, current affairs commentator.

The year 2016 will see several new laws taking effect in China. One of them is China's first bill against domestic violence, which will take effect on March the first. Seen as a landmark move to legally protect abuse victims, who have traditionally suffered in silence, the law formally defines domestic violence as physical, psychological and other harm inflicted by family members. The law will also streamline the process for obtaining restraining orders. Another highlight of the bill is that it covers people who are not related but live together. So how should we interpret the significance of this ground-breaking law for China? Which aspects should we pay special attention to?PIK speaks with Xu Shenjian, professor at Law School, at China University of Political Science and Law, Li Ying, Vice Dean at Law School, at China Women's University and Julia Broussard, Country Programme Manager at UN Women China Office, and her colleague Guo Ruixiang.

The circuit breaker mechanism was introduced into China's stock market to provide a calming-down period for the market, to avoid or reduce hasty trading decisions in case of sharp fluctuations.It was triggered four times during the first week of trading in January after China's stock markets tumbled. China's securities regulator later suspended the new circuit breaker mechanism. This comes after the Chinese stock market witnessed its shortest trading day on Thursday.So how did the circuit breaker mechanism work? Why was it later suspended by China's financial authorities? People In the Know speaks with Liu Zhiqin, Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University, Einar Tangen, Former Chairman of the State of Wisconsin's International Trade Council, Cao Can, CEO of Shengya Capital as well Dermot McGrath, founding member of Sino Global Capital.

If you are planning a trip to Hainan, an island slightly larger than Belgium in the South China Sea, here's good news for you.The world's first-ever high-speed railway to circle an island recently began operation on Hainan, after the construction of its western track was completed late last year. With this new railway, it takes only three hours to travel around the island.This is the latest step forward that China's second largest island has made in order to enhance its development and, at the same time, attract tourists from home and from abroad.As well as being China's southernmost province, Hainan is also one of the youngest. It was only in 1988 that the island gained independence from Guangdong and simultaneously became one of China's special economic zones.So, how would experts assess the development of Hainan over the past three decades? PIK speaks with Professor Kjeld Erik Brodsgaard, Director of The Asia Research Center, Copenhagen Business School in Denmark and Dr. Wei X

In a sign that the situation in the Middle East is worsening, Kuwait has recalled its ambassador from Iran. Earlier, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan all cut their own diplomatic ties with Iran. The deterioration of relations comes after protesters attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its Consulate in Mashhad. The protesters were angered by Saudi Arabia's execution of Sheihk Nimr Al-Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric. But despite the political turmoil, the escalating tensions seem to have had a limited impact on global oil prices. This is despite the fact that Iran and Saudi Arabia collectively hold one quarter of the planet's proven oil reserves. Oil briefly spiked above $38 a barrel on Monday, but it retreated back below $36 by Tuesday. PIK speaks with Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and Assistant Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, at the University of Denver, George Wang, Professor from City Universit

The first trading day of 2016 on the Chinese mainland stock market closed earlier than expected, after a 7 percent slump triggered the newly-introduced circuit breaker mechanism, bringing trading to a halt. The sharp falls in China have been blamed on the contraction of the country's manufacturing sector.Globally, Wall Street continued the trend, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 closing down more than 1.5 percent, and Nasdaq down 2 percent.Other Asian markets also fell, while in Europe, the FTSE 100 closed down 2.6 percent and Germany's Dax index dropped 4.3 percent.Meanwhile, news that Saudi Arabia had broken off diplomatic ties with Iran sent oil and gold prices higher.So, was this stock market turbulence unexpected? Is this a sign that concerns about the Chinese economy are not yet over? And what's the outlook for global financial markets in 2016? PIK speaks with Julian Evans-Pritchard, China Economist at Capital Economics, an economic think tank based in Singapore, Victor Gao, chairman

The Chinese military is carrying out extensive reforms as part of its plans to streamline and better organize its various branches. Described by President Xi Jinping as "a major policy decision to realize the Chinese dream of a strong army", the introduction of the reforms will have wide ranging implications for the navy and air force, as well as the army.So what's significant about the timing of these reforms? Which aspects of China's military will see the biggest changes? And how might this restructuring be seen internationally? PIK speaks with Dr. David M. Finkelstein, vice president and director of CNA Studies, and Professor Shen Dingli, vice director of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University.

China's cities continue to struggle with the effects of severe air pollution. Despite the warning and prevention systems which are attempting to curb the problem, millions of people still find themselves suffering under a thick cloud of hazardous smog.So, what impact is air pollution having on Chinese society? What measures can ordinary citizens take to protect themselves? And could big industries find that turning greener might actually make them more profitable? PIK speaks with Wu Changhua, Greater China Director of The Climate Group, an international non-profit organization, and Zha Daojiong, Professor of International Political Economy at the School of International Studies at Peking University.

President Xi Jinping spent more than 40 days outside of China in 2015. He began his 2015 foreign tour by visiting China's all-weather partner Pakistan and attending the Bandung conference in Indonesia. Then in summer he took part in the BRICS summit and Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Russia's Ufa. Later on, he visited the US and the UK, followed by the trip to Vietnam and Singapore in fall. Then there were the G20 summit in Turkey and the APEC summit in the Philippines. After speaking at the climate change talks in Paris, President Xi headed to Africa and led the summit of China-Africa Cooperation Forum.The past one year has also witnessed several major international events being hosted by China - the V-Day Parade in September, the summit for leaders from China and Central and Eastern European countries in November, and the World Internet Conference in December, among others.At the same time, the China-proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was recently officially established.So, l

The news that the former NBA player Stephen Marbury has been granted China's permanent residence permit, also known as the Chinese green card, has once again aroused people's interest in this issue.It is reported that Marbury, who has led the Beijing ducks to three Chinese Basketball Association championships, fell into the category of "outstanding contributors" to China. Most people have heard of the permanent residence permit for foreigners living in China, but rarely have they met anyone who actually holds it.Indeed, in the first eight years following the launch of the scheme in 2004, only about 5000 foreigners out of the 600,000 who lived in China were granted this permit.So what is this mysterious residence permit, and what qualifications do foreigners have to meet in order to get it? PIK speaks with Liu Guofu, professor of law at the Beijing Institute of Technology. Professor Liu's recent research focuses on immigration law; David Moser, an American who first came to Beij

China's top legislature has adopted the country's first anti-terrorism law, in an attempt to address terrorism at home and help maintain global security.A national counter-terrorism unit will be established, which will identify terrorist activities and personnel, and coordinate nationwide anti-terror efforts.So how serious is the current threat of terrorism in the country? And how significant is the timing of this new law? PIK spoke with Teng Jianqun, Senior Researcher at China Institute of International Studies, and Professor William C. Banks, Director at the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism; at the College of Law, at Syracuse University.

After more than two years of preparation, the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB, has been formally launched in Beijing.With 57 developed and developing nations as prospective founding members, the bank aims to provide financing for infrastructure construction across Asia.China, India and Russia are the three largest shareholders, taking stakes of around 30 percent, 8.5 percent, and 6.7 percent, respectively.So what opportunities and challenges will the AIIB bring? And what impact will China's slowing economy have on the bank's future prospects? PIK spoke with Dr. Hu Yuwei, Research fellow at the macro research department at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China; Einar Tangen, Former Chairman of the State of Wisconsin's International Trade Council; and Winston Wong, Managing Director of Shipstone Group Limited.

In China, Hukou or household registration system determines where a hukou holder can access public services, such as medical care, education and pention. In China's big cities, a local hukou is quite difficult to come by for an immigrant as there are simply too many applicants. Without a local Hukou, a new immigrant might face numerous restrictions to get social services. This has been a source of grievances for new comers despite the fact that the hukou system has come under constant reforms. Recently, Beijing came up a points-based system, which looks at one's education level, financial status and criminal records, among other criteria, to select possible candidate for a Hukou.So how do experts read this system? What further measures can be taken to address China's internal migration issue?For more I speak to Tao Ran, a professor in School of Economics and the Director of China Center for Public Economics and Governance at Renmin University of China; and Professor Peng Xizhe, Professor