The world's factory is turning into an R&D machine -- and fast catching up with America. Beijing is urgently looking for ways of designing its own products rather than manufacturing someone else's. Put another way, it wants to shift from making iPhones to inventing them.

While China is virtually certain to be the world’s biggest trade nation, Yu Xiang points out four key reasons why the country is yet to be the strongest trade nation and urges for the expansion of the US-China trade relationship.

Over the last two decades, a consensus about China's growth model has emerged, with observers arguing that a shift to an intensive, efficiency-driven growth is essential. But empirical research reveals a critical flaw in this assessment – namely, that annual efficiency gains in China far exceed those of the US.

Following the official launch of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, Dr. Nicola Casarini explores how the internationalization of the renminbi can benefit the global economy with an emphasis on the Eurozone.

As recent reports suggest the Renminbi yuan is going through its most active role in the global trading market in history, Yi Xianrong advises against overestimating what this means for the yuan’s globalization. Yi suggests accelerating the pace at which the yuan is open to the outside world and establishing an effective exchange-rate pricing mechanism before globalization can be discussed.

China’s declining GDP has sent shockwaves through the financial sector as analysts begin to question China’s long-term economic strategy. As Minxin Pei points out, “zombie firms,” or companies primarily supported through bank loans and government subsidies, are complicating China’s sustained growth. By eliminating these firms and instituting reforms, China can bolster innovation and ensure the opening of its economic markets.

Although China’s slowing growth has caused a stir amongst analysts; He Weiwen explains China’s growth rate is not of concern.