Ambassador He Yafei is a prolific former Chinese diplomat who has witnessed and participated in many key global events. China-US Focus editor-at-large James Chau sat down with Ambassador He for an interview on a wide-range of issues, including a global order under stress, the growing US-China rivalry, and how China manages to achieve growth while working to address social challenges.

In this conversation, Ambassador He claims that China’s “two-hand approach” to growth – combining the power of the invisible hand of the free market and the visible hand of government – has been successful in improving social equity and narrowing the gap between developed coastal areas and less developed regions in the country.