When it comes to economic reform, China’s leaders no longer believe that time is on their side. With a new sense of urgency, President Xi Jinping and his inner circle are attempting one of the most ambitious economic and social-policy reform plans in history.

Following concerns voiced at the World Economic Forum in Davos about China’s burgeoning shadow banking system, Michael Justin Lee examines the role of financial entities that don’t fall under direct bank regulation within market economies and argues that fears of China’s economic downfall are overblown.

The turmoil surrounding China’s shadow banking system is easily understood as more than $1 trillion worth of debt is set to mature in the system before May. However, as Minxin Pei points out, China’s new leadership must turn shadow banking’s impending crisis into a strategic opportunity and face short-term pain to prevent the triggering of a domino-style collapse.

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.

Credit in China is growing at a breakneck pace, raising serious concerns about the level of risk in the financial system. The government now must determine how to balance the economy’s liquidity needs with protecting the system's solvency.

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.

As news that the United States has become the largest recipient of Chinese investment spreads, many Americans are nervous and wonder where that money is going. Interestingly, the U.S. draws a significant amount of private investment from China, which is distinctly different from the country’s investment patterns in the rest of the world.

Although in 2014, it appears China will be adhering to a “prudent” monetary policy and working to balance its finances, the world’s number two economy will still face considerable challenges, such as rising credit and an appreciating currency.

While China’s refusal of genetically modified corn crops from the United States has gained attention in recent months, Colin A. Carter explains that as China moves from a major corn exporter to importer, it will require more sources of the crop and ultimately approve more biotech corn products.

Lasting 40 days and putting American holidays to shame, travel during this year’s Chinese New Year celebration is expected to top 3.6 billion trips or segments and will be the world’s largest human migration. It is essential to understand and respect this part of Chinese culture in the Year of the Horse.