The South China Sea has become even more hotly contested as Malaysia has begun to explore energy resources in areas previously claimed by Vietnam and China. The now-three-way naval standoff throws into uncertainty the future of the stability in the region.

Support for the Palestinians — or lack of it — from Arab states in the Middle East will determine whether, and how much, the latest one-sided Trump policy can be implemented.

The latest accusation adds to a long list of US charges against Huawei .

A resilient China has held up well against external stresses, and the economy continues to perform well. Rural and surburban areas have the greatest potential for economic growth.

At the start of a new decade, it’s useful to review the state of the world and the forces that will shape the future. Though success won’t come easily, China is set to emerge as one of the greatest forces for good in history.

The protests in Hong Kong may be one for the record books for producing viral political tweets, memes and manipulative imagery. But Mulan won’t be coming to the rescue any time soon, not as long as she is regarded part of the problem.

Hong Kong’s government withdrew the extradition bill that triggered the protests. Yet the protesters rage on, lacking any coherent strategy or demands. They claim that they are fighting for democracy, but it is hard to reconcile that lofty goal with medieval-style catapults launching bricks and firebombs. In truth, the protesters’ scorched-earth strategy can lead only to more chaos, destruction, and death.

Some wrestling may be needed before they can seriously look at decoupling.

This year’s Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to poverty reduction. In the Nobel Committee’s view, the economists’ use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), a method adapted from medical sciences, to test whether specific interventions work has “considerably improved our ability to fight global poverty.”

With China’s recent deployment of its coast guard and Maritime Militia Forces to neighboring waters like the South China Sea, the US will continue to contest the Middle Kingdom’s expanding influence in the region with an increasing presence of its own maritime military forces.