The People’s growing financial and political impact around the globe means that what happens in China matters everywhere. Thus, stability and predictability are important virtues. Yes, as Doug Bandow argues, political opacity is necessary as the interests of the Chinese coincide with those of outsiders.

High-profile arrests like those carried out in China in recent years are insufficient to curb corruption in a lasting manner. Reducing pervasive government intervention in the economy and encouraging greater competition would reduce the near-monopolistic rents that create the incentives for corruption in the first place.

One of the major challenges for China’s leadership lies in enacting the rule of law by borrowing from Western principles while preserving China’s self-identity embodied in part in the Confucian ideology of the rule of virtue.

Moderating growth rates in the range of 5-7% per annum reflect the higher per capita income level and the changing growth paradigm in China. A modest slowdown is a necessary and healthy adjustment for China to transition to a new trajectory of more efficient and sustainable growth. But instead of greeting such a positive "new normal" with enthusiasm, the naysayers have reacted with dismay as though they would rather prefer the old growth model.

Modernizing state governance in China depends on the successful promotion of rule of law, to stimulate orderly participation of the public and to maximize the public interest.

In this premiere episode of a new Chinese Youku series produced by Guancha.cn, Shanghai scholar/entrepreneur Eric X. Li talks with political scientist Francis Fukuyama about his latest book: “Political Order and Political Decay.”

Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, is the Chinese leader’s book on proper leadership in China, with a heavy focus on ousting corruption, a direct threat to the legitimacy of the party. While the party cracks down, it also has made it more difficulty for anonymous web users to expose party privilege abuse on micro-blogs, begging the question of whether this book favors slogan over good governance.

In the Communist Party of China Central Committee’s 4th Plenum, reform of the legal system was the focus of the meeting. Minxin Pei analyzes the “Major Decisions” document and examines the challenges facing Xi Jinping as he puts forth a new concept of “rule according to law.”