The big chasm between China and US over the North Korean threat…
Why you should care:
The world’s two biggest powers just can’ t agree on how to deal with a defiant North Korea and its nuclear ambitions. The issue has long been a thorn in the flesh for Sino-US ties and is bound to complicate the already-volatile relationship. If China and the US can’ t compromise, the spillover effects will have global consequences. We tell you what each side has to say to support their stance towards Pyongyang.
Why you should care:
President Xi Jinping has been called a firm leader, a strongman and an iron-fisted ruler, so why is it that he just can’ t seem to get China’s financial system in order? American financial services firm Standard & Poor’s has given a sceptical assessment of Xi’s prospects of reining in the country’s credit growth and lowering its financial risks. The report sheds light on what’s hindering Xi from getting his way.
Why you should care:
Beijing omitted this big piece of information from its economic report this year, but we’ ll tell you here: its wealth gap has widened for the first time in five years. On the Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality, a rating of 0.4 is widely considered the threshold that can trigger social unrest.
