Each December, China’s leaders meet to lay out their economic agenda for the next year. And each December, China-watchers pore over their every word, much like Kremlinologists during the Cold War. It bears remembering that these pronouncements are rarely predictive, and that the best sources of insight on China‘s economy are usually found elsewhere. Here are a few key points to keep in mind next year.　Watch the data, not the New Year’s resolutions.　In 2015, China‘s leaders were touting plans for

Viewpoints Jan. 1, 2017

For movie moguls, it probably seemed like an irresistible idea: Pair a Hollywood star with China’s most famous director, add a preposterous story about monsters attacking the most recognizable Chinese landmark, and mix in $150 million to make the magic happen. The result was “The Great Wall,” the most expensive Hollywood-Chinese collaboration ever -- and a colossal cultural flop.　　Despite financial backing from China’s largest cinema operator, possibly the biggest marketing campaign in the count

Viewpoints Dec. 23, 2016

Plenty of ink will be spilled in the coming days from critics anxious about Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee’s ties with Russia — when ever-opportunistic Sen. Marco Rubio is on the list (a spot he reserved Sunday with the tweet, “Being a ‘friend of Vladimir’ is not an attribute I’m hoping for in a #SecretaryOfState”), you know it’s getting serious. But there’s another major reason for the US Senate to keep Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Rex W. Tillerson out of Foggy Bottom.　　Exxon Mobil is curre

Viewpoints Dec. 16, 2016

In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, the battle for the soul of America has begun.　It is playing out in boardrooms high above New York City, in off-the-record conversations between the president-elect, news executives and prominent reporters and on-air personalities.　Two such meetings took place this week. The first was with broadcast news executives and reporters at Trump Tower, and the second was with executives, editors and reporters at the New York Times.　Trump

Viewpoints Nov. 25, 2016

Donald Trump has made history as the first man with no government experience to reach the highest office in the land -- and as the least popular and most divisive candidate ever to do so. The burden is now on him to leave a mean-spirited campaign behind and demonstrate that he can bring people together to move the country forward on important issues.　His victory speech hit the right notes. After showing a graciousness toward Hillary Clinton that was lacking throughout the campaign, he said it wa

Viewpoints Nov. 11, 2016

Because Brexit isn’t risky enough, apparently, Britain’s Conservative government has decided to embark on another project fraught with potential for failure. For many years, the country has been arguing furiously about a big expansion of London’s Heathrow airport. Having once opposed the idea, the Tories say they are now in favor.　Prime Minister Theresa May is right: Heathrow needs another runway. But the government’s announcement settles nothing. Even now, no sensible person would bet on this e

Viewpoints Oct. 28, 2016

Donald Trump’s warning that he might not accept the results of the presidential election exemplifies his approach to everything: Do whatever it takes to win, even if that means undermining the integrity of the entire system.　Trump isn’t alone. The same approach underlies Sen. John McCain’s recent warning that Senate Republicans will unite against any Supreme Court nominee Hillary Clinton might put up if she becomes president.　The Republican Party as a whole has embraced this philosophy for more

Viewpoints Oct. 28, 2016

There is a troubling trend of cities putting new taxes — so-called Netflix taxes — on streaming music, online gaming, e-books, and online video distributors like Netflix, Hulu and Sling. Pennsylvania, Chicago and dozens of California cities have recently implemented or proposed taxes on online media. Yet there are several legal and economic problems with these taxes.　First, some of these taxes may violate the First Amendment since they single out certain types of media for taxation. Courts take

Viewpoints Oct. 14, 2016