The Chinese leadership is following the U.S. presidential campaign very closely, says Jia Qingguo, a leading American studies scholar, but he notes that a new president is not expected to significantly change U.S. policy toward China.

China's loudest and most nationalistic voices aren't necessarily its most influential; behind the monochromatic official announcements lies a debate and lack of consensus about Chinese direction, both internal and external, Allen Carlson writes in the Diplomat.

Adam Segal says that rather than just defacing websites, Anonymous should target five specific Chinese websites to obtain real secrets.

Politician Bo Xilai's sudden fall from grace unmasks long-discussed corruption within the political ranks and undermines a smooth leadership transition for the Communist Party, says CFR's Elizabeth Economy.

Mitt Romney wants the United States to get much tougher with Iran and to end what a top adviser calls President Barack Obama's "Mother, may I?" consensus-seeking foreign policy.

Since its founding in 1944, the World Bank has evolved from a lender focused on European reconstruction into the preeminent international institution for economic development and poverty reduction. This Backgrounder examines the Bank's history and role.

Jerome A. Cohen looks at various types of incommunicado detention in China, and discusses what Bo Xilai could face under "shuanggui," a widely feared internal disciplinary action that is outside the reach of Chinese law.

International trade and finance analyst Rebecca M. Nelson offers an overview of multilateral development banks and outlines the issues they present for the United States Congress in this Congressional Research Service report.

Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies discusses the significant risk of conflict in the South China Sea and how the United States can prevent becoming involved in an armed clash.

Richard Clarke, former special adviser to the president for cybersecurity, says the proposed cybersecurity bill would not do much to stop Chinese cyber espionage. He suggests that the Obama administration act to stop the threat.

The emerging BRICS economies agree that the West should hold less sway in the global economy. But their leaders, despite regular summits, have failed to articulate a coherent vision because of divergent interests, says journalist Martin Wolf.

Leaders of the BRICS countries (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa) made this declaration at the fourth BRICS Summit in New Delhi on March 29, 2012.

Jerome A. Cohen discusses Bo Xilai, criminal justice, and China's leadership.

China faces growing internal and external calls for economic and political reforms. Expert Minxin Pei looks at the political transition under way and discusses prospects for change.

Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, criticizes China's version of capitalism, saying it will never "match up to the promise of a truly free capitalist economy."

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a Chinese newspaper, says that Mitt Romney's aggressive harangues about China don't trouble Chinese people. Hu asks: Does he really want to pick a fight with a nation of 1.3 billion people?

In this Financial Times article, Martin Wolf suggests China should raise its total factor productivity to meet the challenges it will face in the future because of labor shortage.

The U.S. move to launch a case against China at the WTO over its cap on exporting rare earth metals is the latest international effort to hold China accountable to international trade standards, explains CFR's Elizabeth Economy.

Drawing on the lessons of the Information Technology Agreement, Matthew Slaughter calls for the elimination of international trade and investment barriers in energy industries.

Raymond Lu and Michael D. Swaine argue that presidential candidate Mitt Romney's rhetoric about China points to a direction of diplomatic neglect and military overreach, while leaving important strategic questions unanswered.