A World Trade Organization dispute over auto manufacturing could mark the beginnings of a fresh period of trade tensions and protectionism in 2009.

China's recently announced stimulus package is aimed more at long-term development than short-term growth.

As the global financial crisis expands in the United States and Europe, the Asian financial system remains full of cash and not as vulnerable to the credit crunch proper.

The "Chinese miracle" has been a leading economic story for several years now. But the idea of an inevitable Chinese juggernaut is a myth.