There's a serious side to the shi-san-wu

Central planning in China has become a lot more fun. A three-minute cartoon video explaining the significance of China's next and 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) has gone viral worldwide.

Highlights of proposals in the plan

China has seen great progress in the past five years, becoming the world's second-largest economy and with per capita GDP increasing to $7,800. Agricultural production has risen continually and the proportion of permanent residents in urban areas reached 55 percent.

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Grand plan needs pragmatic action

At the recently concluded Fifth Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee, the "Four Comprehensives" became the grand blueprint for the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). Each of the four tasks requires broad measures and pragmatic actions.

Two-child policy won't lead to a baby boom

The communique issued after the Fifth Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee on Oct 29 said all couples can now have two children. The decision, aimed at balancing population development and solving the aging population problem, is the greatest change in China's family planning policy in three and half decades.

China's cities hold lessons for Africa

When Zhang Min pulled up stakes and left Beijing for Nairobi eight years ago, she was confident she was bidding a final farewell to the heavily polluted skies that had often been her lot in the Chinese capital. What she did not foresee was that the development locomotive that has pulled China toward seemingly boundless economic prosperity over the years - with some of the unwanted baggage - would one day arrive in Africa.

Building a modern capital

In April, the governor of Nairobi County, Evans Kidero, took drastic steps to decongest the Kenyan capital's downtown by partially blocking roundabouts on major feeder roads. The roadblocks, which kept motorists from making right turns, have improved the flow of traffic, which had become nightmarishly clogged.

Safeguarding nature becomes second nature

African countries and Chinese investors are both increasingly aware of how critical sustainable development is as Africa industrializes and urbanizes, industry insiders say.

Dawn of a new era

Beijing and London upgraded their comprehensive strategic partnership to a global one during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United Kingdom from Oct 19 to Oct 23, the first by a Chinese president in a decade.

$62b in investment pot, with more to come

President Xi Jinping's visit has resulted in about 40 billion pounds ($62 billion; 54.5 billion euros) of deals in the UK, including Chinese investments which are set to take in nuclear power, high-speed rail, oil, electric buses, theme parks and investment in research and development in the new wonder material graphene.

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Fleet of taxis shows off scenes from China

A fleet of 50 London taxis began showcasing images of China on Oct 18, one day before President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United Kingdom. The images, affixed to the taxis' exteriors, are a blend of iconic Chinese scenes and London's landmarks and streets.