While China’s lifting of restrictions on the operation of international banks will not result in branches opening on every Chinese high street, it does present significant opportunities, says Stephen Green.

Whether responsibility for banking supervision in the EU lies with national central banks or with separate agencies, it must be able to stand up to pressure, argues Jean Lemierre.

Current account imbalances, household indebtedness, large leveraged transactions in the corporate sector as well as the growth in market complexity should all be sounding alarm bells, says Mario Draghi.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) was intended, among other things, to improve Mexico’s economy (and thus reduce illegal immigration). In fact, it worked to the detriment of Mexico. Joe Stiglitz analyses what went wrong.

In this extract from his latest book, former World Bank chief economist Joe Stiglitz argues that a trade regime based on the principle of universal reciprocity regardless of circumstances does little to help developing countries.

Africa is a real banking market with real potential and there is nothing philanthropic about Barclays’ activities there, writes John Varley. He outlines particular areas that his banking group is committed to developing and region-specific issues that must be addressed.

Regional co-operation through the Asian Bond Fund initiatives will make intermediation between savings and investment increasingly effective in the region, says Joseph Yam.

The impact of events in 1979 continues to reverberate in the changing balance of power between the West and the East. Christopher Coker considers the consequences as China’s influence is felt through the world.

The current malaise of globalisation relates to a growing sense of internal paralysis in the major industrial countries and the sense that power politics have returned, says Harold James.

Financing common public goods such as measures to combat climate change and international financial instability requires multilateral co-operation between developing and developed actors, says Kemal Dervis.