Looking back at the changes that China has experienced during the past 40 years of reform and opening up, most people here would tell you that these changes have taken place at a pace unseen anywhere else in the world. And the pace of change has accelerated even more over the past year.
All eyes are once again on Boao, a coastal resort in China's southern island province of Hainan, as the annual Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) opened on Tuesday.
The Chinese government has shown ambition to match the island’s potential. The vision of a marriage between business and beauty has few international comparables.
The central government has mapped out its detailed plans for establishing Hainan as a free trade zone by 2020. Goals also include the establishment of the free trade port system in Hainan by 2025.
China is opening up according to its own pace and schedule. Unilateral action, pressure, and coercion will not beget anything productive to avoid a trade war.